LAS VEGAS—As the highly anticipated ICSC Las Vegas event draws near, GlobeSt.com is ramping up its coverage of the latest trends and insights in the retail industry. With over 30,000 attendees expected to attend the two-to-three day affair, GlobeSt.com recently caught up with several key attendees and retail experts to gather their expectations for this year's edition.

Chris Hake, Senior Vice President and Director of the Southwest Region at Thompson Thrift, emphasized the importance of face-to-face interactions when discussing potential deals. Virtual meetings have been useful for daily communication with tenants, but nothing compares to in-person meetings for discussing deal opportunities. Hake shared that Thompson Thrift is scheduled to meet with a number of new retail and restaurant concepts that would make valuable additions to the mixed-use projects the company is pursuing throughout the Southwest.

Ken Caron, SVP of commercial development at Lewis Retail Centers, also noted the high construction costs for both tenants and developers. To balance the costs and quality, Lewis Retail Centers is carefully examining the numbers and building methods to ensure the construction of high-quality shopping centers at manageable costs. Caron highlighted several industry trends, including the surge in popularity of drive-thru pads, outdoor dining areas, and convenient parking.

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Natalie Dolce

Natalie Dolce, editor-in-chief of GlobeSt.com and GlobeSt. Real Estate Forum, is responsible for working with editorial staff, freelancers and senior management to help plan the overarching vision that encompasses GlobeSt.com, including short-term and long-term goals for the website, how content integrates through the company’s other product lines and the overall quality of content. Previously she served as national executive editor and editor of the West Coast region for GlobeSt.com and Real Estate Forum, and was responsible for coverage of news and information pertaining to that vital real estate region. Prior to moving out to the Southern California office, she was Northeast bureau chief, covering New York City for GlobeSt.com. Her background includes a stint at InStyle Magazine, and as managing editor with New York Press, an alternative weekly New York City paper. In her career, she has also covered a variety of beats for M magazine, Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel, FashionLedge.com, and Co-Ed magazine. Dolce has also freelanced for a number of publications, including MSNBC.com and Museums New York magazine.