In a world where change is the only constant, remaining the leader in and through uncertain times takes strong personal character and perseverance. It takes vision. There are many ways to stay relevant: staying involved in the community, maintaining the role of a leader in the commercial real estate industry, and continually increasing knowledge and connections are powerful ways to do just that. These are all areas Caton Commercial excels at.
Attending national and global industry conventions is just one way Caton keeps at the forefront of new trends. Amy Hall (COO) recently joined over 22,000 industry professionals at ICSC 2022 Las Vegas (Innovating Commerce Serving Communities, formerly known as the International Council of Shopping Centers) in May. This two-day convention brings in key dealmakers and industry experts from all over the world to focus on connecting and learning. The convention itself takes place at the Las Vegas Convention Center and features attendees and exhibitors from the retail, owner, landlord, broker, development, municipality, and service sectors, all seeking new business opportunities and potential partnerships. There are key-note speakers and professional development workshops and general and micro-learning sessions, all designed to increase knowledge and help attendees explore new strategies in the ever-changing retail world, including new technology solutions and trailblazing techniques.
While industry leaders like Caton Commercial must always seek new ways to lead and grow, ICSC itself has also made a significant metamorphosis to stay relevant. As the retail market shifted, and the traditional shopping center adjusted to these changes, ICSC found they must take initiative to evolve and meet the needs and demands of their members and the industry and to continue to make a significant impact on commerce, communities, and culture. ICSC has expanded its scope beyond shopping centers and malls, and now encompasses all that today’s consumers require to live and thrive in their communities.
Networking and forming connections are other key components of the Las Vegas ICSC. Even though traveling halfway across the country to attend the convention or the numerous networking events in the evenings, it is quite common to meet with someone that does business one suburb away, but never finds the time to network locally. In the same conversation, one can meet someone who is in a related industry several states away. This irony of going out to Vegas to meet someone who does business next door is another reason why attending ICSC is so crucial to leaders in the commercial real estate industry.
While strengthening relationships, expanding knowledge of new industry trends, and, of course, looking for deals, Hall leans into Caton’s core values of cultivating intelligent solutions and trusted advisory, not only for clients but also for those coming up in the industry by finding time to mentor and coach others. Even as the show is winding down, at a time when most attendees begin to relax and decompress from an intensive two-day conference, Hall finds time to reach out and encourage an industry newcomer, offering to share her uber to the airport and connect with her on LinkedIn before promising to keep in touch back in Chicago. “It’s often not the big things, but the continual, everyday actions that sometimes prove most significant in helping others develop,” states Hall. “It is in our giving back that we reap the greatest benefits from our efforts, whether with our team, clients, or the next generation within our commercial real estate industry.”
As another ICSC convention wraps up, the Caton team is energized, and equipped with new ideas and new connections to continue to be the industry expert customers and clients rely on.