The International Council of Shopping Centers, Inc. has chosen nine shopping centers as finalists in ICSC's inaugural Best-of-the-Best Awards for Design and Development. These centers are now eligible to be chosen as The Best Shopping Center of the Year or the Best Sustainability Project of 2008.  
The winner will be announced during the inaugural Best-of-the-Best Awards which will be presented during the gala, Night of the Stars at RECon 2009 on Sunday, May 17th at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, Nev.  The Best-of-the-Best Awards honor and recognize the most outstanding examples of shopping center design and development, sustainability, marketing, and community service worldwide.
"Each of these nine centers represents a unique and dynamic design and development trend which sets them apart from the rest of the retail real estate industry," said Michael Kercheval, president and chief executive officer for ICSC.  "The Best-of-the-Best Awards sets the bar for what the retail real estate industry has come to expect from its owners and developers and there is no better place to recognize these outstanding centers then at RECon - where the leaders of the retail real estate industry come together to conduct business," Kercheval added.  
In addition to the Best-of-the-Best Awards, the Night of the Stars will also feature a cocktail reception, dinner and entertainment by world renowned comedian and impressionist Frank Caliendo.  Known for his dead-on impressions of famous actors like Al Pacino, Robin Williams, Robert DeNiro; politicians like George W. Bush and Bill Clinton; and broadcasters like John Madden, David Letterman, Jay Leno and Jim Rome, Caliendo is a seven-year veteran of television sketch comedy counting among his many credits MadTV and Hype. 
All proceeds from the Night of the Stars will fund the ICSC Foundation whose mission is to grant educational scholarships and support charitable initiatives that make a difference in the communities the retail real estate industry and its projects serve, while successfully highlighting the Industry's collaboration and strength worldwide.