1,700 exhibitors from 31 countries have registered for the 15th International Trade Fair for Commercial Real Estate and Investment, five per cent more than for the previous event.

- In light of the financial and debt crisis in Europe and the resulting challenges and market changes facing the real estate sector, companies are using EXPO REAL to exchange news and views and network - explained Eugen Egetenmeier, Messe München’s Managing Director explained the increase.

Expo Real has taken place in Munich from 8 – 10 October.

The growth in exhibitor numbers can be seen both domestically and from abroad, primarily as a result of Italy, Austria, Poland and the Russian Federation. Italy has its strongest ever presence at Expo Real with the participation of the cities of Turin and Bolzano.

Poland even has three joint stands representing the Polish Foreign Investment Agency, Silesia and Warsaw.

The City of Vienna is also making its maiden appearance on the “Vienna – Europe’s heart” stand. From Russia, the cities of Moscow and Saint Petersburg are among those showcasing their projects. Newcomers this year are companies from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Chile, the Dominican Republic and Greece.

Also new is the “LogRealCampus” logistics stand. Following its premiere in 2011, this year the joint hospitality stand “World of Hospitality” has doubled the size of its stand. Overall, there is a continuing trend towards the joint stand, aggregating exhibitors from individual countries, regions and cities. For example, Finland, France, Gothenburg, Croatia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Serbia, Slovenia and the USA all have their own national pavilions at the trade fair, covering 64,000 square meters of exhibition space in six halls.