Generally, the mood is a bit grim - everybody is surprised at how few exhibitors are attending this year.

According to My-Lan Cao, MAPIC's Press Director, the organizers are expecting 6,500 participants this year, compared to last year's 9,500.

Anna Szmeja-Kroplewska, General Director of the Polish Council of Shopping Centers, estimates that there are 60 percent less exhibitors than last year. She said that there are 300 participants from Poland, compared with 500 last year.

“It was a difficult year, many developers slowed down, postponed openings and projects,” Ms Szmeja-Kroplewska said, although 2010 may see some of those projects being completed. She also said that for the first time in the history of the shopping-center industry in Poland, centers are opening with space still waiting to be let out. According to her, 2010 will still be the “year of the lessee,” with lessees having a much stronger negotiating position than in past years.

Ms Cao is not pessimistic, however, stressing that this year, exhibitors are more intent on innovation, creativity and new ideas. “Last year, you didn't need to be creative to succeed,” she told WBJ.pl. Today's developers, wanting to be more focused on the market, are finding new ideas and developing new concepts to attract people.

As an example, she mentioned Casino Group, which has developed a subsidiary called GreenYellow, which will develop photovoltaic (PV) systems on the roofs of shopping centers. Ms Cao also mentioned the idea of pop-up stores, set up for example by France's Chronostock, which are temporary shops opened at new locations for only a limited amount of time, selling end-of-stock products of big stores.

Krzysztof Giemza from Poland's Echo Investment stressed that smaller cities in Poland are still a niche that needs to be developed. “We have a lot to do in our country,” he told WBJ.pl.

He refrained, however, from predicting whether 2010 might be the year the market starts emerging from the crisis. “I don't know, I'm not a fortune-teller,” he said. “We are realizing our long-term plans,” Mr Giemza added. “We are very active at MAPIC, our offer arouses large interest.”