InfrastructureNow at EXPO REAL 2026: When real estate meets infrastructure

The energy transition, digitalization, urbanization, and new security needs are reshaping the demands placed on locations and real estate. At the same time, the global need for infrastructure investment is growing. According to estimates by the World Bank’s Global Infrastructure Hub, it will amount to around USD 94 trillion by 2040. What the public sector can no longer finance on its own is arousing interest all the more from investors, project developers, operators, and financiers.

EXPO REAL, Europe’s largest trade fair for real estate, investment and infrastructure, will bring together key market players along the entire value chain in Munich from October 5 to 7, 2026, with its new topic area “InfrastructureNow”. It will give investable infrastructure its own platform for the first time at the trade fair—with its own forum, a separate, comprehensive conference program, and an accompanying special show.

“Real estate and infrastructure are increasingly converging—both economically and in terms of how investors operate,” says Claudia Boymanns, Exhibition Director of EXPO REAL. “We highlight this interface with InfrastructureNow.”

EXPO REAL sets new infrastructure priorities

The focus is on four growing segments: energy infrastructure, digital infrastructure, social infrastructure, and defense. Energy infrastructure ranges from wind and solar farms to power grids and energy storage solutions, and is one of the key future topics for the industry. Digital infrastructure—data centers, fiber-optic networks, data and AI applications—forms the foundation for a connected economy. As digital applications grow, so too does demand. Social infrastructure covers schools, childcare facilities, and healthcare institutions. It is increasingly gaining in importance as a long-term investment opportunity.

Defense is a relatively new segment that adds a security policy dimension to the infrastructure topic. “Our focus is not on military equipment, but on the real estate and facilities behind it,” explains Boymanns. These include, for example, logistics and training areas, cyber defense and data centers, and infrastructure that is used for both military and civilian purposes. The investment needs are substantial, and many investors who have long shunned this sector are now reevaluating it.

Investable infrastructure is therefore also prominently featured in the EXPO REAL 2026 conference program. Presentations, panels, and discussions will explore investment strategies, financing models, partnerships, market trends, and regulatory frameworks, supplemented by real-world examples from all four segments.

Excerpt from the conference program

• Capital doesn’t think in terms of asset classes. Why do we?
  Keynote by Dr. Peter Brodehser, German Association for Alternative Investments
  October 5, 2026, 9:30 to 10:00 | Hall A3, Stand 420
  
  
• The global new energy race: Can Europe keep up?
  Keynote Address by Dr. Marc Schürch, Swiss Life Asset Managers
  October 5, 2026, 14:00 to 14:30 | Hall A3, Stand 420
  
  
• Defense industry—an opportunity for the real estate sector?
  Keynote and discussion with State Secretary Nils Hilmer, Federal Ministry of Defense, et al.; Moderator: Thomas Beyerle
  October 6, 2026, 10:00 to 11:20 | Hall A3, Stand 420
  
  
• Closed-shop data center investments: Where and with whom is the action happening?
  Moderator: Peter Pohlschröder, German Datacenter Association e.V.
  October 6, 2026, 15:00 to 15:50 | Hall A3, Stand 420

The special show will present specific investment strategies and suitable projects—with the focus not only on construction, but also on operation and financing.