LAS VEGAS National stores, restaurants and entertainment spots dont just set up shop anywhere. Theyre looking for specific types of locations with specific requirements.
Monday in a secluded corner of the Las Vegas Convention Center, Trey Hawes of The Expert Cos., a commercial development firm, told Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor exactly what these retailers are looking for in a potential Tulsa shopping center.
The main thing were hearing from them is that theywant us to have access to you,Hawes said.
Taylor, wearing a polo shirt proclaiming Tulsa A New Kind of Energy, was quick to respond. Im always available to them, she said.
Minutes later, Taylor left and walked quickly to another of her many appointments at this years International Council of Shopping Centers Real Estate Convention.
The four-day RECon, the largest event staged by ICSC, typically draws 50,000 government offcials, real estate brokers, developers, propertyowners and representatives of retail, restaurants and entertainment concepts from around the world.
Not only was Taylor in attendance, but so were representatives of theTulsa Metro Chamber as well as dozens of local real estate agents and developers seeking to attract new names to metropolitan Tulsa.
Rickey Hayes of Tulsa-area economic development consulting company Retail Attractions LLC said the event centers on helping match commercial spaces with tenants.
And he should know. Hayes, who regularly attends RECon, said the majority of deals between local developers and national concepts originate at such events.
Ninety percent of the 4 million-plus square feet of retail development inOwasso since 2002 has come about either from a meeting at the convention or a contact at the convention, he said.
The same thing happens with new stores and restaurants throughout theTulsa area. Local sites of Target, Belk, Hobby Lobby, Pier One, Best Buy and even the just-announced Dave and Busters came about thanks to discussions started at ICSC conventions, Hayes said.
This year, Hayes is representing Glenpool, Coweta, Claremore, Skiatook, Collinsville, Owasso, Guthrie and Broken Arrow. Taylor said her appearance with other city offcials at RECon is the first time the city has had a significant presence at an ICSC event.
I want to raise the awareness of retailers as to the opportunities in Tulsa, which are significant, she said. When I was secretary of commerce and tourism in Oklahoma, a lot of people simply didnt know about Tulsa.
Her personal goal is to get Tulsa on the radar screen of retailerswhonever considered Tulsa.
The visit is part of the citys renewed push for retail development, which includes actively marketing specific downtown sites through Jones Lang LaSalle of Chicago.
Tulsa lives on the sales tax it generates, so its an important part of our financial health, Taylor said.
She and other offcials are dividing their time between attending meetings with national development organizations and roaming booths at the huge convention center, talking up Tulsas advantages the entire time.
The brochure she was handing out emphasizes the citys history, beauty and independent spirit, as well as upcoming features like the BOk Center and the renovation of the Maxwell Convention Center.
City offcials believe factors such as a significant population within 20 minutes of the city, strong infrastructure, good per capita income, low unemployment and a stable housing market will spark interest from stores and restaurants that dont yet have a local presence.
Yet, Hayes said even bumping into someone at random and delivering an impromptu deals.
If you see a tenant that has never been in Oklahoma, you pull them aside, give them brochures and let them know about properties, he said.
Taylor said she had been doing exactly all of that Monday, since Tulsa is having to compete with many other cities that were also pushing hard for retailers attention.
Dallas-Fort Worth has been here for years, she said. Theyve got several booths set up all over the convention center.