Next Tuesday, Oct.
29, at the ICSC Southeast Conference in Atlanta, Hartman Simons partner Benno Rothschild will moderate the “Tenant Mix — The Changing Face of the Retail
Center” panel discussion. The one-hour discussion will begin at 10:15 a.m. and
will feature Beth Azor, president of Azor Advisory Services Inc.; Tim Norton,
director of leasing and property management at Ziff Properties Inc.; and Sean
O’Brien, owner of O’Brien & Co.
The conference,
scheduled for Oct. 28-30, will take place at the Cobb Galleria Centre.
In today’s Four on
Friday, we chat with Benno to get a preview of next week’s panel as well as his
overall take on the retail sector. We also pick his brain about recent movies.
Many thanks to Benno for his time.
What are some of
the specific issues you expect to be discussed in next Tuesday’s panel?
Rothschild: We hope to touch on several issues that are important to
both owners and tenants in the shopping center industry: what are the most
important choices in tenant mix as the industry recovers from the Great Recession?
What are the real drivers of change? Which types of tenants are beneficiaries
of these changes and who is losing ground? What kinds of positive steps can
landlords take to respond to the changes in tenant mix we are seeing?
What is your
general take on how the retail sector is currently performing in Atlanta
specifically and the Southeast in general?
Rothschild: Clearly, things are on the upswing right now, but the
uncertainty at the federal level continues to dampen some of the progress that
is being made.
Describe your
involvement with ICSC over the years. You’ve been involved with the
organization quite a bit, haven’t you?
Rothschild: Earlier in my career, I did a lot of teaching/seminars on
the basics of retail leasing, and I have several roundtables over the years at
ICSC conventions, including the Law Conference. This will be my first full
panel, though, and I am excited about the great guests and our interesting
topic.
We know you’re
quite the movie buff – what are some of the better films you’ve seen recently?
Rothschild: After seeing a lot of films early in the year, my wife
and I mostly took a summer hiatus. I did enjoy “Gravity,” though, and look
forward to some fall releases, such as “Twelve Years a Slave.”
To read the
brochure outlining the 2013 ICSC Southeast Conference, click here. And be sure to attend next Monday evening’s Georgia PAC Pre-Conference Bash. Hartman Simons is excited to be one of the
sponsors of this annual event, which runs from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. at Cinco
Mexican Cantina, located near the Cobb Galleria Centre at 2851 Akers Mill Road.