Press Release

Germany's new real estate fair: Industry discusses at Real Estate Arena in times of challenge - climate expert Sven Plöger on stage

Hannover (09.03.2023).High interest rates are bringing residential construction to a virtual standstill, prices for building materials remain high, and skilled workers are in short supply. And then there is the discussion about climate change and ESG. There is no doubt that the real estate industry is facing major challenges - and experts are currently not in agreement as to whether the situation will continue to worsen or possibly ease by the middle of the year. In the midst of this uncertain phase, the German real estate industry will meet at the Real Estate Arena in Hanover on May 24 and 25 to discuss the key issues of the future. More than 140 companies have already registered three months before the start of the second edition of Germany's new real estate fair.

"The premiere of the Real Estate Arena a year ago showed that Germany needs a new platform for the medium-sized real estate industry and the B and C cities and their topics. The fact that the event is growing despite the difficult situation in the market shows once again that the industry is looking for a modern platform for networking, discussion and business development - in line with the motto: bold - controversial - up close. In this difficult environment, the Real Estate Arena delivers real added value to participants," said Hartwig von Saß, Project Manager at Deutsche Messe.

The conference program on two stages is also taking shape. After the opening with Lower Saxony's Minister of Economics and Construction Olaf Lies and Hanover's Lord Mayor Belit Onay, meteorologist and ARD weather presenter Sven Plöger will speak on the Arena stage. His aim is to clearly determine where we really stand in terms of global warming. Plöger says it's no longer time "to talk ourselves into a wishful thinking about the world or to state that it's all too late anyway. Neither of these things will help us or, above all, future generations in any way. What is needed much more is a well-founded optimism about how to deal with the challenge of climate change." An innovation workshop lasting several hours is planned on the topic of sustainability - ENGIE is the topic partner here.

Aygül Özkan, Deputy Chief Executive of the German Property Federation (ZIA), will discuss future investment strategies with a view to sustainability and diversity with interlocutors on stage. Axel Gedaschko, President of the German Housing Federation (GdW), will also speak about the challenges facing existing properties, as will Susanne Wartzeck, President of the Association of German Architects.

Matthias Hartmann, CEO of Techem, as well as Prof. Verena Rock, Vice President of the Society for Real Estate Research, and Sarah Schlesinger, CEO of blackprint partners, will speak about digitalization - here, the meravis digital subsidiary Spiri.bo is the topic partner - of the real estate industry. The software company Plentific has taken on the theme partnership for the topic "shortage" and thus wants to discuss which innovation opportunities can arise from shortage situations.

On the second stage, called "Surprise," the name says it all. It's all about startups and innovations. PropTechs will have the chance to present their best ideas and latest business models to the audience in short presentations. Likewise, it is about the new "'Deutschland Tempo" at the LNG terminal in Stade, new applications for vacancy management in inner cities or about the future of financing for real estate projects and interest rate development.

The Real Estate Arena is also cooperating with Drees & Sommer's "Designing the Future" conference format. Numerous industrial companies are involved in the two-day program. The focus will be on the question: "What, how, when, why and where do we want to develop, plan, build and operate in the future? And what products, materials, processes and qualities should be used in the process?" As part of the cooperation, the topics are to be further developed throughout the year and taken up at another "Designing The Future" conference in Berlin in December. There, in turn, part of the content agenda for the Real Estate Arena in 2024 will be developed. As part of this cooperation, Drees & Sommer and the Real Estate Arena intend to continuously pursue the pressing issues of the real estate industry and create new spaces for solution-oriented discussions.

At the Real Estate Arena in May, there will also be a lot of exchange at exhibitors' stands. Aptum will be addressing the topic of New Work and demands on real estate with numerous partners and discussing it with industry experts. The housing developer meravis will present topics related to the future of housing construction, the digitalization of the real estate industry and residential neighborhoods at its own Future Stage.

Part of the program of Germany's new real estate fair already starts the day before. On May 23, the Real Estate Arena, together with the state capital of Hanover, the Hanover region and the market research institute bulwiengesa, invites you to the specialist congress "Flaschenhals Gewerbe- und Industrieflächen". The event - participation is free of charge - focuses on how to deal with the few suitable commercial and industrial sites that are suitable for attracting companies - a challenge that all municipalities throughout Germany have to face. At the congress, strategies will be presented by business development agencies and companies that have already settled here, and solutions will be outlined. The number of participants is limited to 250 guests.

As at the premiere, the exhibitors' representatives and other invited guests will meet the evening before for the opening event "Wasserstadt meets Real Estate Arena" at Wasserstadt Limmer. The neighborhood being built there is one of the showcase projects for neighborhood development on a former industrial site in the northwest of the state capital in terms of sustainability, energy and mobility management, and social structure.

