German commercial property fair boosts digital presence
The annual EXPO REAL in Munich in October is the definitive meeting place for the German commercial real estate industry – much more so than even the MIPIM in Cannes every March. Highly compact, very easy to get around, and with very accessible contact to leading players, the fair has also been gaining popularity with non-German exhibitors for years – with the strange exception of UK and US visitors, for whom the Mediterranean flair and early-season sunshine have traditionally been preferable.
The managers of the EXPO REAL are cranking up their marketing efforts a bit more this year, not least with a targeted program of social media activities and blogs in addition to more traditional channels. The three-day event is also ramping up its conference programme, dealing with themes such as alternative financing and the effects on investment of current regulation, including the AIFM directives. Separate subjects meriting their own discussion gatherings include alternative investments such as clinics and managed-care homes, as well as logistics and hotel investments.
For the more technically-minded, the fair organisers are also rolling out several discussion rounds dealing with energy optimisation, sustainable building and – the latest – “intelligent urbanisation”. This latter is being given special prominence with its own special exhibition area in Hall A2, in a joint initiative with the BAK, Germany’s architectural association, and the DGNB, the leading German promoting association for sustainable building. The first day of the trade fair will also see Günther Oettinger, Germany’s EU Commissioner for Energy, giving us a lecture on legislation coming down the pipeline from Brussels: “Renewable Energy in Europe and its significance for real estate, infrastructure and investment.”
If Mr. Oettinger is speaking in German, that’s probably all right (just). His mastery of English, however, leaves much to be desired, and Germans have made him a national figure of fun on YouTube for his attempts at impressing an international audience. Attendance at his talk for foreign visitors to the EXPO is entirely optional.