Retail in OKC was well represented at ICSC Las Vegas

Las Vegas in May is an annual tradition for the retail community. Each year, national retailers, developers, brokers and more descend on Sin City for the industry’s biggest conference, ICSC Las Vegas (formerly ICSC RECon).

For more than a decade, the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber has exhibited at the show and brought a contingent of partners to recruit and woo national brands to the metro. ICSC Las Vegas is where the initial talks that brought a lot of prominent national retailers to OKC began.

ICSC show will help Chamber, City promote OKC as retail destination

“Being involved with ICSC is a big part of our retail recruitment strategy,” said Tammy Fate, senior manager of retail development and recruitment for the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber. “Not just Las Vegas but we also go to New York City and other regional shows throughout the year. Being a consistent presence to these national brands and developers is very important to us. We never miss an opportunity to brag about Oklahoma City.”

While deals might not close at ICSC Las Vegas each year, Fate said they are a critical step in the process.

“It is very rare to close a deal at ICSC Las Vegas but that is where a lot of it begins,” said Fate. “We’ve met with people year after year before finally getting them to locate in Oklahoma City. The key is getting them to visit after the conference. Once we get the decision-makers on the ground in OKC, they see and feel the momentum happening in our community themselves.”

This year’s show was held May 23 – 24 and the Chamber, along with representatives from the City of Oklahoma City, the Alliance for Economic Development and Downtown, Inc., had two days packed full of meetings.

While Fate can’t disclose who she met with, she did say the meetings were productive and there is a lot of positivity surrounding the Oklahoma City market.

“Every year we meet with these national retailers they seem to know a little more about our market,” said Fate. “We used to have to spend a lot of our meeting informing and selling them on Oklahoma City. Most of them are familiar with us now. A lot of the time, it is less about selling them on OKC but more about finding the place in our community that works best for their business.”

The strength and diversity of the Oklahoma City economy were a frequent topic of conversation this year.

“The people we met with were very familiar with how well our local economy has been performing,” said Fate. “Particularly the success and strength of our aerospace industry was brought up a lot by national people we talked to. That is especially exciting because a diverse economy is critical for us as a retail market. In years past, the perception that we are strictly reliant on the ups and downs of the energy sector has been a negative for us. The perception of our economy is changing.”

But according to Fate, the momentum at the show went well beyond positive meetings. The amount of people who attended from Oklahoma City is a game-changer. Each year the Chamber holds a small lunch at its booth with the current Mayor and people in town for the conference.

“In the past, there might be around 20 or so but it has slowly been rising a little each year,” said Fate. “This year was by far the most people from Oklahoma City we’ve had at the show. We had 40-50 for the Mayor’s lunch alone.”

Fate said the presence of so many Oklahoma City developers and brokers is important for two reasons. For starters, getting these people together can pay big dividends.

“The synergy created when 40 to 50 brokers are echoing the same message about your community is powerful,” said Fate. “It can be surprising how much is accomplished by casual conversations between OKC-focused individuals in the retail industry.”  

More importantly, having that much representation of the community at a national conference shows the momentum and progress that is happening in Oklahoma City.

“It is one thing as a Chamber to talk about how great Oklahoma City is,” said Fate. “However, when we have this kind of representation from our retail community, it is evident to national retailers that a lot is happening in Oklahoma City. We expect several new-to-market announcements to happen in the next 12 months.”

Fate was also encouraged that virtually almost every part of the city was represented in Las Vegas this year.

“Major commercial developments are happening across Oklahoma City in every direction,” said Fate. “Nearly every part of Oklahoma City was represented by a local developer or broker at the conference. This demonstrates the retail sector is thriving and continuing to transform in our city.”