ICSC’s 65,000 members in 92 nations include shopping center owners, developers, managers, marketing specialists, investors, lenders and retailers, as well as students, academics and public officials. Each year, we collaborate with more than 25 national and regional shopping center councils throughout the world.

We invite you to learn more about ICSC and our role as the industry’s marketplace of ideas in the pages of this annual report. Discover the many ways ICSC can serve your needs and join us in creating the future of the world’s shopping center industry.

Our History: Celebrating 50 Years as the Industry’s Marketplace of Ideas
In 1957 seven businessmen gathered in Chicago’s Palmer House to discuss forming a shopping center trade association. While each man put up just $500 to incorporate the organization, each also took a substantial risk — sharing his entrepreneurial vision for the collective benefit of an industry that barely existed.

This concept of exchanging knowledge to further the industry permeates ICSC history. From the first Idea Exchange in 1960 to the University of Shopping Centers debut in 1963, the premier European Summit in 1976 to the ICSC First World Congress in Hong Kong in 1990, members have helped each other build successful careers and a flourishing industry.

As membership grew — from 2,000 members in 1967 to 25,000 in 1988 to 65,000 in 92 countries in 2006 — the influence of the industry network grew as well. Educational programs and conferences became the pulse of professional’s lives, giving them the tools they needed to succeed. In-depth research, such as the landmark 1965 parking space study, and new publications, including the arrival of Shopping Centers Today in 1978, gave members, community groups, elected officials and economic analysts consistent, accurate information for the first time.

ICSC initiated education campaigns on behalf of the industry that have addressed such critical issues as child safety, drug abstinence, minority entrepreneurship and recycling, and has contributed substantially to relief efforts following natural disasters and the September 11th tragedies.

As ICSC celebrates its 50th Anniversary, we take pride in the evolution of our industry from the vision of our founders to the realization of local and international opportunity. Yet, more than pride in the past, confidence in the future is what compels our attention. In 2007 and beyond, ICSC will continue to serve the needs and goals of our members and advance what has become a truly global retail real estate industry…