Walking the Floor at the International Council of Shopping Centers conference

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Each year, the sound and the fury that is the International Council of Shopping Centers conference returns to New York City for a two-day affair that includes dozens of seminars, the retail industry’s biggest names, and, for some lucky brokers, the start of lucrative new relationships with the nation’s biggest brands. The Commercial Observer’s Dan Geiger walked the floor at the New York Hilton this past Monday and eavesdropped on the city’s biggest players, including Bruce Ratner, Paul Massey and Robert K. Futterman, as they courted retailers from California to Brooklyn. Below, a minute-by-minute look at Monday’s proceedings, with a special assists from Observer photographer Hannah Mattix.

mg 4893 Walking the Floor at the International Council of Shopping Centers conference
Ariel Schuster. (Photo by Hannah Mattix)

9:00 – Chris Howard, minding the door to General Growth Properties’ private room on the sourth wing of the second floor says it’s not a good time to come in and network, GGP’s executives and brokers are already busy having private meetings at tables with clients.

9:30 – Waiting for Mayor Michael Bloomberg to take the stage in a portion of the grand ballroom, Ariel Schuster, a broker with Robert K. Futterman, pops in. He says that the day has already gotten off to a fast start. He’s had breakfast with a tenant at 8:00 am and and a quick

9:35 – meeting with another client. “It’s going to be a long day,” Schuster said.

9:45 – Mayor Michael Bloomberg takes the podium and delivers one of signature booster-speeches for the city, weaving in some pretty impressive retail stats, including that the city expects a record 50 million tourists this year and more in the future. Developer Bruce Ratner listens intently from the front row. Seeing him, Mayor Bloomberg says, “I purchased season Nets tickets.”
“Have you paid the bill?” Mr. Ratner jokes.
“Have I paid the bill? Good question, I’ll have to look into that.”