For the last three years, City staff and elected officials have attended the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) conference in Las Vegas, NV.  This is styled as the Largest Commercial Real Estate Event of each year, where participants are exposed to over 25,000 decision makers over three days.  The objectives are deal making, networking, and attending cutting-edge content sessions, in hopes of successfully attracting retail development to Schertz. 

Over the years, we have had varying degrees of success, with the most recent (2025) bearing the most fruit.  Our strategy included utilizing a team of four, consisting of the Executive Director of Economic Development, Assistant Director of Economic Development, City Manager, and Mayor, to attend as many meetings as possible with potential developers and retailers.  Over two and a half days, we were able to meet with 16 different developers/retailers, which was exponentially higher than the prior two years and has led to several ongoing prospective conversations, as well as helped with closing pending deals.  We believe that covering as much ground as possible as quickly as possible in small teams is the most effective strategy.   In many cases, the meetings at the conference were followed by subsequent meetings once we were back in Texas. 

The intent of this item is to gauge the Council's interest in attending the 2026 ICSC conference, as one member has already expressed such an interest.