What you maybe didn't know is what all of your fellow retail colleagues and panelists at the event are expecting from the RECon 2013 event. GlobeSt.com caught up with just a few.

ReCon2013 attendee Alan Araki, managing director of investments at Primestor Development Inc., tells GlobeSt.com that he expects the vibe at this year's event to be very good.

“The economy continues to get better and there has been no major deflator news or headline risk recently,” Araki says. “A stabilized housing market and a 10%-plus rise in the stock market for the first quarter of 2013 is a good indicator of the optimism in the US and that should translate into good news for the retail world.”

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Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services' Alvin Mansour, senior vice president of investments and senior director the national retail group and net leased properties group, who recently detailed his retail forecasts in a national Q&A, tells GlobeSt.com that the overall pulse of the attendees is optimistic. “Many people expecting big changes in a positive direction,” he says. “The leasing market is anticipating an increase in renegotiations. The mood will be congruent to the market which is moving at full force.”

Attendee Michael Burden, principal of Excess Space Retail Services, tells GlobeSt.com that there is a trickle down impact the broader economy has on the retail industry. “We have noted a gradual building of confidence and enthusiasm by the retail real estate community,” he says. “For example, retailers have become more proactive in evaluating opportunities to improve or expand their portfolios. Therefore, we anticipate RECON will be robust from both an attendance and deal making standpoint.”

On the finance side, ReCon 2013 attendee Gary E. Mozer, principal and managing director at George Smith Partners, tells GlobeSt.com that the phrase he is hearing most is that there are just not enough deals for the amount of capital that is available. “Investors are actively pursuing the acquisition of retail deals, and with large amounts of low interest rate debt readily available to these investors there is an enormous amount of competition for quality retail assets,” he says. “As a result, I anticipate that we will hear a great deal of discussion at ICSC regarding how key markets and locations have finally transitioned to landlord's markets.”

Mozer also points out that competition is increasing because barriers to market entry have been lowered in terms of the availability of knowledge as well as in terms of the availability of capital. “The recent downturn equipped the industry with some valuable investor knowledge because we have all seen firsthand which companies are going to survive and secure the best tenants and rents,” he says. “This new investor knowledge further fuels the competition for strong assets in each market, as recognizing a good investment has become a more transparent process.”

In a preview video for the event, New York City-based Faith Hope Consolo, chairman of retail leasing and the sales division at Douglas Elliman, spoke with GlobeSt.com's Ian Ritter and, like Araki, says all reports are looking positive. “Registration is up from this time last year for the event--up 20%--and 35,000 attendees maybe 40,000 are expected,” she said.

When asked about main talking points at this year's event, she said that “Across the country, there are a lot of renovations of the malls happening and a lot of new developments out there from the east to west coast. There is activity in the market and that is all very upbeat.”

Consolo is slated to speak in an interactive discussion with e-Retailers on Sunday about the evolution of retail.

Check back with GlobeSt.com in the next day or so for more thoughts from industry experts on what to expect at RECon 2013.

This story has been updated. Please check out the following story titled: Worst Is Behind for Core Retail Assets.