When the Real Estate Arena 2023 is officially opened on the first day of the trade fair on the Arena stage in Hall 4, the starting signal will also be given for another form of net-working. At the Real Beach Club, teams can compete against each other in beach volleyball and network through the shared sporting activity. In the indoor beach volleyball tournament, players will face off in 15-minute slots. Group matches will be played on day one of the fair and finals on day two. Teams of exhibitors or visitors can participate, who register until 07.05.2023 with a 4-member team on https://www.real-estate-arena.com/en/specials/real-beach-club/ .Tournament idea provider Thomas Westfehling, event partner of the Real Estate Arena and managing director of the event partner Real Estate Events GmbH, says: "The Real Estate Arena is the platform for exchange, networking and business development in the real estate industry. But it also stands for team spirit, partnerships at eye level and new alliances. And where is this more necessary than on the playing field?"

These companies have registered for the Real Estate Arena. Among them are well-known names such as Engel & Völkers and meravis, young companies such as Aptum, the law firm BETHGE, which specializes in real estate law, the global company TotalEnergies, Techem - the leading energy service provider for everything to do with real estate, the initiative "Die Stadtretter", the metropolitan region of Hanover Braunschweig Göttingen Wolfsburg, Garbe, the BAUM group of companies and the PropTech company Plentific. Other PropTech companies on site include blackprint partners as Germany's leading PropTech accelerator and Cosuno, a digital platform for procurement and subcontractor management in the construction industry. The goal of the second Real Estate Arena is to create a common platform for around 30 PropTechs.

Already confirmed are: Adaptive Balancing Power, Alasco, ALHO Systembau, Aptum, Arnecke Sibeth Dabelstein, aurelis Real Estate Service, Baden-Württemberg International, Bauindustrieverband Niedersachsen-Bremen, BAUM Holding, Bauwerk-Gesellschaft, BETHGE Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft AG, Billerbeck, BRANDI Rechtsanwälte Hannover GbR, BREMER, b-solution, Johann Bunte Bauunternehmung, Carestone Group, Container Terminal Wilhelmshaven - JadeWeserPort-Marketing, Crem Solutions, Deutsche Kreditbank, Die Sparkasse Bremen, Die Stadtretter, Dirk Rossmann Immobiliengruppe, DORNIEDEN Projektentwicklung, Dr. Haepke Immobilien GmbH, DW Systembau, easycircular Umweltmanagement GmbH, EDEKA-MIHA Immobilien-Service, EHTW Service, ENGIE Deutschland, EN-LEIT Gesellschaft für Grundstücksverwaltung mbH, Entwicklungsgesellschaft Norderstedt, FACILITY CONSULTANTS, FRANK ECOzwei, GARBE Industrial Real Estate, Theo Gerlach Wohnungsbau, geswein Versicherungsmakler, GIS Consult, Goldbeck Nord, Gropyus AG, Grossmann & Berger, GSK Stockmann Rechtsanwälte, Gundlach Bau und Immobilien, hanova WOHNEN, Hanseatische Immobilien, HAUS & GRUNDEIGENTUM Service, HBB Hanseatische Betreuungs- und Beteiligungsgesellschaft, HPC, HR - HannoverReal, Hüttig & Rompf, Ingenieurbüro Zammit, Investitions- und Förderbank Nds., ISD Immobilien Service Deutschland, IVD Service, IZ Immobilien Zeitung Verlagsgesellschaft, Kaufland Dienstleistung, KSG Hannover, Kubitur, KUGU Home, Lachmann & associates, Landeshauptstadt Hannover Fb. Wirtschaft, JLL, Leaftech, Lidl Vertrieb, meravis Wohnungsbau- und Immobilien, MYFLEXBOX Germany, Niedersächsische Landgesellschaft, Norddeutsche Landesbank - NORD/LB, oleg Osnabrücker Land-Entwicklungsgesellschaft, Panattoni Germany Properties, Plentific, Predium Technology, PROMOS consult Projektmanagement, REexpect, Sensaru, Signify, Sparkasse Hannover, Stadt Halle (Saale) Wirtschaftsförderung, Stadt Leipzig - Amt für Wirtschaftsförderung, Stadt Minden, Standort Niederrhein, Techem, TotalEnergies Cjarging Solutions, urban ENERGY, Vaillant Deutschland, Verbund Oldenburger Münsterland, Volkswagen Immobilien, W & N Immobilienvertriebsgesellschaft, WFO Wirtschaftsförderung Osnabrück, Wirtschaftsförderung im Landkreis Harburg, Wirtschaftsförderung Land Brandenburg, Wirtschaftsförderung Landkreis Stade, Wirtschaftsförderung Lüneburg, Wirtschaftsförderungsgesellschaft Deltaland, Zentraler Immobilien-Ausschuss