LAS VEGAS-We might still have close to 10% unemployment in the United States, and retailers’ April sales figures were nothing to brag about, but the retail real estate industry is optimistic that things are going in the right direction.

"Shoppers are returning, and they are shopping," said Michael Kercheval, president and chief executive officer of the International Council of Shopping Centers, speaking at the annual RECon show here. "Retailers are recovering, and consumption is coming back."

About 35,000 people are at this year’s convention, noted Sarah Palin, the former governor of Alaska, keynote speaker at the event. This is an improvement from last year, when attendees drastically dipped from the high point of 2007, which saw a record 50,000 people.