In an energetic presentation that was equal parts gymnastics exhibition and motivational remarks, author and inspirational speaker Dan Thurmon addressed the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) Mid-Atlantic Conference and Deal Making session with a message that challenged attendees to “create change in their lives rather than deal with the change thrown their way.” Lunchtime attendees on the first day of the conference were treated to somersaults, backflips, a handstand on the podium, and a juggling exhibition interspersed with deep messages to help navigate and balance professional careers and personal relationships. “I know what you’re thinking,” Thurmon said, “you’ve been waiting one year for this speech, so it better be good,” in reference to last year’s event being cancelled due to a late-minute snowstorm.
The two-day conference, held at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center at National Harbor, featured educational seminars and a trade show, which annually attracts nearly 4,000 retail real estate developers, the brokerage community, retailers and a wide range of vendors that support the industry.
“With every mixed-use development we build, it is critical to identify the heartbeat of the project and accentuate that aspect,” explained Craig Friedson, Development Manager for RPAI, who participated in the Developers’ Runway session Monday morning. “Our on-site community manager programs approximately 300 events annually to create reasons for consumers to seek retail opportunities when they otherwise may not do so. For instance, the project ice rink may encourage people to purchase hot chocolate or coffee. A soccer tournament might cause families to visit a restaurant between games.”
“The manner in which the general public will interact with cars in the future, and the impact on parking is a major topic of discussion within our company,” said Richard Lake, Member, Roadside Development, LLC in the same seminar. “We are experimenting with the idea of offering apartment residents a vehicle from our fleet of cars to use as needed and to be part of a club. Consumers now inventory their cars. That is, most of you in the audience drove here, parked your car in the garage and it will be waiting for you later. That relationship is apt to change. Obviously, this will reduce the need for parking spaces at development projects, which every developer is projecting and planning for.”
“When it comes to the parking experience and signage, developers strive to reduce friction,” Friedson added. “However, once the consumer arrives at the project, we strive to create friction to elongate the time spent there – which hopefully translates to an extended shopping period. This is achieved with the installation of placemaking elements including benches and other places where people might sit down and relax. Event programming is also a tool.”
Craig Friedson, Development Manager for RPAI (second from right).
“At our company’s One Loudoun project in Northern Virginia, we created an incubator space within a sea container, with the goal of infusing new retailers to keep the venue and the uses fresh,” Friedson said. “The current tenant is B. Doughnut and they are performing so well that we wish to move them into a permanent space to make room for the next user. The goal is to surprise consumers with new compelling retailers on a regular basis so they consistently find new tenants to explore.”
Dan Thurmon, author of the book “Off Balance on Purpose,” mesmerized the lunchtime audience with a mix of thought-provoking messages and mind-numbing athletic feats (such as a hand stand and reverse push-up on the podium), which culminated in teaching a random woman how to juggle three balls. “To enact positive change in your professional and personal life, you need to have three things,” he said. “They are: the Willingness to change -- that is, do you truly have what it takes and do you have the commitment to make necessary changes in your life? The Ability-- do you possess the skills and knowledge base to reach your goals? Next, your Capacity --what is your bandwidth and how much time and energy do you truly have in your arsenal to increase your output? And, what if you could expand these limits?
He explained a seminal moment in his life as a young boy when he crossed paths with a juggler who asked him, “Do you want to learn how to juggle?” According to Thurmon, that is not the question he heard. “The words I were really hearing were: You Can Do It. That changed my perspective with everything in my life. To grow professionally, you must be willing to transcend current patterns, stop doing what is successfully working and find discomfort. Nothing important and useful has ever been achieved without making yourself uncomfortable. You think juggling three balls is difficult? Then try five. If you think what you are doing now is difficult, then try something even harder.
“You hear a lot about achieving balance in your life but that is unrealistic,” he continued. “You need to make changes every single day and live life in the present, rather than the future. Work smarter and have a long-term goal (cue the reverse push-up on the podium). Look, after all of that hard work, I still haven’t gone anywhere.
“The advice sounds trite, but keep looking up. Make perfect throws (as he performed various juggling acts). These throws translate to making perfect catches, which in the business world means taking the right calls and scheduling the right meetings. And, when you add more tasks to your life, resist the urge to move faster and, instead, slow down.
"Open air, grocery-anchored shopping centers are the bread and butter of the retail industry, consisting of 80% of all projects throughout the country," explained Bob Northfield, Principal of BCT Architects (pictured far right) "and the trend now is to convert strips to streets. This means creating a pedestrian-friendly environment with placemaking elements and amenities that will keep people outdoors and in the mood to shop. Adding authenticity to the center, which means integrating amenities or programming that resonates with the nearby community, and turning the center into the third place, is also popular among real estate owners and developers." Brennan Murray and Ann Tyler of BCT Architects are also pictured.
"Representatives from the national grocery store concepts are here at ICSC, as are fast-casual and quick-service restaurants, but the sit-down restaurant category seems to be taking this show off," explained Bill Holzman (second from right) of St. John Properties. Also pictured are Ken Bernstein, David S. Brown Enterprises (far left); Eric Llewellyn, St. John Properties and Sam Crowther, Lee & Associates, Maryland. "The vibe for this conference is extremely positive with a heavy tenant presence coming from throughout the East Coast," added Crowther.
Continental Realty Corporation's Kelsi Bozel at the RNR Tire Express booth.
Larry Lichtenauer is President of Lawrence Howard & Associates, Inc. a full-service advertising, marketing and public relations agency that works extensively in the shopping center industry and reports from ICSC conferences three times each year. He can be contacted at Larry@LawrenceHoward.com
