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International Council of Shopping Centers gatherings are must-attend events for commercial real estate practitioners, especially those who work with retail landlords and tenants.
So it was no surprise that 125 industry experts attended the inaugural Southwest Florida ICSC chapter event at the Coconut Point Hyatt in Bonita Springs Aug. 6. Five local commercial real estate brokerage firms launched the event: LandQwest Commercial, Kite Realty, Kova Partners, North American Properties and iCore Global.
The networking was fast and furious. Organizers repeatedly clinked their cocktail glasses to urge participants to be seated for the formal panel presentation.
The mood was upbeat as panelists touted the recovery in commercial and residential real estate. “Good locations are appreciated again,” says longtime Collier County real estate appraiser Raymond Carroll.
Both urban and suburban developments will benefit in the recovery, especially mixed-use developments that have amenities within walking distance. “Those buzzwords are for real,” says Fort Myers Mayor Randy Henderson Jr. He says a new downtown hotel next to Harborside Event Center and the shopping district will be under construction at this time next year.
Economic development officials from Lee and Collier counties say the area has received nationwide and international attention. For example, of the 15 companies headquartered at the newly formed Catalyst Accelerator Network in Naples, half are from overseas, says Marshal Goodman, the center's director.
The event was a sampling of what's in store later this month in Orlando, at the statewide ICSC conference. The conference has been moved to the massive Orange County Convention Center because of the expected boom in attendance.
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