Billionaire tech businessman and Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith will keynote the 2022 ICSC+OAC event, to be held Sept. 7 through 9 at The Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City. The event is open to ICSC members only, and a limited number of registration spots remain available.

Smith is co-founder and executive chair of Qualtrics, a customer survey software firm. He has led the company from a basement startup to one of the fastest-growing tech firms in the world, experiencing triple-digit growth in four years. Qualtrics has more than 4,800 customers, including half of the Fortune 100; 1,300 colleges and universities worldwide; and 95 of the top 100 business schools. In 2012, Qualtrics brought in a $70 million investment from Accel Partners and Sequoia Capital.

In 2020, Smith took his lifelong love of basketball to another level, buying one of Utah’s biggest businesses: the NBA’s Utah Jazz. At ICSC+OAC, Brixmor executive vice president and chief revenue officer Brian Finnegan will interview Smith about the challenges he’s faced, success in professional basketball and lessons from that arena that can be applies to the marketplaces industry and open-air sector.

His inspirational story, high energy and management tips will highlight an event that will reflect the dynamism of the marketplaces industry, as some 600 attendees will be on hand to find the best investments, locations, tenants, financing and other opportunities in open-air properties. It’s a sector that has been flying high, as supermarkets and food-and-beverage chains expand and consumers unleash pent-up demand for experiences. Among retail property types, the neighborhood, community and strip center segment has been the most successful in filling space, according to CBRE. Available space has dropped 2.4 percentage points over the past five years and 5.3 percentage points over the past 10.

At ICSC+OAC, general sessions will address big topics like data use and supply chain issues, and in smaller, interactive, boardroom sessions, attendees can get firsthand advice on such topics as disruption in the restaurant business; environmental, social and corporate governance; and retailer responses to Amazon’s strategies.

Retailers will be on hand at the event, including executives from Burlington, Jersey Mike’s Subs, PetSmart and The Fresh Market. Landlords scheduled to take the stage include Brixmor, First Washington Realty and Kimco Realty. And capital markets professionals from JLL, Voya Investment Management and Bridge33 will discuss the flow of dollars into the open-air sector.

Register for ICSC+OAC here.