EXPO REAL to present special “Decarb” show for the first time

The real estate industry has been facing various challenges for years. Despite this, EXPO REAL—which will take place from October 4 to 6, 2023, in Munich—continues to show stability. Stefan Rummel, CEO of Messe München, provides an outlook on this year's event.

Mr. Rummel, the participation in EXPO REAL 2022 was nearly at pre-COVID levels. What do you expect for this year?

Stefan Rummel: “As we are still receiving registrations from co-exhibitors, we do not have the final numbers yet. However, we anticipate participation of more than 1,700 exhibitors, which means a slight decrease in exhibitors’ participation figures. Trade fairs always reflect the industry and, consequently, the current market situation, which is not entirely unproblematic. A few country participations, such as Romania or Bulgaria, will not be present this year. Yet we succeeded in attracting new exhibition partners, such as the joint pavilion ‘UK Cities and Partners’ featuring Opportunity London, Marketing Manchester, Newcastle, and West Midlands. We also have Majid Al Futtaim from Dubai as a major participant and for the first time the Real Estate General Authority from Saudi Arabia. And there will be an Italian joint pavilion, Real Estate Italy.”

What is your focus for EXPO REAL 2023 as the organizer?

Stefan Rummel: “Our primary focus is clearly on the quality of the trade fair. Our aim is to bring together the right people from the relevant sectors to discuss the appropriate topics—that is our claim and what has always distinguished EXPO REAL. To ensure this, we collaborate with various committees that support us in advancing the event, refining the nomenclature, or setting the themes—while always making sure to protect the core values of the EXPO REAL brand.”

What can we expect from the advancements at EXPO REAL 2023? What is new?

Stefan Rummel: “This year, we will be introducing the special show ‘EXPO REAL Decarb—make the climate change work.’ It targets start-ups, scale-ups and companies involved in ‘properties as ecosystems,’ ‘decarbonization of the property portfolio,’ and ‘climate-neutral district and urban development.’ The focus is on innovative and practical solutions to implement future projects in a climate-neutral manner or to climate-optimize existing buildings.

We deliberately created this platform to enable companies with interface topics to other industries, such as the construction and building materials sector, photovoltaic industry, mobility concept providers or companies focusing on ClimateTech, to be present at the fair. This offers the opportunity to discuss with industry experts and city representatives and find joint cooperation and solution approaches for upcoming challenges; but also to make companies and their ideas visible through pitches.

We have been developing the theme and corresponding format for over a year now and I am personally extremely pleased that we are making this special show a reality at EXPO REAL 2023.”