Realty Review magazine 2014 by Easyfairs

<REVIEW 2014

Highlights of REALTY 2014 Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s talk real estate

www.realty-brussels.com

A look back on some highlights

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Mechelen page

REALTY 2014 A sustainable environment in a market that is supported by the political world. What do they say about dreams? The 6th edition of REALTY, the reference for anyone working in real estate, took place in Brussels only a few days before the elections. Nonetheless we were able to welcome some top politicians who had the courage to answer delicate and challenging questions from the real estate sector. Whether these answers were sufficient is another question, but at least we caught their attention and that is something to be happy about. We have noticed that as far as the real estate sector is concerned, there is an urgent request for a better policy. What is the current status of the real estate industry? I started my research in REALTYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s corridors and was able to draw some conclusions on the third and last day of the fair. The office market continues to do well on A-locations, despite the volatile character of office buildings in general. Retail real estate and health care real estate are growing, although they are capital-intensive. Office spaces and distribution centres require a smaller investment, but here we see that the best location (with existing older buildings) is more important than new buildings in an environment that is less accessible. Residential real estate appears to be a very accessible market. New building projects in compliance with the latest standards in isolation and energy, and located in the city, appear to be smart investments.

Helen Mortier Exhibition Manager, Realty

Surely, there was some optimism at REALTY, but we still have a long way to go. That is why our REALTY team is ready to present an even larger selection of participants, to bring more content and to attract a larger international audience. We would like to thank al our exhibitors, visitors, partners, sponsors, press contacts,... for another successful edition of REALTY.

Who said that all dreams are lies? REALTY will make real estate dreams come true again on the 19th, the 20th and the 21st of May 2015!

THE REALTY

2014

Realty, now in its sixth edition, has already shown why it is such an unmissable event for real estate professionals and international investors. A major conference marked the opening day on May 13th. Sponsored by Bopro and PwC, it was entitled â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Building tomorrow, connecting public authorities, developers, occupiers and investors.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; And it involved a number of distinguished speakers, including Belgian Federal Minister Didier Reynders.

Major conference

crowns Realty Day I CONTINUE READING >

THE REALTY

2014

‘Building tomorrow, connecting public authorities, developers, occupiers and investors’

This conference was organized in an unusual and innovative manner. Firstly, there were not just one, but three panel discussions with a new set of panellists each time. And secondly, before each discussion started, a number of propositions involving the main topic were posted on the screen. The audience was then invited, by means of a remote ‘voting’ machine placed on each chair, to vote on which of the propositions they agreed with. The introduction by Didier Reynders contained some interesting thoughts on the mobility challenges for Brussels in particular. All new projects will have to be considered with mobility in mind, and the infrastructure will need to be adapted. This is likely to require, among others, a new railway tunnel under Brussels to carry the international and national passengers who use it every day. More metro

and tram lines will be needed, and decreasing car use inside the inner beltway will become a necessity. Didier Reynders advocated developers building other uses such as residential and schools into their projects, perhaps in lieu of paying planning charges. And he wondered if the two prisons at St. Gilles and Forest could be transformed into a residential complex including normal housing, old people’s homes and student flats. Another interesting point made by Didier Reynders was to suggest a new way of providing benefits to company employees: they traditionally receive a car, a telephone, a portable computer... why not replace part of this by an allocation to be used towards housing, thus enabling them to live in the city once more? The first panel discussion followed, preceded by the question ‘What is the main priority in choosing an

office building’? Of the four possible responses, there was a surprise in the ratings given by the audience: while 46% opted for ‘air and light quality and 32% for ‘accessibility’, 15% went for the’ integration of innovation’ and just 7% for ‘energy efficiency’! Amaury de Crombrugghe of AG Real Estate said that in Brussels, proximity to public transport is vital. Michel Croisé, CEO of Sodexo said employees were now looking for many services and facilities, and his company was having to constantly adapt its offering. The second discussion involved ‘What is important in developing smart cities?’ ‘Social integration’ was the choice of 34% of the audience, with ‘stakeholder engagement’ topping the podium at 41%. ‘Security’ and ‘Local energy production’ could only muster 25% between them. The panel agreed that ambition and consensus are necessary to build smart cities, and

