Monday Mashups: Why Your Next Event Might Be in a Shopping Center

In the 1980s, the indoor mall was a centerpiece of the American experience—as much a social opportunity and gathering place as a shopping destination. Although the landscape of malls and mall culture has changed in recent decades—filling many traditional malls with vacancies or forcing them to close altogether—a new type of shopping center has risen as a place where browsing and buying once again corresponds with face-to-face social opportunities for the modern consumer. But this time around, according to BizBash, those gatherings are more varied and indeed even built with purpose into the very framework of the development.

Consider the new Westfield Century City shopping center in Los Angeles, which just completed a massive, multiyear overhaul to the tune of $1 billion. The new incarnation, designed by Westfield with L.A.-based designer Kelly Wearstler, stole the show in October with 1.3 million square feet encompassing more than 200 shops and restaurants, including Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, and Macy’s, plus a buzzy Eataly—and, significantly, built-in event space. This event space feature is the focus here.

Century City’s design for the shopping center includes 18,000 square feet of flexible outdoor space with top-end production amenities, including lighting, sound, and back-of-house-facilities for a diverse range of programs. Integrated amenities include green rooms, control rooms, culinary workspaces, reserved parking, and concierge services for guest management. A far cry from your typical mall! The aspiration is for the Westfield experience to be engaging, relevant, and social. The company is actively expanding the amenities and experiences that have traditionally been associated with shopping centers.

Like the Century City, shopping centers all around the country are integrating event infrastructure into their very fabric, because live experiences are among the expectations—and are a match for the lifestyle—of the modern consumer. The overall goal of these reincarnated spaces is to broaden the typical retail experience beyond just traditional shopping. So don't be surprised if the next concert you want to go to is smack in the middle of a shopping center! Read more about this trend here and devour the details of this new shopping and event experience!