From Where I Sit: Season 2, Episode 10 With Whitney Livingston, Chief Operating Officer, ICSC, Transcript

Tom McGee:

Welcome to From Where I Sit, the podcast where we explore the forces shaping America's built economy. I'm your host, Tom McGee, president and CEO of ICSC. In discussion with prominent leaders and innovators, we cut through the noise to explore the trends and innovations influencing the future of our communities.

This is a special episode of From Where I Sit. I typically sit down with leaders from other organizations, but today I'm joined by ICSC Chief Operating Officer Whitney Livingston for a look ahead at ICSC LAS VEGAS, the world's largest commercial real estate conference. Whitney joined ICSC in late 2025 and brings more than 20 years of industry experience on both the ICSC and ICSC Foundation Board of Trustees. She's been a great leader as we continue to evolve how we serve our members in the broader industry.

So today, rather than a traditional guest conversation, we're taking you inside the plans of ICSC LAS VEGAS, what's new this year and what members can expect. Whitney, welcome to the show.

Whitney Livingston:

Thank you for having me. It's an honor to be here.

Tom:

It's great to have you here. And it's great to talk about something that I know is near and dear to both of our hearts, which is ICSC LAS VEGAS. As I mentioned, ICSC LAS VEGAS is the world's largest commercial real estate event. We bring together the whole industry, the whole commercial real estate industry, owners, developers, retailers, tenants, investors, operators, capital firms, financial institutions. It really serves as kind of a barometer of where the industry is at.

We expect to have well over 25,000 attendees this year. I know we have a couple new things planned up our sleeves as well that we'll talk about. The event really goes back to the origins of the organization. We were founded in 1957 by a number of industry leaders to really help facilitate dealmaking and networking in a growing industry. And born from that first conversation was really ICSC, what's become ICSC LAS VEGAS. Initially, it was a much smaller gathering held around the country, then it was in New Orleans for a number of years. And then the mid 1970s, it moved to Las Vegas and it's been there for over 50 years. And so this year, you know, it's going to be bigger and better than ever. And I know that you are very instrumental in some of the new things that we have planned to take place this year.

Whitney:

Yeah. Well, first of all, I mean, ICSC LAS VEGAS is unlike anything else in our industry. I still remember my first one over 20 years ago, back when it was actually called RECON, and walking into just a million square foot conference center and feeling the energy and the momentum of the members and the dealmaking in the room just made me fall in love with the business even more. So it's always my favorite time of year. We used to call it the Super Bowl. It feels appropriate in advance of the FIFA World Cup to call it our World Cup this summer. And you know, what's so remarkable about ICSC LAS VEGAS is it's really evolved alongside the industry itself. It's still very much rooted in dealmaking, and that will always be the core of this important event. But today it's so much more than that. It is about leadership and innovation and talent development and really getting a clear view of where the industry is headed through our professional development sessions, our student gatherings and mentor opportunities, but also some of the new experiences that we're debuting this year.

Tom:

Yeah, it generally, I think, is considered a must attend event in our industry. Why do you think that's the case? Everybody I talked to says, I'll come in to see you in Vegas. Why do you think it's become that?

Whitney:

Well, first of all, I mean, I had to miss one year. I was 37 weeks pregnant.

Tom:

Good excuse.

Whitney:

Good excuse. But I had major, major FOMO. It is truly where everyone comes together, both as I mentioned, as you said, for dealmaking, but also for developing new relationships, for nurturing existing relationships, and now more than ever, even for professional development. And so it was definitely after my first of three kids, I made sure not to make that timing mistake again, because you need to be at ICSC LAS VEGAS.

Tom:

Yeah. And you mentioned professional development. Monday is a whole day of focus on professional development. We'll touch upon that. As we approach ICSC LAS VEGAS, I've been CEO of ICSC, privileged to be CEO of ICSC for over 10 years. I think the industry is in the strongest position it's been in over my 10 year time period. Clearly we're operating in an environment where the economy is a little uncertain and the consumer is a little uncertain, but the consumer has continued to be resilient.