that where buildings are concerned, whole life-cycle costs have to be taken into account. The third discussion was more economic in nature, revolving around ‘creating shared value’ in companies. Here, and very relevant to the real estate industry, the audience voted that the most important factor in achieving this is ‘client satisfaction’. If you don’t have satisfied clients they will go, and if you don’t have clients you can’t create any sort of value... An extremely interesting conference which kept the audience in their seats to the end, and which had one of the most comprehensive gatherings of real estate professionals, economists and academics imaginable. Fourteen in all, and expertly kept on their toes (in three languages) by facilitator Alex Puissant. A highly prestigious start to Realty 2014.

Didier Reynders Belgian Federal Minister

THE REALTY

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Meche Mechelen

330,000 inhabitants

City Minded(ness) One of the newcomers to this year’s Realty was the city of Mechelen. Strategically located as it is between Brussels and Antwerp, the city wished to promote itself as a dynamic place to live and to shop. It used the slogan ‘The shopping zone between the two largest cities in Belgium’. Anneleen Desmyter, Ceo of Qrf, Johan Willemen, managing director of Willemen General Contractor and Wim Jorissen, former chairman of UNIZO Mechelen and current Alderman of economics in Mechelen, presented the developments taking place in the town. Many elements within the city centre are being renovated within the context of a plan which has been in operation for a number of years. One of the objectives is to make of the Market Square and surrounding shopping streets a retail environment to rival Flanders’ most famous shopping street, the Meir in Antwerp.

helen DIABOL O RAI

Mechelen is growing and now numbers some 330,000 inhabitants, with a young profile. The new Diabolo rail link to Brussels Airport is an important facility in terms of access. The presenters detailed that Mechelen is a trendy place to live, that it has considerable history, and a wide variety of shopping. To develop this last point even further, the city wishes to play a role of partner for shop owners.

L LIN K

Brussels Airport

Looking forward in terms of residential accommodation, Mechelen wishes to take advantage of the anticipated 600,000 extra persons expected to come into Flanders over the coming years by building more city centre housing. It wishes to see a social mix with inhabitants of all income levels. And while mobility will be key, it wishes to make sure that people can live without being suffocated by cars.

THE REALTY

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Without any doubt one of the most popular seminars of this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Realty was a presentation of Docks Bruxsel, the shopping centre being constructed close to Laeken. Despite the extra seating provided in the conference room, many attendees had to stand, and this included outside the hall into the exhibition area ...

Bruxsel Docks

ÂŠ Art and Build Architect

THE REALTY

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Apart from the presentation of Docks Bruxsel itself, the major attraction was the opening half hour by ‘Trend Watcher’ Herman Konings. He described himself as a ‘Consumer Psychologist’ and was able to show how habits and expectations are changing – and not always in the way we might expect. It can safely be said that Herman Konings is the only person who has ever begun a presentation at Realty by showing two photos of the ordination of Popes...! The 2005 version and the 2013 version, both showing the crowds in St. Peter’s Square, differed only in that the later version had almost as many tablets and smartphones (used as cameras), as it did people. Changing consumer behaviour indeed.

An analysis of the demographic make-up of Belgium followed, showing that the largest section of society is in the 45-60 year old range. And older people have two things which younger people do not have: time and money. Targeting this age range is therefore a logical strategy for retailers and shopping centres such as Docks Bruxsel. The audience was treated to at least two acronym/phrases (of the ‘Yuppie’ variety) which it may not have heard before. The first remained with the theme of why this middleaged to ageing section of society is worth targeting: SKI (Spending their Kids’ Inheritance’). The second referred to why shopping centres in cities make good sense. Again, there is a direct link to Docks Bruxsel, which is within the city limits. People (especially this age group) want to be in cities to do their shopping because there is so much to do and there are people around. The younger generation

‘In five years buying local will beat on-line’ wants to be surprised when it goes to any sort of event or place. And so we have the best cities which are ‘Yoghurt Cities’ – cities with a living culture at their centre! The audience also learned of the 0-1-2-3 paradigm which is at the heart of all good websites, apps and products nowadays. 0 = no long instruction manual; 1 = 1 easy button to stop and start; 2 = 2 choices (or just a very small number, not 57...; 3 = 3 seconds to the solution. And which high-tech, cyberspace, cloud-based piece of wizardry best demonstrates this? – the Senseo coffee machine!! (For those who have one, work it out using 0-1-2-3). This background into why Docks Bruxsel is getting its strategy right provided an ideal opportunity for Development Manager Olivier Weets and representatives of architects Art & Build to outline the project (which will in all probability beat both U-Place and Neo to open).

