Herb Weitzman

To judge by the crowds and deals done at the International Council of Shopping Centers’ Texas Deal Making show earlier this month, the retail market in our great state is returning to levels last seen prior to the Great Recession.

The facts speak for themselves:

• This year’s registration of 3,268 attendees was up 11.6 percent over 2011.

• The last time the Texas show exceeded 3,000 was in 2008—right before our state entered the recession.

• Weitzman/Cencor scheduled 241 meetings during the show’s day-and-a-half of deal making. That total well exceeded the 194 meetings we scheduled last year.

• Approximately 300 retailers/tenants participated in the show, and they were there to talk about expanding.

• The “Deal Making” part of the convention title proved apt; we closed several deals in our booth, including a lease for nationally recognized restaurant Cane Rosso’s second location, in the White Rock Lake area.

• The crowds spoke volumes. Throughout the Dallas Convention Center, booths were packed and conversations sounded positive.

Judging from the mood at the Texas show, retail real estate pros feel that, although there are still a lot of challenges, we’ll see an even better market in 2013.

Herbert D. Weitzman is chairman and CEO of The Weitzman Group and Cencor Realty Services. Contact him at hdw@weitzmangroup.com.