The event will take place in the Las Vegas Hilton on May 24, at 5 p.m. Hessam Nadji, the managing director of retail services for M&M, will also give national economic and retail market overview.

"We are very fortunate to have such distinguished panelists from three of the industry's most prominent firms," says Bernard J. Haddigan, managing director of Marcus & Millichap's National Retail Group. "They represent a complementary group whose respective areas of expertise will provide unique and insightful perspective relevant to the important issues and trends in today's dynamic retail marketplace."

Last year the Oak Brook, IL-based Inland Real Estate Group of Cos. bought 168 centers for just over $4 billion, and company executives plan to acquire even more this year. The group currently owns more than 700 centers. Bentonville, AR-based Wal-Mart is the largest retailer in the world, with about 3,600 stores internationally and in the US. This year Wal-Mart plans to open 40 to 45 discount stores, 240 to 250 Supercenters, 25 to 30 Neighborhood Markets, and 30 to 40 Sam's Clubs. It also has about 360 store renovations in the works. Simon, the country's largest mall owners, operates 296 centers in North America, 51 in Europe and five in Japan. The Indianapolis-based REIT most recently opened the 1.5-million-sf St. Johns Town Center, an open-air development in Jacksonville, FL.