‘An Ambition, an Innovation, a Reality’ was how Docks Bruxsel was described. Most shopping centres in Brussels are getting old and in need of renovation, and Docks Bruxsel takes this into account. Its urban nature means that it features Brussels retailers in its mix, and Brussels architecture. There is a return to the city and this is where retailing will develop in the future. One of the concepts is a ‘balance between traditional and innovative brands and workshop retail units’. In terms of urban shopping – and indeed of physical shopping at all, compared to the explosion in e-shopping – the last word goes to Herman Konings, who stunned the audience with a quote from IBM (yes, IBM): ‘In five years buying local will beat on-line’

THE REALTY

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Realty Night... some impressions of our exclusive evening event

...Oh what a night! Sponsored by

THE REALTY

2014

“Excellent network opportunity”

Thanks! for a great

REALTY 2014

“Realty: Really Improving Real Estate”

“C’est le lieu incontournable de l’immobilier en Belgique qui reflète bien un secteur dynamique” THE REALTY

2014

Het Bouwlandschap voor de toekomst voorgesteld op enkele vierkante meter

The Realty Team

The place to be! Endroit idĂŠal pour rencontrer nos partenaires.

“Merci pour l’invitation et de l’excellent accueil que vous m’avez réservé lors du salon!”

SEEnext YOU year! “Realty, de ‘Belgian MIPIM Light’ aan de Brusselse haven”

THE REALTY

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THE REALTY

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REALTY 2014

Facts Figures Developer End user

Broker

Public Authority

The Realty

Financer

Value Chain Investor

Broker Consultant

Architect

Construction company

Engineering Planning

6.011

participants

2009

The perfect platform to keep presenting Belgium and Brussels as an example for a sustainable real estate policy

3.056

2010

3.415

2011 2012

4.815 5.305

2013

6.333

2014

6.011

Realty met or exceeded expectations

93,7%

128

exhibitors

2009 2010 2011 2012

See you next year!

84 102 113 122

2013

126

2014

128

98,3% participants intend to visit next edition

THE REALTY

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Performance report from visitors

â&#x20AC;&#x153;A must-attend event for all professionals in the real estate business national and internationalâ&#x20AC;?

General impression

7,64/10 Performance report from exhibitors

See you next year!

General impression

7,64/10 Visitor quality

95,9% exhibitors

7,53/10 Visitor quantity

7,37/10

intend to participate next edition

200

International

investors

30% growth compared to 2013

UK 2,29%

The Netherlands 29%

Germany 9%

Luxembourg 23% France 27%

Other 9,71%

Type of companies visitors are looking for at Realty Developer Investor

Visitor profile

2014

2013

2012

2011

Architect Construction company

Developer

Broker

Study/Planning Office

Architect & planner

Public authority Asset Manager

Investor Local & public authority

Project manager Service Provider

Supplier Construction company Consultancy firm Trade federation & academics Engineering company Law firm & notary Bank (financer) Project Management company Corporate End User

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Crowded and presentations to the pointâ&#x20AC;?

Media & Press

THE REALTY

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19, 20 & 21 MAY 2015

SEEnext YOU year!

Special topics in 2015

• International Investment Opportunities • Retail Real Estate • Healthcare Property • Logistics Real Estate • Industrial Real Estate • Leisure Property

THE REALTY

2014

FLASH FORWARD > www.kiwi.be

2015

Let’s meet next year! 19, 20 & 21 MAY 2015

@ Tour & Taxis Brussels

Contact: Helen Mortier l Phone: +32 9 241 94 21 Mobile: +32 497 58 81 39 l info@realty-brussels.com

Let’s talk real estate