Expo Real visitor numbers stable as sentiment deteriorates

The Expo Real trade fair in Munich attracted 37,000 visitors this year, roughly the same as in 2010, organiser Messe München said at the close of the three-day event on Thursday which took place against deepening fears about the eurozone debt crisis.

Of the 37,000 participants, 19,000 were trade visitors and 18,000 were representatives from exhibiting companies. After Germany, the top 10 countries in terms of visitor origin were the UK, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, France, Poland, the US, the Czech Republic, the Russian Federation and Luxembourg. In total, 72 countries were represented

Eugen Egetenmeir, managing director of Messe München International, said that ‘the mood in the halls was very good’ despite the ongoing financial market turbulence and eurozone debt concerns. 'These stable participation figures underline the fact that Expo Real is an unmissable platform for exchange and orientation within the sector. As such it promotes transparency and business opportunities,'he said.

Unsurprisingly, the main themes at the fair centred around the current debt and currency problems in Europe and their effects on property markets. 'Expo Real is a reliable indicator of sentiment in the European property markets. And in 2011 the mood is good. But going forward this is increasingly expected to moderate,' said Reinhard Kutscher, CEO of Union Investment Real Estate.

A total of 1,610 companies from 34 countries exhibited at this year’s Expo Real, which saw increased demand for space from companies from outside Germany. The number of exhibitors from the Netherlands, for example, virtually doubled compared with 2010.

PropertyEU filed 70 news stories, published three Daily News magazines and conducted 15 PropertyTV interviews from Expo Real. Click on the link below for the full overview.