The employment market continues to be strong. There is consistent wage growth. So consumers continue to spend, although, you know, there is some caution out there. We still operate in an environment where there's a supply demand mismatch in the industry. That, meaning, that the demand for space, the demand for retail space is greater than the supply of space. Technology is now becoming much more embedded into the industry. And of course we're going to have a proptech show, which we'll talk about in a moment. We're also releasing in collaboration with McKinsey, a new signature report around “Shopping in the Age of AI” that will be a part of the content at ICSC LAS VEGAS. There's a lot of convergence happening in the industry that continued evolution and growth and mixed use properties. And so when you think about all these things that are happening and in this uncertain economic environment, the industry that continues to be strong. I think it's an opportune time for everyone to come together at ICSC LAS VEGAS this year.

Whitney:

Yeah, and you mentioned proptech. I mean, we're really excited about what's new at ICSC LAS VEGAS this year. As you know better than anyone, Tom, we're always listening to our members and paying very close attention to how the industry is evolving. And we use those insights very intentionally each year to shape and to strengthen our content and networking opportunities that we deliver to ICSC LAS VEGAS attendees. So this year, our content has been designed to be even more actionable and even more reflective of the challenges and the opportunities that face our industry today. And so with that, we're launching ICSC+PROPTECH, as you mentioned, as well as ICSC+WOMEN IN CRE. And do you want to talk a little bit about ICSC+PROPTECH? Because I know you're super passionate about it.

Tom:

I am passionate about ICSC+PROPTECH. I think our industry, generally, think most people would agree has been a little slower to adapt technology and that perhaps other industries have been, but I think that's rapidly changing. And over the course of the next five years, over a hundred billion dollars will be invested in technology for the built world. And I thought it was really important for ICSC to lean into that in support of our members’ journey towards the increasing use of technology. And of course, AI is a big stimulant in that. So we are bringing together the folks that have always been at ICSC LAS VEGAS, the commercial real estate decision makers and buyers of technology, but are also bringing in the venture capital firms. We'll have over 20 venture capital firms at ICSC LAS VEGAS. And importantly, the technology service providers and technology product providers, all of them coming together, we will have space dedicated to ICSC+PROPTECH. We have a whole one-on-one meeting program where technology providers can come together and have dedicated meetings with commercial real estate buyers of technology and a whole set of content talking around technology, the new advances in different types of technology, where it's going, how it can advance decision-making and success in business.

Part of the aspiration is part of the world's largest commercial real estate event to really build the world's largest proptech event. And I've had the opportunity this year, and I know you have as well have seen and attending other proptech events. My observation was that ICSC given the opportunity we have with our members can really build the world's largest proptech event for the benefit of our members.

Whitney:

Yeah, I completely agree. And I think it's so important for our members. And so as we think about ICSC+PROPTECH, we will actually kick off with an opening reception on Sunday, May 17th at the Wynn and then go all day long, Monday, May 18th at the Wynn with the content sessions and networking opportunities that you just highlighted. And then move over to the LVCC Tuesday and Wednesday, where the ICSC+PROPTECH exhibit will be front and center in Central Hall, surrounded by the buzz and energy that I mentioned up top at ICSC LAS VEGAS. So it's going to be really, really exciting. And as you and I have discussed many times, it's not just an event. We're building truly an ecosystem that will benefit our members as a result.

Tom:

This is just the beginning. This is not the end. It's the beginning of something. I think technology, I think everybody would agree technology is going to become increasingly an important part of our industry. And ICSC needs to invest both time and resources into that and support our industry and our membership. know another new part of the show this year is ICSC+WOMEN IN CRE and you've been so instrumental in designing that program and launching it. So talk a little bit about that.

Whitney:

Yeah, so, you know, our industry has significantly evolved over the last many years. So just for context, since 2019, our Next Generation membership, which is our members that are under the age of 40, has grown now to over 35% of our membership. And our retailer participation has also continued to grow. And so from our perspective, those are meaningful signs of progress and a clear signal that there are new voices that are helping shape the future of the business. However, at the same time, there's still a lot of work to do in expanding opportunities for women across the industry. And so that is exactly why we're launching ICSC+WOMEN IN CRE, which to your point, it's not a singular event. It will not be the end when we have the closing reception on May 18th at the Wynn. It is just the beginning of a commitment to invest in this new event series. So similar to ICSC+PROPTECH, we will kick off ICSC+WOMEN IN CRE on Sunday, May 17th at the Wynn. And we will run all day May 18th at the Wynn with professional development sessions with executive roundtables with unique networking opportunities and some really special keynotes that I know you're going to touch on in just a minute. But really, at the end of the day, this event has been intentionally designed for women of all stages of their career, as well as from all sectors of commercial real estate.

