Discussions at this year’s Expo Real in Munich, Germany (October 4–6) will focus on the biggest challenges facing the industry at the current time, according to the annual event’s organisers. Topics that will feature in the conference sessions include the high interest rates, increased construction costs, climate change and the cutting of CO2 emissions in the construction and operation of buildings.
The annual conference at Messe München will be addressing these key issues in detail and, for the first time, attendees will be able to participate in “Expo Real Decarb—make the climate change work” - a new feature of the three-day event
“Expo Real is the platform for discussing and developing solutions not only in good economic times, but also in difficult ones. And one thing is clear: the trade fair could not be taking place at a better time, as we are currently experiencing circumstances that we have never seen before. Economic, financial and other uncertainties have changed almost everything concerning real estate, construction and investment. However, this is of course always associated with opportunities”, explains Stefan Rummel, CEO of Messe München.
“With nearly 1,850 exhibitors, this year's participation is very stable, clearly indicating how important Expo Real is for the industry,” he added
Decarbonisation will be a key topic at Expo Real, as the real estate sector has a major role to play in mitigating climate change. According to the organisers, with around 30 percent of these emissions caused by the construction and use of buildings.
Climate change challenges come at a time when the economic outlook is less than bright and the construction and real estate industries are struggling with higher costs in general and skills shortages and these challenges will be the focus of the event’s “Changes” forum.
Other topics of the forum will include ESG, digitalisation and demographic change, as well as urban development and the transformation of cities.
A further highlight of Expo Real will be the speech on October 6th given by Dr. Parag Khanna, Indian-American political scientist and founder and managing partner of FutureMap, a data- and scenario-based strategy consulting firm. He attracted widespread attention with his 2021 book “Move: how mass migration will reshape the world—and what it means for you.” His keynote will delve into the topic “From climate risks to climate opportunities.”
Claudia Boymanns, Exhibition Director of Expo Real, thinks the topic is the core message of this year's conference, and said. “It is imperative for the industry to shift its mindset and develop new business models now.”