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Tag: Swiss Circle

  • Swiss real estate fair for investors records new highs

    Swiss real estate fair for investors records new highs

    With 3964 professional visitors at the Swiss real estate fair for investors IMMO23, the number of participants from the previous year could almost be doubled. The increased number of international participants was also particularly evident, which illustrates the relevance of the Swiss real estate industry in an international context.

    This year, the IMMO Forum, the two-day accompanying congress with 126 top-class speakers at 33 panel discussions, was again able to inspire the audience with highly topical content. In addition to international players who shed light on the special features of the respective markets, the increasingly important topic of sustainability was also given a suitable stage. One of the highlights was the appearance of Dr. Martin Schlegel, Vice Chairman of the Governing Board of the Swiss National Bank, who presented his views on the development of interest rates and inflation in a discussion with Andreas Loepfe, CEO INREIM.

    The hybrid event format with public live broadcast of all panel discussions and simultaneous translation into French is now a fixed component of the concept and once again met with great interest with over 1700 online subscriptions. Furthermore, the start-up area was significantly expanded with 15 innovative young companies and an exciting pitch program. The education and career initiative recently launched by the organizers was supported by corresponding commitments from the University of Zurich – CUREM, the Bern University of Applied Sciences and other institutions.

    In recent years, the Swiss real estate fair for investors has established itself as the largest domestic trade fair for the real estate industry. The participating companies are located along the entire value chain and represent both indirect and direct real estate investment perspectives.

    The organizing duo, MV Invest and Swiss Circle, is delighted with this great success and would like to formally thank its contributors, exhibitors, presenters, speakers, partners and the public for their support and trust.

    IMMO24 will take place on January 17-18, 2024 at Hall 622 in Zurich Oerlikon.

    For further information please do not hesitate to contact us.

    Source: www.swisspropertyfair.ch

  • MIPIM 2022: Between desire and reality

    MIPIM 2022: Between desire and reality

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    MIPIM 2022 took place from March 15th to 18th – and it was far from the industry euphoria of three years ago under the impression of a conflict almost 2,000 kilometers away. While the Ukraine was at least visually represented with a mostly deserted stand, there was hardly a trace of Russia or Russian cities. Only a few obvious gaps in the trade fair room allocation indicated that there had also been cancellations at short notice.

    Interest rates are rising again…
    The industry buzzwords ESG, impact investing and interest rates were also part of the discussions in many places. From the Federal Reserve Bank in the USA alone, further interest rate hikes are expected this year, which would result in key interest rates of just under two percent at the end of the year. The market assumes that other central banks (UK, EU, CH) will follow suit, albeit with a time lag. For Switzerland, this means that negative interest rates will soon be a thing of the past. In the case of ten-year federal bonds, a value of 0.425 percent was already reached on the Wednesday of the fair (March 16, 2022) – a level that was last recorded at the end of 2014.

    … and what next for decarbonization?
    The topic of sustainable or green investments was also represented in many MIPIM panels and discussions. But even if there are now many options for measuring sustainability as well as certificates and labels: the coming years will challenge the construction and real estate industry on many levels. On the side of the energy sources alone, the change away from fossil fuels to renewable ones has added another dimension with the Ukraine-Russia conflict. It is now time to reassess the oil and gas factors in the real estate industry’s decarbonization efforts. It remains to be seen whether this will ultimately lead to oil and gas heating systems being discarded sooner in this country.

    Farewell to old braids
    Other significant changes are also becoming apparent in the traditional asset classes. The traditional real estate classifications such as residential, office and retail are becoming more diverse. This has already been shown in recent years thanks to online shopping, coworking and coliving. The hospitality forum on the Thursday of the trade fair, for example, showed that there is also something new happening in the hotel industry. Swiss Life Asset Managers announced the new camping investment class there and is even considering launching its own fund product in this area. In general, it can be said that the star classifications are becoming less important for hotel users, with the focus increasingly being on the extraordinary experience, special locations and trips close to nature and the local people.

    Propel Awards for newcomers
    The four winners of the PropTech competition Propel were also chosen this year at the real estate fair in Cannes: From the 20 finalists, centralF (optimization tool for workplaces) in the data category, Apricot (leasing for homebuyers) in the investment category, OakTree Power ( Demand optimization for building energies) in the sustainability category and Parametric Solutions (software solution for project developments) in the user experience category. A Swiss proptech startup was not represented in the global competition.

    Swiss project wins MIPIM competition
    On the evening of the Thursday of the fair, however, there was an award for an outstanding Swiss construction project: the Musée Atelier Audemars Piguet in Le Brassus received an award in the “Best Cultural and Sports Infrastructure” category. The museum extension designed by the Danish Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) includes a new glass structure that integrates into the landscape by means of two spiral structures. Inside, the museum offers a glimpse into the history of watchmaking in the Vallée de Joux.

