real estate fair Area It will celebrate its second edition on September 20, 21 and 22, in the Gran Via hall of Fira Barcelona in the municipality of L’Hospitalet de Llobregat. According to the organizers’ estimates, this event, with more than 7,000 registered, will bring together around 10,000 executives from the industry. In addition, 250 real estate companies will participate and a total of 270 hours of presentations will be made with 350 invited speakers over three days.
“This second edition will replicate the first several times. We find that there is a great interest in being here and there will be all kinds mutual funds, with associated capital costs: family officessovereign funds, funds sunflower seed and opportunists, risk fund (hedge funds) and private equity. We want all capital to be represented with a particularly international vision,” assured Juan Velayos, one of the industry’s star executives and president of the fair.
In addition to the funds, other types of companies will be available: consultants, promoters, socimis, service providers, law firms or alternative financing platforms. The Community of Madrid, the Generalitat Valenciana and the municipalities of Madrid, Barcelona, Malaga and Bilbao are also participating in the fair.
This second event will be held at the Fira de Barcelona venue in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, unlike last year’s venue in Barcelona. “On this occasion, we doubled the area allocated for the fair from 7,000 square meters. More than 14,000 square meters“, pointed out the regional manager Gema Travería.
A pressure marked by a drop in investment
This second edition of the Zone takes place in October 2022 in a macroeconomic situation similar to the first. At the time, after central banks abruptly increased interest rates, investors in the real estate sector paralyzed their activities in a process called the “Real Estate Sector.” wait and see (wait and watch). Almost a year later, the situation has not changed much. Without going further, investment contracted by 47% in the first half of 2023 to 5,000 million euros, according to the CBRE consultancy’s report.
Despite the market situation, Juan Barba, senior advisor at Meridia Capital, has the following qualifications: Spain is doing well Compared with other countries of the European Union: “The proximity to Ukraine and the increase in interest rates affect other countries such as Germany more than Spain”. Juan Velayos pointed out that “the current market is at a stage where investment in debt is more attractive than equity.”