HomeMy WebLinkAbout22 - CC-10 - Participation in Economic Development Co - 4/15/2014CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
MEETING DATE: April 15, 2014 ITEM NUMBER:
SUBJECT: PARTICIPATION IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE
DATE: APRIL 1, 2014
FROM: CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICE
PRESENTATION BY: THOMAS R. HATCH, CEO
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: KELLY R. SHELTON @ (714) 754-5328
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council provide formal approval, per Council Policy 100-8 (Attachment 1)
for both Mayor Righeimer and Mayor Pro Tem Mensinger to attend the annual International Conference of
Shopping Centers (ICSC) conference in Las Vegas, Nevada on May 18-20, 2014, along with City staff.
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 two 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.
In May of 2013, Mayor Righeimer and Mayor Pro Tem Mensinger as well as City staff attended ICSC's
largest annual conference, the RECon. The conference provided a number of invaluable contacts
towards the City's effort to attract and retain top level retail and dining establishments (Attachment 2).
Attendance at this year's conference will again allow the City to work towards the goals listed below.
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 Pro Tem Righeimer and Mayor Pro Tem Mensinger as well as City staff will be present to work
our information booth. The Pavilion hosts a number of municipalities (Attachment 4) and provides turn-
key solutions for cities who want to have a leasing exhibit that is more cost effective than designing and
building their own booth. The Pavilion is designed to feature exhibit spaces under a unified branded
Pavilion and is exclusively for use by cities, municipalities, 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.
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. Mayor Righeimer and Mayor Pro Tem
Mensinger 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.
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.
FISCAL REVIEW:
Appropriations for attendance by two (2) council members and additional support staff were included in the
FY 2013-14 adopted budget.
LEGAL REVIEW:
There is no legal review required for this item.
CONCLUSION:
It is recommended that the City Council provide formal approval, per Council Policy 100-8 for both Mayor
Righeimer and Mayor Pro Tem Mensinger to attend the annual International Conference of Shopping
Centers in Las Vegas, Nevada.
THOMAS R. HATCH
Chief Executive Officer
ATTACHMENTS: Attachment 1 Council Policy 100-8
Attachment 2 ICSC 2013 — Report Out
Attachment 3 RECon - Cities of the World Showcase Info
Attachment 4 Exhibitor List — Cities of the World Pavilion