"Consumers visit our shopping centers principally to take advantage of our unmatched retail offering, but they also enjoy being entertained while they're on property," says Mikael Thygesen, Simon's chief marketing officer. "In addition to the great selection of stores at our properties, the mall is ideally suited to be the center of activity for the community, offering a wide variety of events and activities designed to appeal to shoppers of all ages and interests."

A release about the planned events outlined a couple programs that will be held throughout 2009. Simon Fashion Now will showcase the newest fashion trends. Kidgits Eco-community will teach parents and their children how to be eco-friendly in today's environment. Simon Grassroots Programs will be community-based activities like career fairs and charity fundraisers.

Headquartered in Indianapolis, Simon's portfolio includes 386 properties throughout North American, Europe and Asia. It's 263 million square feet of retail space sees more than 2.8 billion visits yearly.

Simon's announcement of this new marketing campaign comes just days after revenue fell in Q1 for Developers Diversified Realty, Ramco-Gershenson Properties Trust and Glimcher Realty Trust.

Simon, which is run by David Simon, CEO, will not release its Q1 statistics until May 1.