HONG KONG, CHINA--(Marketwired - Oct 20, 2017) - The Institute of Shopping Centre Management (ISCM) is hosting the 14th Council of Asian Shopping Conference (CASC) from 18 to 20 Oct 2017. The conference serves as the intelligence hub for 300 industry insiders and retailers.

Under the theme of "Shopping Centres Embracing Change: What's Next?", industry professionals will review the evolution and future of the shopping centre industry through collaboration with leading retailers, experts and scholars. Thirty percent of the conference's participants have joined from abroad.

As conference organiser, ISCM, which is comprised of seven regional members, introduced a "CEO Breakfast" to create a platform for cross-industry discussion between the business and academic professionals. ISCM is honoured to host the CASC in Hong Kong this year again after the encouraging response in 2009.

The CASC was established in 2004 to foster regional cooperation and set future directions for shopping centre management in the region. Current council members represent professional institutions and shopping centre associations of Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, China, Taiwan, Singapore and Japan.

The 2017 Conference features distinguished presenters including property developers, leaders of international top tier luxury brands, operations management specialists and scholars. Presenters include leaders from LVMH Group, Yves Saint Laurent, DFS, Maxim's Group and JLL. ISCM also focused on O2O and digital marketing trends by inviting specialists from leading e-commerce and digital marketing corporations, including Tencent and Living PlanIT.

Ms. Maureen S.Y. Fung, Founding Chairman and President of the Institute of Shopping Centre Management, and Executive Director, Sun Hung Kai Properties (China), said, "The initiatives from China's One Belt One Road and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area are expected to bring an abundance of new business opportunities to the region, which could boost the flow of potential shoppers into Hong Kong. The Institute designed a series of seminars covering the impact and fast growth of e-commerce on offline shopping in the hopes that participants would learn more about O2O. The shopping centre developers and retailers should focus on the needs and expectations of the millennial generation, and create tailor-made services and products for this market segment."

Dr. Roger C.K. Chan, Chairman of Organizing Committee of CASC Conference 2017, Honourable Member of ISCM, Associate professor, Department of Urban Planning and Design, University of Hong Kong said, "As a result of globalisation, the emergence of big data applications, and e-commerce, there have been major impacts on and challenges to the development of offline shopping centres. We organized a series of discussions hosted by e-commerce veterans this year for enabling the professionals to get inspiration on shopping centre planning and management."

"With the growing trends of online shopping, most of the Asian and international brands create a better customer experience by providing a wide range of value added services," said Mr. Baldwin Ko, Chairman of the Institute of Shopping Centre Management. "For example, MUJI from Japan and Agnès B. from France opened themed cafes for enabling their customers to enjoy their unique service in shopping centres.

"Under the globalisation, many international brands set up their own official websites for promoting business. It reflects the idea that the industry can expand its retail network and business opportunities by moving to an O2O strategy."

ISCM's CEO Breakfast is one of the new features of the 14th Council of Asian Shopping Conference. ISCM invited Prof. Rebecca L.H. Chiu MH, JP, to be the guest speaker and Prof. Eddie Chi Man Hui, MH, Academic Discipline Leader of Construction & Real Estate Economics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, to attend the 'intelligence breakfast.' This session is served as another platform for the insiders and academicians conducting the cross-industries discussion under a leisure environment.

Details of the 14th Council of Shopping Centres Conference
Theme: Shopping Centres Embracing Change: What's Next?
Dates: 18-20 October 2017
Venue: Room N101, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre
To download the CASC 2017 press release and photos, please visit:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B11spwNUzn0qemlTM2pneG55eTA

About the Institute of Shopping Centre Management
The Institute of Shopping Centre Management (ISCM) is a non-profit making organization founded by a group of local shopping centre professionals, certified practitioners and professors in the shopping centre management industry. ISCM has members coming from the property developers, property management companies, agencies and other related industries.

ISCM is a learned and professional society with an aim to act as a representative in the shopping centre industry. As a recognized governing body in Hong Kong, ISCM aims to standardize and enrich the overall professional profiles within the industry. ISCM's mission is to identify various prospective channels with government bodies, thereby creating a platform for exchange of best practices in the art and science of shopping centre management within the Asia Pacific region.

Visit iscm.org.hk for more information.

About the Council of Asian Shopping Centers
The Council of Asian Shopping Centers (CASC) was established in 2004 towards the goal of regional cooperation and set future directions for shopping centre management in the region. Current council members include shopping centre associations of Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, China, Taiwan, Singapore and Japan. The CASC Conference is a must-attend event for everyone involved in the shopping centre and retailing industries. The participants are able to learn from renowned property developers, retailers of luxury brands, operation management, seasoned industry leaders and experts about the evolution and future of the shopping centre industry within this 2-day premier industry event. For more information, visit casc2017.com.