The prospect of investing in the future of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) is what will bring, for a third year in a row, participants and customers to the annual CEPIF (Central Europe Property & Investment Fair) taking place in the Polish capital Warsaw on May 11-12 2006.
Richard Stephens, head of the commercial department and CEPIF organiser said that CEE is one of the most dynamic regions in the world, where a general increase in prosperity and growth have created the conditions for a good property market.
The inclusion of giants like Russia and Ukraine on the map of real estate developers has enormously contributed to building interest in the property industry in CEE.
Each year, CEPIF brings to Warsaw people from all over the CEE region to meet real estate professionals from the West, and the other way around. It is all about making contacts and spreading knowledge and information, Stephens says.
The 2006 CEPIF will mainly focus of the new approaches towards Public Private Financing (PPF) in CEE. It will take, the organisers say, a “fresh top-to-bottom look at the issues involved in PPF”.
Led by Aleksander Granowski of WS Atkins, who also co-ordinates the issue for the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) and the British Polish Chamber of Commerce (BPCC), and supported by C.R.E.A.M (Community Realisation European Aid Masterplan), the EU body dedicated to the promotion of Public Private Partnerships (PPP), the session will hear from leaders in the field, like CMS Cameron McKenna, the legal firm which advises Polish policy makers, led by Poland’s leading legal expert on PPP, Andrzej Kozlowski;
Trigranit, a leading regional developer, part of whose Millennium City Centre project on the banks of the Danube in Budapest - The Palace of Arts - was developed along public/private principles; KUD International, the major international programme management and development services provider; ARUP, one of the world’s leading engineering firms and experts in PPP initiatives, and many others.
How can municipal authorities deliver public projects in the most efficient and cost-effective way by harnessing the drive and initiative of the private sector? With public debt rising, this is a major topic of interest in Poland and the whole of the CEE region.
The fact that it goes under different names - Public Private Partnership, Public Private Initiative, and Public Finance Initiative - is symptomatic of the lack of clarity as to what exactly the process entails. How does it work? Who does what? What is the legislation? How can the two sides work together to achieve a common aim? How can your company get involved?
CEPIF 2006 will have several key panel discussions, including about the CEE commercial property market, where CEOs and regional managers of commercial property companies active in CEE will set the tone and the pace of the market. This panel will bring together some of the most recognised real estate figures in the CEE region to give their viewpoints on the market, present and future. No presentations, no pre-agreed statements, simply back and forth debate and discussion about the issues facing the market today.
While the CEE commercial property market main panel will look at the market through the eyes of the major international commercial players, another panel will come from the perspective of the home-grown developers and consultants operating within the different countries in CEE. The session will also provide a useful overview of market conditions in CEE country markets.
Benchmarking in CEE will discuss the importance of implementing benchmarking systems in the countries of the region. It will be led by Dr Nassos Manginas, IPD’s Germany-based regional head for CEE and director of DID - Deutsche Immobilien Datenbank GmbH. With its unrivalled experience and resources in the field of property performance measurement and property portfolio analysis for institutional investors with property investors, no organisation is better placed to talk about benchmarking in the CEE region.
The Urban Land Institute (ULI) will host a discussion on emerging trends in real estate. ULI is a non-profit research and education organisation supported by its members. Its mission is to provide responsible leadership in the use of land in order to enhance the total environment. Founded in 1936, the Institute now has more than 26 000 members from about 80 countries worldwide, representing the entire spectrum of land use and real estate disciplines, working in private enterprise and public service.
Professionals represented include developers, builders, property owners, investors, architects, public officials, planners, analysts, real estate brokers, appraisers, attorneys, engineers, financiers, academics, students and librarians.
The RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) panel will be the leading source of land, property, construction and related environmental knowledge. The organisation supports 120 000 members worldwide, promotes best practice, represents consumers’ interests and provides impartial advice to society, businesses, governments and global organisations.
Whereas only a couple of years ago residential development in CEE was considered a local affair, raising barely a flicker of interest from international and regional commercial property investors and developers, it is now of major interest to investors of all shapes and sizes. It will also be among the key discussion at CEPIF 2006.
As will be the topic of turning agricultural land into commercial property. With well-located commercial land at a premium in all CEE countries, what possibilities are there for turning agricultural land, often sitting in prime locations around towns and cities, into land for commercial development? Many investors have made serious money from this.
