MIAMI—The recent ICSC Florida, which had more than 5,000 attendees and 80 exhibitions, saw record attendance for the first time since before the Great Recession. GlobeSt.com sat down with Katy Welsh, ICSC Conference Committee Chair and Colliers International South Florida's senior vice president of Retail Leasing Services. to find out the main takeaways from the conference.

In part one of this exclusive interview, she reveals key takeaways from the retail conference. In part two, she will share her expectations for the future of the retail industry as national retailers continue to find the right balance between e-commerce and brick-and-mortar.

First, Welsh says there was a renewed sense of optimism about the industry among the attendees. The main focal point of the conference involved the rise of e-commerce and how it is forcing retailers to adapt their business models.