With a focus this season on real estate and tourism in Bulgaria and Romania, the 10th RINFOR (Real Estate and Investment Forum) occurred in Sofia at the Sheraton hotel from October 31 to November 3.

The title of the autumn forum – Real Projects, Real Players, Real Opportunities – reflected the changing scope of property and futures in the South East Europe (SEE) region via panel discussions such as Residential or commercial – which is the pillar of the regional property market?; Internet and real estate – how is technology changing business?; Risk vs return – are the Balkan emerging markets still worth investing?; The franchise – one of the most successful business formulas in a developing market environment; Downtown or the suburbs – where is the best location for office developments?; To go alone or join a chain – crucial desision for hotel developers; Contemporary developments in rural areas – vacation spots for wealthy outsiders?; and Retail rush in the region – is the trend still a friend?

Areas out of larger cities and towns were addressed as having potential for tourism growth, such as Kyustendil, Dobrinishte and Razlog in south-western Bulgaria, Gorna Banya near Sofia, and Kostenets in central Bulgaria. Another popular topic of discussion was an increase in commercial property development, considered to be a current “hot” area for investment.

In addition to Bulgarian business executives and Government representatives at both the national and local levels, the forum saw participants, speakers and discussion leaders from Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Poland, Romania and the UK. More than 60 per cent of registrants, as of the end of October, were from investment funds, financial institutions and end-user companies.

Event sponsors included Re/Max Bulgaria, Forton International, Imoti.net, Darik Radio and International Architecture Academy, with overall organisation by Property Xpress.
The twice-yearly business-to-business (B2B) gathering is the only regular such forum on the Balkans, typically drawing more than 500 attendees that include representatives from the fields of real estate development and consultancy, institutions of financing, investment, tenancy and hotellerie.