Barcelona Meeting Point 2007 live!

‘It’s not what you know, it’s who you know’….’it’s all about networking’…’you’ve got to be in the right place at the right time’….and so on - all things we frequently hear from real estate professionals. Hence the expanding world of the property trade show, which Properazzi sampled at last November’s Barcelona Meeting Point.

We thought we’d round up for you the pick of 2008’s events - a mixture of homebuyer exhibitions, industry conferences and expos focusing on cross-border investing.

THE HOMEBUYER SHOW
London, March
The UK’s longest-running and largest consumer show, attracting thousands of eager buyers. The focus this year is more international than domestic (a 60/40 split), reflecting the Brits’ love for sunshine, sangria and second homes-at-a-snip, at a time when affordable property seems increasingly hard-to-find.

INTERHOME
Moscow, March
Rumour has it that right now the Russians are going wild for overseas property, and Interhome last year saw a particular buzz around real estate in Spain, Croatia and Bulgaria - understandable when you look at the average February temperatures (-14 C in Moscow but a positively balmy 7 C in Barcelona)!

SIMA
Madrid, April
Europe’s big hitters will be in Spain at the start of April, shrugging off rumours of market downturns and doing business like things have never been better. SIMA combines its public exhibition with an intensive programme of seminars for the investor, running over five days in total, giving delegates time to soak up the Spanish capital’s majestic architecture and see the local real estate on offer.

CEMP
Warsaw, April
Central Europe Meeting Point’s run by the team behind BMP, and aims to deliver first-hand experience of the much talked-about ‘emerging markets’ of the CEE countries. As well as insight from banks, masterplanners and research agencies, CEMP walks its attendees round stand-out new developments in the conference city.

REAL VIENNA
Vienna, May
Ah, Vienna…home of palaces, castles, the Prater….and, with the Real exhibition, investors scrambling for the next big thing in the residential property world. 8,000 real estate professionals in one big venue…

REAL ESTATE CONNECT SF
San Francisco, July
“Real estate meets technology”. If this event was a property, it’d be a glass-fronted gadget-lover’s dream nestled in the foothills of Silicon Valley. Run by media giant Inman, Real Estate Connect collects the movers and shakers and the moneymakers on the Web 2.0 realty scene.

OPP LIVE 08
London, November
Growing by almost 20% each year, OPP Live is a reassuring riposte to the ‘real estate is dying’ gloom-mongers. The only UK show for anyone and everyone involved in the overseas property sector, it’s held this year at ExCel and opens with the presentation of OPP’s industry awards. Don’t miss it.

BARCELONA MEETING POINT
Barcelona, November
Eleven years ago, the cherry on Catalunya’s cake added to its roster of big industry events with one of Europe’s most popular gatherings; BMP now has 22,000 professional visitors, a world-class symposium and its very own blog

REALISEXPO
Istanbul, November
The autumn’s biggest trade event, gaining importance year-on-year as Asia throw open its doors to overseas investors. Turkey is one of Properazzi’s top ten search destinations and Realisexpo’s where agents get to the nitty-gritty of how to lock in those attractive overseas buyers.