Why are leisure and entertainment so important for retail areas today?
With online sales booming, traditional retail – whether in city centres or shopping centres – has adapted its offering and its marketing approach. The challenge now for those involved in real estate business such as Triple Five, Regions Group, Sonae Sierra, Wanda Group and Apsys, to name a few, is to redefine the idea of the shopping centre, and provide an enhanced customer experience. Customers will still visit shopping centres with the goal of purchasing, but they will also come to spend a day of fun, fellowship and leisure with family and friends. The shopping centre is a one stop shop for today’s customers.

How does MAPIC showcase Retailtainment & Edutainment over three days?
Firstly, MAPIC focuses on retail real estate on a global scale. It’s the only event where all types of development sites are represented: shopping centres, city centres, outlying areas, transit zones, factory outlets and leisure centres. This is a unique opportunity for leisure operators and leisure brands to meet with their peers and exchange best practices with international players and owners of different retail site types.

How will entertainment and leisure integrate in shopping centres?
In the previous century, culture, leisure and entertainment played a nominal role in the shopping centre strategy, and were perceived in some ways as merely philanthropic or charitable in nature. But in the wake of online competition, many savvy developers and shopping centre operators now perceive a major opportunity to increase footfall by rebranding the shopping centre as an event-space that encourages the public to stay longer (and buy more) while visiting the mall. Events can be focused on culture, leisure or education.