Event Program

April 25, Sheraton Hotel, Platinum hall

8:30 – 9:00 Welcome Coffee

9:00 – 11:30 1st Session: Market Report

Office: There are good signs for the Bucharest office market this semester given the record leasing activity posted in the last quarter of 2016.

• What will the overall impact be on the vacancy rate until the end of the year and what is the forecast for the Bucharest office market in the first half of 2017?
• What are the most dynamic office markets outside the capital in 2017?
• How sustainable is the future growth of the Bucharest office market given the limitations of the existing transport infrastructure. How are developers coping with this?

Retail: Last year’s new deliveries have fired up competition on the Bucharest retail scene, forcing marketers to innovate in order to attract and retain shoppers.

• Will consumption and retail sales maintain their upward trend in 2017?
• Which are the retailers with the most ambitious expansion plans in 2017?

Residential: Housing prices are back on the rise and developers are investing to meet the new demand

• The evolution of demand for “new” vs. “old” apartment units in Bucharest in 2017
• What areas of Bucharest are of interest for developers and potential buyers?
• Prima Casa and VAT changes for 2017 and how will these impact new residential developments
• How will housing prices evolve until the end of the year?
• Forecast for the high-end residential market in 2017

Industrial&Logistics: With logistics and industrial space deliveries forecast to hit a post crisis high in 2017, this market will remain in the spotlight this year.

• What new names are likely to enter the local market and which are the most likely players to expand their existing footprint?
• What is Bucharest’s potential for further growth given that about 80 percent of this year’s new stock is forecast to be in the capital alone?
• What are the main cities outside Bucharest that are likely to see growth this year?
• Retail or manufacturing – which of the two will generate the highest demand for new logistics and industrial space in 2017? What about beyond 2017?

Investments: Consultants are optimistis about 2017 which they say should bear better results than the previous year.

• Will the local market reach or even go beyond the EUR 1 billion benchmark in investments with real estate transactions and if so where will the growth be coming from?
• The real estate market from an investment perspective: forecast about potential deals involving properties in Bucharest and elsewhere in 2017
• Shopping malls, factory outlets, high streets, which is the best place to invest?
  Why are retail properties still some of the best real estate assets?

11.30 – 11.45 Coffee break

11.45 – 13.45 2nd session: Emerging Trends

Mixed-use real estate projects
Mixed-use real estate projects that bring together office and retail or office and residential components are a developing trend on the local market. How such projects fit into the local real estate landscape, how are some of the existing projects of this kind faring and the expectations for those presently being under development?

Greener homes
The need to build greener is slowing catching on with the residential sector as well as potential home owners are looking not only for lower monthly bills with their utilities but also for healthier and more sustainable housing. Given the reality of the local residential market, how will this emerging trend shape up the next years?

New Tech and Employee Wellbeing
How to foster employee well-being, collaboration, productivity and improve client catchment while optimizing real estate costs? How can the industry meet clients’ needs by embracing new and sustainable technological developments?

Consumer Trends
Millennials, nomadism, teleworking or collaborative work, keywords that describe the latest trends in a dynamic and increasingly competitive labor market. How are developers raising their game to meet new business models and innovations emerging from the ever-faster customer demand?

Retail: Online & Offline
What are the best ways to integrate online and offline strategies at present and which work best on the local market? Will the high streets emerge as a serious retail alternative to shopping centers? How are retailers facing the newest challenge – omni channel retailing?

13:45 – 14.45 Lunch