(AG Real Estate) EMPEX 2006. - real estate world in London

EMPEX 2006. LONDON

During the three days showcase of Empex forum in London (26-28 June) were present 1214 registered visitors – professionals from the real estate business. With 80 exhibitors and 489 conference participants, the official output of the Empex forum in London has been given through given numbers. Which concerns the expectations and implemented outputs of the above professionals belonging to the world of real estate business or exhibitors of potential projects and others being always an accompanying "cast" of such gatherings, the time will show.

It is obvious that with moving EMPEX's traditional gathering from Warsaw to London, the exhibition has won and is standing in the row of annual gatherings that are recommended to professionals involved in the real estate business. A proof of this assertion claimed by the undersigned author of present text is a really imposing and very respectable list of speakers and panelists of this year's EMPEX forum.

In addition, the daily reports found on the web address www.europe-re.com are providing a general report from this year's EMPEX forum, as well as from some recently terminated European events related to real estate business.

In the forthcoming transition in Eastern Europe, at the end of the 20th century, some initiated real estate conferences and exhibitions, took a leading role in their domain in some countries. In Poland, in Warsaw, EMPEX has overtaken the leading position which was growing together with the recovery and the improvement of competitiveness of the local real estate market. A total of 16 conferences took place until now and this year for the second time in row in London too. One has to admit that EMPEX has surpassed the local status and importance and as a regional leader in the northern part of Eastern Europe begun to organize specialized conferences on real estate, this time out of the region too.

The intention of the organizer, in order to promote the potential of the real estate market from transition markets in Europe, to organize such a forum in London is completely clear. This is where the biggest stock exchange is and this is the place where definitely is the biggest market of free capital in the Old Continent.

This year's EMPEX was held in the Barbican Exhibition Centre in the heart of Square Mile located within the London's financial district. In addition, this centre is known, besides the organization of similar events, as one of the most prestigious sites for the performance of classical music concertos.

Topics and speakers

This year under the motto: "New Money–New Vision"! with more than 50 confirmed and world acknowledged experts and speakers, EMPEX has offered attendees the possibility to compare and share their viewpoints, knowledge and experience linked to investments possibilities on the territories of European countries going through transition.

During the two day Conference some prime topics such as: competition on the global scene with challenges and opportunities of the real estate markets in CEE countries, obstacles preventing the superseding of investment frontiers, Shopping Centers – their influence from the new breed of consumers to the community, what is it that the different type of investors are looking for, why the CEE market is not reacting to its empty office space, CEE is an eldorado for investing in the market of housing – lie or truth?

At the same time there was a very lively discussion about the agreement on short and long term forecast of all 16 present transition markets linked to the development of tourism and leisure.

We would like to mention some of the speakers:

Martin Bellamy, Managing Director, Salamanca Capital (UK) Nigel S Rowe, Partner, Head of European Industrial & Logistics, Cushman & Wakefield (France)

Del Chandler, Managing Director, ING Lease, (Poland) Paweł Dębowski, Partner, Clifford Chance (Poland), William Kistler, President, Urban Land Institute (ULI) (Europe), (Key Note Speaker), Lionel Prodgers, Chief Executive ARK e-management Limited, Managing Assets, Resources and Knowledge also Director of the Board of the International Facility Management Association (IFMA), (UK) (speaker)

Jean-Bernard Wurm, Managing Director, LandAmerica (Europe) (Switzerland), (moderator). Steven Shone, Principal Partner, CMS Cameron McKenna (Russia - Moscow) Ilaria Benucci, Director, Property and Tourism Team, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (“EBRD”), Jonathan Crombie, Vice President of JER, (UK), Kazimierz Kirejczyk, President of REAS Konsulting, moderator

Stephen Pragnell, General Manager Apsys Polska Ltd., (moderator).

During the three day Conference more than 650 meetings organized by EmpexConnection System were held on specially created places. All participants had full liberty and possibility to organize business meetings of their own with potential partners throughout internet system.

In the course of the EMPEX forum, were held some parallel sub-conferences. Probably the most important was the "Russian Mission" as well as the awards ceremony during the Europe Business Assembly Awards ceremony. Another noticeable gathering was organized by the city of Poznan which presented to the attendees during the scheduled business breakfast the investment potentials of the city.

Two days of main events

The first day of EMPEX forum (26 June), was reserved for the exhibitors in order to prepare themselves for the Exhibition and for the simultaneously organized conference. At the same time the new participants were arriving and doing their registration and taking all documents related to forum and to the accompanying exhibition.

The next day was dedicated to the official opening of the forum. The speech was pronounced by Mr. William Kistler who as the President of Urban Limited (ULI) has given a summary of all challenges and opportunities that the real estate investors are encountering in the transition countries. On this second day were actual topics that were giving explanations why the transition countries were still recommended with its opportunities for the extension of business cooperation with potential investors. There were comments on the current situation concerning the transparency of legal framework, the state of the banking sector, the level of development of the insurance, the mastering of the facility management techniques as well as the expectations concerning the demographic development and an overall economy of the transition countries. The day terminated with the award ceremony Europe Business Assembly at the 37th Socrates Ceremony.

The third day of EMPEX forum was dedicated mainly to the forecast of the state of the markets within the next 3 years time. The speakers tried to bring closer and to explain reasons why we can expect a boom on some transition markets while on some others a fadeaway of certain positive trends, to say impartially why one can expect a rise in the price of square meter of the housing in Budapest, or what are the factors that will have an impact on the doubling of prices of apartments in Bulgaria, after this country officially joins the EU? There were also topics related for further development of tourism in transition countries and some representative Black Sea projects were introduced.

On this day we had probably the two most interesting topics that absolutely attracted the attention of the conference: the state of use of office space and the state of the retail market. An overlook of current situation was given for Budapest, Prague, Warsaw and Bucharest. There were comments on future expectations in the office space market in those cities. Which concerns the retail market and the state of development of shopping centers, an estimate of the market situation was given for countries such as: Hungary and Poland (in transition) and Germany and Denmark, as markets where the development of this business is completed from the technological point of view. Besides the said topics, we had at the end of the conference the consideration regarding the logistics' issue as a support to faster and more exhaustive development of countries in transition.

Finally, it was recommended to be present at this conference. As all serious organizers, EMPEX organizers announced at the closing of forum that the next forum will take place again in London from 25 to 27 June, probably again in Barbican Exhibition Centre! See you the next year!