It's a packed ballroom at the keynote session of the Internet Retailer conference at 8:15 am in Chicago's McCormick Place. Internet Retailer Publisher Jack Love greeted conference goers with the news that paid attendance was up 40% from last year's event in Boston.

There are a total of 6,371 attendees at the show. In 2009, there were 3,045 paid attendees; in 2010, 4,250 paid attendees. Love talked about the diversity of attendees: on one end, 43.5% record under $10 million in sales, and on the other end, 10.2% record over $1 billion in annual sales. Love said the numbers show that the Internet allows small retailers to be every bit as big as the big guys.

Internet Retailer Editor Kurt Peters took the stage and welcomed attendees, including a delegation from France. He spoke about the changes in online retail from a year ago, when the recession was negatively impacting the industry. At this week's conference, there are 175 speakers and 420 exhibitors.

The head of Sears ecommerce unit Imran Jooma gave the first keynote address and talked about the way consumers shop online, and the new challenges of mobile and social interaction. He said mobile penetration is eclipsing PCs in the U.S., and said retailers must embrace technology to make life easier for customers.

That set the stage for the conference, where attendees will attend sessions and meet with vendors in the exhibit hall to learn more about how to prepare for the mobile and social shopping consumer.