And, you know, it's interesting, I've listened to your podcast since you launched in October of 2024, when I was a member before joining the team. And one of my favorite guests of yours was Sarah LaFleur, who founded M.M. LaFleur. And you asked her what mission drove her when she was starting her business. And her answer was simple, but very powerful. And it was that the world is a better place when women succeed. And I think you and I can both agree that commercial real estate is a better place when women succeed. And so our goal is really to help build an industry where women are not just present, but they're advancing and they're leading and they're a part of shaping what's next. And so that is what we are going to be doing with ICSC+WOMEN IN CRE.

Tom:

Yeah. Sarah was a joy to speak to and she's a wonderful entrepreneur. I know after that conversation and after you heard the podcast, I think that quote was one of the real motivations for us to launch ICSC+WOMEN IN CRE. And I mentioned Sarah being a wonderful entrepreneur. And one of the three keynotes that we're going to have this year is Randi Zuckerberg, who's also another wonderful entrepreneur. She's the founder and CEO of Zuckerberg Media. She's one of the early employees at Facebook, or Meta. She was on my podcast From Where I Sit earlier this year, and just a joy to speak to.

Erin Andrews will also be a keynote. Erin is a member of the NFL on Fox A-Team. She's the founder of Wear by Erin Andrews, co-host of iHeart's Calm Down podcast on Fox's 99 Beat. So Erin, I know you're going to have an opportunity to interview Erin. I know you're looking forward to that and I'm going to have the opportunity to interview Coach K along with Randi, Coach K being Mike Krzyzewski, the former Duke men's basketball coach and the coach of the U.S. men's basketball team and gold medal winner twice. And Coach K is an American treasure. I think as someone who can not only talk about basketball and coaching a very successful team, but leadership in general. And I think he'll have some great wisdom to share along with Randi and Erin as part of the keynote. So we're looking forward to each of them offering different perspectives around leadership, innovation, and storytelling that I hope will resonate with all of our members. Outside of the keynotes, we also have some other things that are planned for this show, including awards programs.

Whitney:

Yeah, actually, it's interesting, Tom, the awards are always a favorite part of the event for me because they really give us a chance to celebrate the very best in the industry. So whether it's the Global awards, the Visual Victories or the U.S. MAXI Awards, these recognitions are all there to spotlight creativity and innovation and excellence that's happening across development and marketing in the industry.

And I think, you know, one of the things that's so powerful about our award ceremonies is they are on a global stage and it reminds us how much talent there is in the industry and how much great thinking is happening across the industry as a whole.

Tom:

And one of the things I'm not sure I mentioned, but we'll have over 25,000 attendees at ICSC LAS VEGAS this year and 3,000 folks that have indicated that they're interested in ICSC+PROPTECH. Thousands more that are going to go into ICSC+WOMEN IN CRE as well. And so we're really excited about this year's event. And of course, a big part of ICSC LAS VEGAS is our professional development day, which will happen Monday, May 18th.

We have countless sessions taking place where we bring together industry leaders and experts to talk about a whole host of different trends and topics, including how to use customer data to drive demand and shape commercial real estate decision-making, driving growth through site development, expansion and tenant risk strategies, conversation around venture capital and commercial real estate technology and capital investment in general. And then the impact of autonomous vehicle technology and AI on the future of commerce and a whole host of other things. So we're really excited about our content as well.

Leading into the next two days, Tuesday and Wednesday at the convention center where it is dealmaking and there'll be content on the show floor as well.

Whitney, thank you for joining the conversation today and talking about ICSC LAS VEGAS. I know we're both excited about this year's show and everything that we're bringing for our members to the show this year.

I hope everybody found this conversation valuable. If you'd like to learn more, if you're not familiar with ICSC LAS VEGAS and you'd like to learn more, please go to icsc.com. But thanks for joining us on today's podcast. We look forward to seeing many of you in Las Vegas, May 18th to the 20th.

Please follow and rate this podcast five stars on Apple and Spotify and share it with others that might find it interesting. Thanks for listening.