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HomeMy WebLinkAbout12 - CC-9 - Participation in Economic Development Co - 4/7/2015CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT MEETING DATE: April 7, 2015 ITEM NUMBER: CC -9 SUBJECT: PARTICIPATION IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE DATE: MARCH 30, 2015 FROM: CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICE PRESENTATION KELLY R. SHELTON, EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TO CEO BY: FOR FURTHER INFORMATION KELLY R. SHELTON @ (714) 754-5328 CONTACT: RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends: 1. That the City Council provide formal approval, per Council Policy 100-8 (Attachment 1) for both Mayor Mensinger and Mayor Pro Tem Righeimer to attend the annual RECon — The Global Retail Real Estate Convention — International Conference of Shopping Centers (ICSC) in Las Vegas, Nevada on May 17-20, 2015, along with City staff; and 2. That the City Council approve canceling the May 19, 2015 City Council meeting and that staff ensure appropriate coordination and communication with residents and the business community. BACKGROUND: A number of different steps have been taken in the last few years to maximize the City's exposure to not only local and regional businesses but to the national market as well. Additionally, City Council authorized staff to build a stronger business alliance with the Costa Mesa Conference and Visitors Bureau. This alliance has led to a number of co- sponsored events including a business trip to China to help foster overseas economic development and the last three years' joint partnership booth at the ICSC conference. Along with the aforementioned activities, the City has joined a number of different organizations aimed at providing greater networking opportunities with up and coming business enterprises. One such organization, which the City joined in January 2012, is the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC). Founded in 1957, ICSC is the global trade association of the shopping center industry, Its 50,000 members in the U.S., Canada and more than 80 other countries include shopping center owners, developers, managers, marketing specialists, investors, lenders, retailers and other professionals as well as academics and public officials. As the global industry trade association, ICSC links with more than 25 national and regional shopping center councils throughout the world (Attachment 2) In May of 2014, Mayor Mensinger and Mayor Pro Tem Righeimer as well as City staff attended ICSC's largest annual conference, the RECon. The conference provided a number of valuable contacts towards the City's effort to attract and retain top level retail and dining establishments. Attendance at this year's conference will again allow the City to work towards the goals listed below. Last year's conference began on Sunday and ended Tuesday afternoon which allowed for our City's attendees to fully participate in the conference and return in time for the City Council meeting. This year, the conference will begin on Monday and end on Wednesday afternoon. By canceling the May 19, 2015 meeting, attendees including Mayor Mensinger, Mayor Pro Tem Righeimer, CEO Hatch and Economic and Development Services Director Armstrong will be available to participate in the conference through its entirety. Discussions have been held with City staff and it has been determined that canceling this meeting will not have an impact on pending projects or items to be heard before the City Council. In addition, the City Council has a very heavy schedule of study sessions, negotiation strategy sessions and other meetings. ANALYSIS: Every year, the ICSC hosts a number of different events designed to facilitate economic interest and activities. The largest of these events, the RECon, takes place in Las Vegas in May. At the RECon conference, the City will be participating once again in the Cities of the World Pavilion (Attachment 3) and both Mayor Mensinger and Mayor Pro Tem Righeimer as well as City staff will be present to work our information booth. The Pavilion is designed to feature exhibit spaces under a unified branded Pavilion and is exclusively for use by cities, municipalities, and economic development agencies to promote economic opportunities and potential partnerships and will provide the City Council and staff numerous opportunities to promote the City of Costa Mesa to over 30,000 industry professionals (Attachment 3). In discussions with CJ Segerstrom & Sons, they confirmed that they send their four top executives every year to the RECon conference. Their booth hosts back-to-back meetings the entire length of the conference in which they connect with major CEOs. They deem this conference to be incredibly valuable. Additionally, the conference features a number of educational breakout sessions designed to present a wide array of topics that will address key issues and solutions and for staff to learn more about economic development strategies (Attachment 4). Mayor Mensinger and Mayor Pro Tem Righeimer as well as Tom Hatch, City CEO, and Gary Armstrong, Director of Economic and Development Services will be attending a number of these throughout the conference in addition to promoting the City and its' economic advantages. A few additional staff members may attend to support the operation of the City's informational booth. 2 The key goals for the City's attendance at the conference include: 1. Continue introducing "The City of the Arts" to national and international markets; 2. Demonstrate the benefits of locating a business in Costa Mesa; 3. Promote and market a wide variety of business opportunities that exist in Costa Mesa including sit-down restaurants along Harbor Blvd., development, retail, entertainment, and more; 4. To schedule meetings with prospective businesses to present our City's "Welcome Message," and to provide a "Stream -lined" process for accommodating new business; and 5. The opportunity to receive feedback and hear from businesses as to what their needs are in order to move to Costa Mesa. 6. Continue to learn more about effective economic development strategies. FISCAL REVIEW: Appropriations for attendance by two (2) council members and additional support staff were included in the FY 2014-15 adopted budget. LEGAL REVIEW: There is no legal review required for this item. ALTERNATIVES: Alternatives for consideration include: 1. Not to approve Mayor Mensinger and Mayor Pro Tem Righeimer's attendance 2. Not to cancel the May 19, 2015 City Council 3. Move the May 19, 2015 City Council meeting to Wednesday — May 20, 2015 CONCLUSION: It is recommended that the City Council provide formal approval, per Council Policy 1008 for both Mayor Mensinger and Mayor Pro Tem Righeimer to attend the annual International Conference of Shopping Centers in Las Vegas, Nevada and cancel the May 19, 2015 City Council meeting. ATTACHMENTS: 1. Council Policy 100-8 2. ICSC 2014 - Report Out 3. Exhibitor List - Cities of the World Pavilion 4. RECon - Conference Brochure 3