Cautious optimism

Stefan Rummel, the CEO of Messe München, put it this way: “The very positive and stable attendance figures at this year’s Expo Real underscore the importance of the trade fair for the real estate sector. Despite the continuing challenging economic situation, a slight sense of confidence can be felt. With its Transform & Beyond and Sustainable Construction Hub, this year’s Expo Real offered platforms for important topics. Construction in existing buildings, digitalisation and sustainability, for example, were discussed extensively during the conference programme and at the trade fair stands. All of this give me the confidence that the sector will successfully navigate the current phase.” Miki Yokoyama, the managing director of Aurum Impact Invest, added: “At this year’s Expo Real, there was naturally a strong focus on economic issues related to profitability and demand. Although the economic situation in Germany remains challenging, the outlook is cautiously optimistic. We live in volatile times of exponential technological change. We need to shape the construction of tomorrow while providing the right stimulus today for a sustainable future. Capital alone is not enough to bring about real change. This determination to actively and positively help shape the future could definitely be strongly felt at Expo Real.” 

Eurobuild took a few comments from those attending the fair. “This year’s Expo Real was exceptionally fruitful for us. We managed to hold a number of important discussions with potential investors who can see the huge potential of Poznań. Every year, the regional capital of Wielkopolska is gaining more attention in the international arena. The city is currently preparing to update its strategy to set out further ways to grow. At the same time, work is underway on a general plan for Poznań – a new document to regulate the city’s urban development. In a rapidly changing economic situation, we have to adjust to new challenges, including the implementation of ESG policy, which is essential for sustainable development. It is a priority to ensure the right conditions for business to meet the ESG requirements that are to be introduced in an upcoming EU directive,” insisted Natalia Weremczuk, the deputy mayor of Poznań. Robert Dobrzycki, the CEO and co-owner of Panattoni in Europe, the UK, the Middle East and India, also gave us his assessment “This year’s Expo Real marked a turning point for the industrial real estate market. The atmosphere at the event was overwhelmingly positive, with investors showing increased enthusiasm for new deals, driven by the expectation of further interest rate reductions. We’ve seen encouraging signs that the market is poised for medium-term growth, with values expected to rise. At Panattoni, we believe that the time to act is now, as these conditions create unique opportunities for long-term investment. The insights and partnerships gained at this year’s Expo have reinforced our confidence in the resilience and future growth of the logistics real estate sector,” he stressed. Maciej Maryniak, the market development manager of Allianz Partners also spoke to us about the mood after the Munich fair. “Despite the difficult economic situation, Poland is attracting much interest from investors. The residential sector remains strong with some diverse opportunities, particularly in the areas of co-living, PRS, student accommodation and senior housing. Increasingly, ways are being sought to bring projects to the market more quickly to generate more profit. For traditional residential buildings, sales at an early stage of construction have become crucial to investors’ strategies. Allianz Partners follows such a model,” he explained. One investor from beyond the region also gave his opinion. “Invest Saudi led a delegation of government institutions and people representing some of the kingdom’s biggest projects to take centre stage at Expo Real 2024, where it showcased the transformation of the country’s infrastructure as well as its real estate, tourism and hospitality sectors. Saudi Arabia is redefining urban development by creating world-class destinations and unleashing a golden opportunity for investors to be part of our future. Construction and real estate are fundamental to the country’s future, and we are proud to have connected with the world’s most experienced and influential real estate players and to have built new relationships at Expo Real,” emphasised Fahad Al Hashem, the Saudi Assistant Deputy Minister of Investment Development.

As is the case every year, Poland was represented by numerous real estate firms and organisations. Poland’s regions also sent their own representatives and had their own stands at the fair, including Łódź (Invest in Łódź), Warsaw (Grow with Warsaw), Silesia and Poznań. As always, Warsaw attracted many market players with its events. The Łódź stand also saw a lot of event-activity, such as talks and panel discussions that attracting a wide range of real estate market players, not just from Poland but also from around the world. ‘Eurobuild’ was the media patron of two panels: ‘City for people’ was a panel comprising Adam Pustelnik, the deputy mayor of Łódź, Maciej Fijałkowski, secretary of the city of Warsaw, and Michał Sobczak of the Łódź Special Economic Zone. The second panel, entitled ‘REITs in Poland: Is it Time?’, featured Małgorzata Kosińska of the REIT Poland Association, Adam Pustelnik of the City of Łódź, Małgorzata Dankowska of Koda, Piotr Fijolek of Griffin Capital Partners, Dorota Latkowska of Reino Capital, and Michał Witkowski of Colliers.

The next Expo Real will take place in Munich on October 6th–8th 2025. So, see you there!