The real estate sector is undergoing a great transformation in recent years. Not only due to temporary circumstances, such as the rise in interest rates, inflation or conflicts on European soil, but also due to structural circumstances, such as affordable housing and the changes in consumption and work habits that digitalization has brought.
A series of challenges, among which decarbonization stands out, that the sector is transforming into opportunities, as can be seen in the second edition of The District, the largest European Real Estate event for all industry players, which It will take place from September 20 to 22 at the new Fira Barcelona – Gran Via location, which doubles the meeting space to 14,000 m².
The District will once again highlight the Catalan capital on the map of Real Estate events and will position it as the European real estate capital, as it will bring together the entire Real Estate value chain. More than 10,000 international executives will represent investment funds, sovereign funds, private equity, banking or alternative sources of financing, large land holders, administrations, operators, promoters, brokers, marketing agencies, consultants or property managers.
Within the framework of the event, The District World Summit 2023 will take place, the largest European congress focused on all sources of capital, which will bring together more than 380 international experts in more than 270 hours of conferences.
Guillermo Baygual, Managing Director at JP Morgan; James Piper, Partner at TPG; Ana Estrada, Managing Director Merchant Banking – Europe Real Estate Investments at Goldman Sachs; Leticia Fusi, Managing Director at Castlelake; Paul Brennan, Managing Director, Co-Head of Real Estate at King Street, Jan Mischke, Partner at McKinsey Global Institute, and Adolfo Favieres, Managing Director at Blackrock, are some of the expert voices who will attend the congress.
Under the motto “Where Real Business Happens”, in this edition the summit wants to highlight the need to establish spaces of high value and trust where future transformative projects can be built. Thus, The District stands as the European stage in which global capital meets with the aim of discovering the trends that will mark its decisions during this 2023 – 2024 real estate course.
The District has been structured following three main axes. The first is the development of capital market structures; the second, the transformation experienced by different assets such as residential, hotels, offices, retail, industrial and logistics, healthcare, senior living
The third of these axes is the added value of the ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance, ESG in Spanish) criteria, which are already marking a before and after in the real estate sector, since they guarantee that the assets meet the requirements sustainable, social and good governance.
In fact, environmental accreditations already act as a lever to boost the profitability of different assets such as offices. According to sources from the Savills firm, in the 22@ district of Barcelona, ??properties that have environmental certifications are those that have higher rents, lower operating costs and a higher level of occupancy.
Another example of the weight of ESG in the valuation of assets is offered by sector reports that specify that offices that comply with sustainable accreditations can obtain, on average, in Europe, rents 6% higher than non-certified buildings, while in Madrid or Barcelona This figure rises to 15%-20%.
Energy efficiency, rehabilitation plans or construction aspects are elements that concern the real estate sector and capital actors, in charge of making investment decisions. International experts will gather at the event to explain how to increase the profitability of assets based on environmental strategies, among other issues.
Not in vain, the real estate sector is one of the sectors that can do the most to reduce the impact of its carbon footprint. The District will discuss how to achieve this using ESG accreditations and technology. Carlos Krohmer, General Director of Corporate Development at Inmobiliaria Colonial, together with Alejandro Adán, partner at Arcano, will delve into the regulatory environment that drives the adoption of green certificates, the effects of these certificates in the market on real estate value and demand, the investment requirements to achieve approvals, and the benefits and challenges of implementing sustainability in the sector.
One of the projects that aims to ensure the adoption of sustainability in design and construction investment is the European Commission’s New European Bauhaus (NEB). The initiative aims to be the catalyst for the European Green Deal, whose objective is to achieve the cessation of emissions by 2050, through specific actions and measures that integrate sustainability, design and innovation. Anna Gener, CEO of Savills Barcelona, ??will present at The District the NEB measures and how it will benefit the sector, with a budget of 106 million euros for the period 2023-2024.
The current economic context, with a price increase of 2.6% in August according to the INE, continues to affect energy costs and supply. Real estate investors face new financial challenges that can be addressed through the use of renewable sources or exponential technologies. Javier Zarrabeitia, Managing Director of BentallGreenoak, one of the largest real estate funds in the world; Cristian Oller, Vice President and Country Manager Spain of Prologis; Patricia García de Ponga, CFO
Dominique Moerenhout, CEO of EPRA, and Nuno Brito e Cunha, Senior ESG Advisor at Measurabl, an ESG data management company present in more than 90 countries, will also highlight the role of energy efficiency, renewable energy, management of water and sustainable financing as key drivers to achieve environmental certifications and contribute to reducing carbon emissions.
ESG criteria, in addition to having an important sustainability, good governance and transparency aspect, also address aspects related to social issues. Among them, diversity of gender, age and culture, a plurality that acts as an enriching element within the company itself and the real estate sector as a whole. Cristina Villén, Country Head for the Spanish market at Fiduciam, will delve into the challenges faced by a sector still linked to a traditional image, while facing accelerated change due to new generations. For his part, Jon Armentia, Corporate Director
In addition to the transfer of knowledge, The District is a lever to accelerate commercial transactions within Real Estate. More than 250 firms in the sector such as AEDAS Homes, Aliseda, Anticipa, Banco Santander, CaixaBank, CBRE, Cushman
The United Kingdom will have a prominent presence as a guest country in this second edition of The District. Likewise, the territories of Catalonia, Bilbao, Madrid, Malaga and Seville, among others, will announce their transformation and investment strategies that they are implementing.
In addition, The Proptech Startup Forum will allow the most disruptive startups the opportunity to present their innovation projects to investors and leading companies in the sector with the purpose of transforming the Real Estate industry and bringing innovation to all levels.
Finally, the event has its own awards, The World-Class District Awards 2023, intended to recognize those funds and actors that are transforming the real estate sector and promoting initiatives with impact.