"I think the emphasis will indeed be on the ramifications of the Wall Street situation and the economic turmoil in general on New Jersey," says Richard Kelley RealShare conference series director. This is our first RealShare program since the crisis began, and it will be very interesting to see what people have to say."

The event's Town Hall Meeting, always a frank and very topical session, has in the past covered a range of issues, but discussions among panelists prior to this year's event all suggest that this year it will come down to one thing--the financial crisis. That subject and its impact on real estate will be thoroughly examined by Mitchell Hersh, president and CEO of Mack-Cali Realty Corp.; David Cohen, Northeast regional director for GE Real Estate; Ray Sohmer, senior managing director at CB Richard Ellis; Peter Sudler, president of Sudler Cos.; and Charles Klatskin, managing director-industrial for Jones Lang LaSalle.

"How will the financial debacle affect our businesses?" Klatskin asks. "How is this affecting the value of real estate? And how is this different from the 1970s? Because everyone is comparing this to the 1970s."

Gov. Jon Corzine is still scheduled to provide the event's keynote address. He will discuss New Jersey's competitiveness for business, and indeed, his remarks will be a prelude to a speech, later in the day, before a special session of the state legislature on a new package of tax and other financial incentives that have just been introduced in Trenton. His remarks will similarly come under the shadow of the financial crisis, and Corzine, of course is himself a former CEO of Goldman Sachs.

And the program's other sessions are also likely to take on a whole new spin under that financial shadow. "Finding Clarity in the Capital Markets;" "Opportunistic Investment;" "The Outlook for Leasing, Investment and Development" in the office and industrial markets; as well as a legislative update by the Smart Growth Economic Development Coalition" will all take on new meaning this year.