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SHOW TO HIGHLIGHT LATIN AMERICA’S VIBRANT RETAIL INDUSTRY

By María Bird Picó

The third Congreso Internacional de Shopping Centers (International Congress of Shopping Centers) next month promises to be more international than ever, with retail real estate professionals converging on Argentina from not just Latin America but beyond as well.

These delegates will be sharing their expertise at a time when retail development in Latin America is the most dynamic and sophisticated it has ever been.

“We want to offer industry executives the current panorama of what is happening in the different regions of the world,” said Alberto Lípare, ICSC’s director for South America. “We will achieve this goal with the participation of outstanding speakers who will share their experience and knowledge so participants can discover new business opportunities, improve their operational efficiency and ensure the maximum success of their activities.”

The timing could not be better. The shopping center industry in Latin America is booming, with new malls and lifestyle centers going up in almost every country in the region. This has brought in new retailers and fostered the growth of local ones.

“With few exceptions, the real and strong growth of Latin America’s shopping center industry took place during the past decade,” said Lípare.

This year’s congress, promoted as “Punto de Encuentro Para Sus Negocios” (Point of Encounter for Your Business), is being coordinated by ICSC and the Cámara Argentina de Shopping Centers. It will run Oct. 22-24 at the Sheraton Hotel & Convention Center de Pilar, in Buenos Aires.

The roster of speakers includes Arcadio Gil Pujol, honorary president of the Asociación Española de Centros Comerciales, Spain’s shopping center trade group; Horst Paulmann, president of CencoSud, one of Latin America’s main mall development and operating firms; and John L. Bucksbaum, SCSM, chief executive of General Growth Properties, one of the two largest U.S. shopping center REITs. Representatives from the Brazilian, Peruvian and Venezuelan shopping center trade organizations will be present.

One panel that Lípare predicts is sure to be popular is called New Consumers, New Needs: Business Opportunities for Retailers. The panel will look at ways to turn consumers into repeat customers. Among the other panels and workshops: How to Capitalize Shopping Center Common Areas; The Importance of Tourism in Shopping Centers; Large Department Stores in South America; Streamlining Your Shopping Centers; and Tenant Mix and Entertainment: New Formats for New Needs.

The delegates will go on an educational tour of two of Argentina’s newest malls: Alto Rosario and Portal Rosario, whose construction in the nearby city of Rosario coincided with Argentina’s economic crisis of 2001, though they were completed just as the country was making a comeback some three years later. Participants will also see several malls in Buenos Aires, including Abasto Shopping, Galerías Pacífico, Las Palmas del Pilar and Unicenter.