Silver (crisis-free) jubilee

More than 19,400 participants, 1,860 exhibitors and 4,130 investors representing 83 countries attended the fair held between March 11th and 15th. CEE companies were also out in force on the Côte d’Azur. “This MIPIM is one of the most important events in this year’s calendar. The MIPIM fair is significant both from the point of view of HB Reavis and due to its importance to the sector. For us it is a unique opportunity to not only present ourselves as a group but also to showcase our four new projects and further development plans. Two of these projects are located in Warsaw, a strategic area for our operations over the next few years,” said Stanislav Frnka, the CEO of HB Reavis Poland. As usual, much was going on at the stalls of Polish cities and regions, which offered the opportunity to see and talk about new projects with the mayors of such cities as Warsaw, Poznań, Łódź and Sopot. “Everybody had a very good impression of the fair and the general feeling was that everything is taking place with more ease than in the last few years. It seemed to me that the mood of all the market players – investors, developers and even local authorities – was very positive. Nobody was simply wishing away the crisis, but there was not so much focus on the issues related to it. Looking at the smiles on the faces of the fair participants, it seemed that the worst was behind us. This is promising because an appetite for new investment, projects and leasing could be felt on the market. I hope that everyone takes the positive mood and all the extra sunshine back home with them. And we hope that this will translate into transactions on our local markets,” remarked Bożena Krawczyk of Segro summing up the event. Of course, investors were the most sought after people at the fair as they are the most responsible for the current good vibes in the sector. “At the MIPIM fair I was mostly interested in talking with financial investors operating in Poland. The second group of potential partners were hotel operators. I am very happy with the results of my talks during meetings at the fair. Poland is very well regarded as a stable country for investors. I am convinced that I will have the opportunity to reveal the details of my new projects soon,” remarked Mirosław Ciepluch, the real estate director of Eiffage Polska Nieruchomości. The motif of this year’s meeting at the Palais des Festivals was ‘more and more intelligent buildings and cities’. The fair’s organisers arranged a number of discussions based around green development issues. New EU regulations and the global trend for respecting the environment, in real estate and other fields, have encouraged investors to carry out projects that comply with sustainable development principles. Ghelamco Poland is one developer that has clearly embraced this philosophy, as it received a BREEAM Excellent certificate during the fair for its ongoing Warsaw Spire project in the heart of Warsaw. As happens every year, MIPIM prizes were awarded to the best real estate projects across the world. In spite of picking up a few nominations, no statuettes were awarded to our region. Projects in Singapore received the most awards. The Gardens by the Bay development won in the best ‘green building’ category and was also awarded a special prize by the jury. Another accolade, for the best residential project (The Oliv) also went to Singapore. Swedish projects were also among the winners. The best futuristic project was Max IV in Lund, while the best mall was the Emporia Shopping Centre in Malmo – the recipient of a number of garlands already. The 25th MIPIM also marked a debut of sorts for ‘Eurobuild CEE’, because it was at the fair that we launched Eurobuild TV. Over the four days we filmed interviews with many of the major players at the event, which you can view on our website. We hope you find this entertaining and informative viewing – and we promise to surprise you once again at next year’s fair.