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Vibrant industry makes 2005 Spring Convention a blockbuster

BY SASCHA BRODSKY

Spring Convention records were broken again this year, with more than 40,000 people registering — up from 36,000 in 2004, which was itself a record. “The crowds are unbelievable,” said Don Sebastian, president of Hermitage, Pa.-based Sebastian Realty, as he fought for a seat to take care of some paperwork in the bustling Leasing Mall.

“There are just a huge number of bodies here,” agreed Nanci Ferrante, a vice president at Grubb & Ellis, between appointments to seek buyers for retail properties in Cleveland. “It bodes well for our business and the economy in general,” she said.

Though signing leases and buying and selling shopping centers were attendees’ top priorities, they also took advantage of the show’s many educational opportunities. These included presentations by city and county government officials, a speech by legendary businessman Jack Welch and a bevy of programs on such wide-ranging subjects as supermarkets and mixed-use development.

There were also the receptions and parties thrown by ICSC and its members, adding a healthy dose of festivity to this, the world’s largest retail real estate event of the year.