More than 300 retail and real estate industry leaders convened for a Women in Real Estate Special Interest Group (SIG) event hosted by Faith Hope Consolo, chairman of Prudential Douglas Elliman's Retail Group, at the International Council of Shopping Centers' (ICSC) New York National Conference, held December 6th. The late afternoon program began with a networking hour highlighted by champagne, wine and hors d'oeuvres. It was followed by an exciting presentation, Lord & Taylor: REMaking Their Legend and Yours, with featured guests David Clements, vice president and general manager of Lord & Taylor's Fifth Ave. flagship store, and Dominick Ponti, senior vice president of design, construction and facilities for Lord & Taylor, who were introduced after Consolo and ICSC's Lorraine Mazza, staff vice president of conventions and conferences, honored past SIG roundtable leaders.
"We were expecting a strong response, given the stature of our guest speakers and the timeliness of the topic," pointed out Consolo. "But the crowd far exceeded our expectations and included a diverse mix of media, real estate professionals and groups from related industry associations, such as NYCREW and AREW."
The discussion centered on Lord & Taylor's nine-month revitalization and renovation program, which is already becoming a benchmark for department stores nationwide. From overviews of the improvements program through descriptions of reinvented departments and layouts, Ponti and Clements provided the rationale behind the multi-million dollar project. They also elaborated on the positive consumer response, recent successes at the flagship and plans to build nine new units nationwide. A rapt audience responded afterwards with a boisterous Q&A session that ran long.
The Women in Real Estate roundtables were launched by Consolo in May 2010 at ICSC RECon in Las Vegas, as part of the organization's Special Interest Group (SIG) initiative. Focusing on specific disciplines within the retail and real estate industries, the SIGs have enabled professionals in the field to meet and share common ideas, interests and challenges. They provide excellent opportunities for networking through informal, interactive discussions.
Throughout 2010, Consolo has spearheaded roundtables and presentations at ICSC conferences around the country, including in Boston, Orlando, San Diego, Chicago and Atlanta, culminating with this year's program at the New York National Conference.
Consolo will again chair the Women's SIG program for ICSC in 2011. The next Women in Real Estate SIG will be held at the ICSC Mid-Atlantic Idea Exchange in National Harbor, MD on February 22-23, 2011. Additional SIGs are scheduled next year for the following ICSC conferences: RECon in Las Vegas, May 22; New England Idea Exchange in Boston, July 13-14; Florida Conference in Kissimmee, FL, August 14-16; Western Conference in San Diego, CA, September 7-9; Chicago Deal Making in Chicago, October 27-28; Southeast Conference in Atlanta, October 31-November 2; Texas Conference in Grapevine, TX, November 14-15; and New York National Conference and Deal Making, New York City, December 5-7, 2011.
As the industry leader in retail leasing, investment sales and consulting, Prudential Douglas Elliman's Retail Group is renowned for its success on local, national and international platforms. Headed by Faith Hope Consolo, chairman, the group's comprehensive scope extends to virtually every facet of the retail landscape; from celebrated Madison Ave. to Rodeo Dr., urban retail corridors worldwide, upscale super regional shopping malls, luxury specialty centers and hotel/casino retail.