DC Delegation Executes 16th Successful Trade Mission to ICSC RECon
June 4, 2014
Last month, Mayor Vincent Gray, council members, city officials and community partners joined the Washington, DC Economic Partnership (WDCEP) at the International Council of Shopping Centers’ (ICSC) RECon convention in Las Vegas – the largest retail industry convention in the world. The DC delegation joined over 34,000 retail and real estate professionals from around the world with the goal of promoting DC as a leading primary growth market for domestic and international retailers and investors.
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In three days, the District delegation held more than 90 meetings with retail, restaurant and real estate representatives. Additionally, WDCEP and the delegation engaged with over 350 individuals who walked into the District’s booth, curious about available opportunities in DC’s unique market. Projects and opportunities that received significant promotion at RECon included St. Elizabeths East Campus, Skyland Town Center, Union Market, the Wharf, and Walter Reed.
In the meetings, WDCEP provided critical market data and relevant reports such as the DC Development Report and the Neighborhood Profiles, which retailers and developers find valuable for their future site selection. WDCEP also provided virtual tours of the District using GIS software, allowing tenants to review sites with site information as well as nearby points of interest (developments, transportation, business incentive boundaries). You can find the properties featured on WDCEP’s Retail Site Search here.
Mayor Gray took the spotlight this year on a panel with fellow mayors entitled “How to Restart Your Engines.” This panel allowed Mayor Gray the opportunity to speak about best practices for retail attraction, economic development in the public sector and, most importantly, DC’s recent growth despite national trends.
Meetings were held with a variety of retailers including restaurants, grocery stores, fitness centers, movie theaters, pharmacies, specialty stores and big-box retailers. The District government and the WDCEP’s attendance at RECon for the past 16 years has resulted in signed leases and openings of many popular retailers and restaurants in the District today, including Harris Teeter, Target, Best Buy and Trader Joes, among many others. Since returning from RECon, the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) and the WDCEP have followed-up on meetings held at the convention and are moving forward with our continued efforts to drive further retail growth throughout the city.