ICSC Whistler Conference Jan 11-13

I have covered the ICSC Whistler Conference as a guest columnist many times in the past for Business In Vancouver.  It is one of the best for deal-making and networking.  I find it a terrific one-stop spot to gather insight around the growth prospects for retail in Canada and the US. 

Many CEO's are regular attendees, but the focus is on the leasing and development side of retail.  The panels and speakers are but a small part of the story - the focus is on the connections, the networking parties and the breakout meetings. 

I am looking forward to this year's event in particular.  The November edition was held in Toronto and the financial chaos was still too fresh to get any real read on the situation then.  Some deals were getting completed, while others died on the vine as credit access dried up.  The concensus was that nothing new would be started until after the Holiday season, once deal-makers could assess the economic lay of the land.

I will report in from Whistler early next week.

On-site registration is available.  Click here for more information:

http://www.icsc.org/srch/mt/descs/2009BC/2009BC.pdf