    25th anniversary of Swiss exhibition stands
    The two Swiss networks Swiss Circle for German-speaking Switzerland and Horizon Léman for western Switzerland also had something to celebrate this year. The exhibition stand organizers and initiators Roman H. Bolliger and Yves de Coulon were delighted to receive congratulations and two “birthday cakes” from the MIPIM organizer RX on their 25th anniversary. The handover took place after the MIPIM event “Forum Suisse”, where Swiss industry players from Swiss Prime Site, Mobimo, M3 and Wüest Partner discussed the topic of “mobility and its consequences for the real estate industry”. In 2022, more than 50 companies from Switzerland used the two trade fair platforms Swiss Circle and Horizon Léman for international exchange on the Côte d’Azur.

  • "You have to offer your customers alternatives"

    "You have to offer your customers alternatives"

    What exactly does Swiss Circle do?
    Swiss Circle is the network for the Swiss real estate industry. We look after our around 250 members, network them with one another and support them with marketing tools. Our members want to get to know each other better, but also want to be more noticed in the industry. We also give them the opportunity to expand their know-how in special disciplines of the real estate industry.

    How exactly does that work?
    We offer various platforms: We are present at the major international real estate fairs such as MIPIM in Cannes or the Expo Real in Munich. We have been active on international stages for 25 years. At these trade fairs, we present our Swiss companies at a joint Swiss stand. In addition, we regularly organize networking events and various congresses on current real estate topics spread over the year. Online tools such as realestate-experts.ch complete our offer.

    Important trade fairs will be canceled this year due to the corona crisis. How does this affect Swiss Circle?
    We are creative and have created replacements for unusual activities. Including the online series “Real Estate Brains”. Here we produced a program online every Tuesday morning. This year we implemented the “The Marketing Round” congress entirely digitally via Zoom. We are launching the “Innovation Day” as a hybrid event: using two programs that we stream live and a print product that offers our customers another platform to present themselves. As a replacement for the Expo Real in Munich, which is not taking place, we are organizing the “Swiss Networking Circle” at Zurich Airport in October. Members who would otherwise have gone to Munich are given the opportunity to network and present themselves.

    How are registrations for the Swiss Networking Circle going in autumn?
    We have already received numerous bookings. However, we do not yet know how many guests we will actually be able to invite – that depends on the federal regulations for events in October. Certainly not everyone can take part. However, partners who are actively involved in the event will definitely receive a quota of invitations for their customers. We at the Swiss Circle will also be inviting a contingent of members. The need of our customers to meet again in person is definitely great.

    "Immo21 takes place in a larger hall."

    How are the online offers received by the members?
    “Real Estate Brains”, for example, is very well received – we have 200 to 300 viewers at a time. The speakers come from Germany, Austria and Switzerland. We usually recruit the Swiss speakers from among our members. After the summer break, we will continue this format on a monthly basis until further notice.

    How do you assess the current situation on the real estate markets?
    The situation is controversial. The retail market is critical. The corona crisis acted as a fire accelerator, the retail trade had it difficult even before the corona. Hotel properties are another loser. Office buildings are likely to give way only slightly – we have to wait and see whether and how much home office will become established and how digitalization trends will develop. The housing market is stable – at best there are still long-term effects. But of course there are also winners: for example logistics real estate.

    What feedback do you get from your members?
    Real estate service providers such as facility and property managers are hardly affected. On the other hand, there is a certain reluctance to deal with transactions; trading is currently more defensive than before the crisis. This should be reflected in the sales of marketers or lawyers.

    What long-term consequences do you expect due to the corona crisis?
    I don't expect a long-term negative effect in the real estate business. However, it is possible that business will be a bit more resinous this year due to the prevailing uncertainty and the lack of personal contact. As far as the Swiss Circle is concerned, however, I am confident that next year events and trade fairs will run almost as usual again. Which changes will remain remains to be seen. The motto of the time is: be flexible and expect different scenarios. We do that too. If you want to get out of the crisis as unscathed as possible, you have to offer your customers alternatives.

    Immo21, which is co-organized by Swiss Circle, will take place in January next year. Are there any changes due to the corona?
    We have already reacted to the situation and with Hall 550 in Oerlikon we have chosen a larger location than before. In this way, we can offer a possibly still limited number of visitors more space so that the distance rules can be adhered to. This could also prevail in the future: that you have to factor in more square meters per participant.

    What is your advice to young entrepreneurs in the real estate sector during this time?
    Of course, they very much lack contact with the established industry. Young entrepreneurs are usually looking for investors and platforms to present their new ideas – and are dependent on growing quickly and showing success. The handbrake effect is certainly more serious for start-ups than for an established company. At the Swiss Networking Circle and the Innovation Day we have special offers to involve young entrepreneurs and give them preferential access. Since the exchange between young and established will continue to gain in importance in the future, Swiss Circle and SwissPropTech will increasingly appear together in the future. I would like to extend a warm welcome to all future-oriented real estate decision-makers! ■