ICSC CenterBuild 2025 reinforced something we live and breathe at MA Design: relevance is not accidental—it’s designed. Across industries, scales, and roles, the common thread was clear. The brands, leaders, and communities that thrive are the ones willing to listen deeply, design intentionally, and engage authentically.

Here are the key lessons that resonated most, and why they matter for how we design spaces, build brands, and lead people.

Entertain or Die: Finding the Gap That’s Yours to Own

Speaker: Mike Cessario, Founder & CEO, Liquid Death

Mike Cessario’s message was unapologetically direct: don’t try to beat the big guys by playing their game. If you try to spend what they spend, market how they market, and scale how they scale—you will lose.

Instead, success lives in the gap.

Liquid Death didn’t win by mimicking legacy beverage brands. It won by identifying a niche that aligned perfectly with its brand DNA—bold, irreverent, and culturally aware. The takeaway applies far beyond beverages:

• Know who you are
• Know what you are not
• Design for the space in between

For designers, developers, and brands alike, this is a call to resist default solutions. Authentic differentiation isn’t louder, it’s clearer. When your brand story is honest and focused, with a dose of humor, attention follows.

Leadership, Legacy & Community: Designing for Belonging

Speaker: Ed Stack, Executive Chairman, Dick’s Sporting Goods

Ed Stack reframed retail and leadership with a powerful truth: creating community is the new anchor.

Key insights that stood out:

• Big boxes aren’t obsolete—they’re opportunities. When repurposed with intention, they can become experiential hubs.
• Store design should reflect and respond to the local community, not just the brand playbook.
• Leadership means accountability. As Ed put it plainly, “Don’t listen to advice from people who don’t have to live with the consequences.”
• He challenged his team to “design the store that would put us out of business” when creating House of Sport.

That mindset, bold, self-critical, and future-focused, is how legacy brands stay relevant. It’s also how meaningful places are created, by designing for continued impact.

Networking with Purpose: Relationships as a Competitive Advantage

Speaker: Julie Brown, Author, Podcast Host & Networking Expert

Julie Brown reminded us that networking isn’t about collecting contacts, it’s about cultivating relationships. And the good news? You already have a network. These circles span clusters: industry, colleagues, family, hobbies, shared experiences. And that last one matters more than we think. Jeeps. Dogs. Running. Travel. Shared humanity is an untapped connector.

Key takeaways:

• Your relationships are your competitive advantage.
• Introverts don’t need to “fix” themselves. Networking is not a performance.
• The most important networking skill? Listening.
• Confidence derailers—age, body image, self-doubt—are just noise
  (You are not an avocado; you don’t expire.)

Practical advice that stuck:

• Describe yourself by who you are, not just what you do.
• Reconnect with intention: “I’ve been thinking of you” goes a long way.
• Ask for strategic introductions.
• Engage alumni groups, peer networks, industry organizations.
• And yes, 100% network with your competition.

Shared experience builds trust faster than a pitch ever will.

The Bottom Line: Design Is About People

Whether the conversation was about branding, retail, leadership, or networking, the message was consistent: people come first.

• Attention is earned, not bought.
• Community is built, not assumed.
• Influence grows from relationships, not transactions.

At MA Design, these lessons reinforce our belief that the most impactful environments—physical or organizational—are those designed with empathy, courage, and clarity. When we entertain with purpose, engage with authenticity, and connect with intention, we don’t just keep up with change, we help shape it.

And that’s the kind of legacy worth designing.