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ICSC Las Vegas debuting real estate conference geared toward female restaurant leaders

ICSC Chief Operating Officer Whitney Livingston discusses the genesis of the ICSC + WOMEN IN CRE. Photo: ConnectCRE

March 31, 2026 by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

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Finding the perfect site is about more than just foot traffic; it's about having the right seat at the table. As restaurant operators descend on ICSC LAS VEGAS 2026 in May to secure their next high-growth locations, a new "conference-within-a-conference" is ensuring female brand leaders are positioned to win.

ICSC + WOMEN IN CRE debuts this year to give female founders, franchisees and real estate directors a direct line to the developers and deal-makers shaping the fast-casual landscape. Kicking off May 17 with an opening reception followed by a full day of programming on May 18, the event is complimentary for main conference attendees. The goal? Equipping women with the networking and investment savvy needed to aggressively scale their brand's physical footprint.

Connect CRE editor Paul Bubny spoke with ICSC Chief Operating Officer Whitney Livingston to discuss why this initiative is a game-changer for restaurant leaders.

Q: To begin, what was the genesis of the ICSC + WOMEN IN CRE program?

A: At ICSC, we're seeing real momentum in how the industry is evolving. For context, our Next Generation population, which is anyone under the age of 40, now makes up almost a third of our membership base. And our retailer participation has increased significantly as well. From our perspective, these are meaningful signs of progress and a strong indication of new voices stepping into the future of the industry.

However, at the same time, we know there's more work to do to expand opportunities for women across the industry, which is really the genesis of ICSC + WOMEN IN CRE. It is intended to be more than an event, rather a commitment and an investment on ICSC's behalf to the future of elevating, empowering, and supporting women in commercial real estate.

Q: So really, it's a springboard for more initiatives on the part of ICSC. Is that correct?

A: That's exactly right. For many years, we have hosted women-focused events, usually breakfasts or receptions that are tied to our dealmaking and specialty programs. And every one of those events has sold out with standing room only, again signaling that there's strong demand from our members for dedicated women's programming. So we really feel that this is a great opportunity to grow that program.

Q: Is the content geared toward women at the start of their CRE careers, or is the focus wider?

A: It is not only for women in retail real estate, but it's also for women in all sectors of commercial real estate and all stages of their careers. We have intentionally planned the programming to appeal to women of all career stages and CRE sectors.

Q: As far as developing the program and the content is concerned, was that done entirely in-house within ICSC or did you bring in an outside consultancy?

A: We actually engaged an advisory council from various sectors within commercial real estate as well as various stages of their careers to help us make sure that we're fulfilling that commitment to attract women, a variety of women, not just from retail real estate. This group, in combination with the ICSC team, put together the event programming and content.

Q: ICSC LAS VEGAS is the largest event in the industry. Is it accurate to say that the one purpose of co-locating the main event and ICSC + WOMEN IN CRE was to maximize attendance and participation?

A: Yes. ICSC LAS VEGAS is the world's largest commercial real estate conference, and it felt like the perfect place for us to launch this larger experience to ensure that we could reach as many women as possible.

Another thing I want to note about how we planned the content: we engaged with other women's organizations in commercial real estate and have invited them to partner with us to make this event as successful as possible. CREW Network and Pipeline, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, among several other women's groups, are partnering with us on this event.

Q: For people who are attending both the ICSC + WOMEN IN CRE content and the larger ICSC program, do you feel that a fair amount of the learnings that they will pick up at ICSC + WOMEN IN CRE would be immediately applicable to their experience at the main conference?

A: Absolutely. In fact, we've strategically planned the content to ensure there are tangible takeaways that apply to the business directly. For example, there will be sessions focused on networking, sponsorship, and investing in real estate.

One staggering statistic is that women make up less than 3% of all investors in commercial real estate. With this in mind, we focused one of our panels on educating women about investing in commercial real estate, how to get access, how to grow their portfolios once they start investing, all of which is applicable to our deal-making conference.

Q: Is it too soon to say that the 2027 version of ICSC + WOMEN IN CRE will build on this one, or is it possible that the entire mix of programming will have evolved by then?

A: We've received an overwhelmingly positive response since opening registration for the event. All signals to date indicate that the opportunities for ICSC + WOMEN IN CRE are endless. What I know for certain is that we will be doing something in 2027 that continues to engage, elevate and empower women in CRE.

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About Cherryh Cansler

Cherryh Cansler is VP of Events for Networld Media Group and publisher of FastCasual.com. She has been covering the restaurant industry since 2012. Her byline has appeared in Forbes, The Kansas City Star and American Fitness magazine, among many others.

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