Business Bureau, Gulf Today

Cityscape Global, the region’s largest real estate event, will mark its 19th edition by launching an invitation-only day on Sept.25th at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC).

Designed to engage heavyweight investors across the global real estate landscape, the exclusive invite-only day will act as a curtain raiser for the annual show, before all other participants and the wider public enter on Sept.26 and Sept.27.

“Since its inception, Cityscape has been a focused Business-to-Business (B2B) exhibition and over the years it has evolved into a real estate event for both consumers and the industry as a whole — a reflection of the market. With the introduction of an invitation-only day we want to get back to basics by using our sphere of influence and credibility to give captains of our industry and leading heavyweight investors the opportunity to explore their options in an open business environment,” says Chris Speller, Group Director of Cityscape.

“The invitation-only day is dedicated to supporting a transformative business environment by inviting GCC nationals, local and international high-net-worth investors, industry elite, senior global government officials and VIP guests,” added Speller. “Over the course of the day, investors will have access to a global pool of local, regional and international exhibitors to diversify their portfolio projects in an uninterrupted environment.”

The invitation-only day is part of Cityscape Global’s wider strategy to address change and confront challenges in the global real estate market — including abundant investment opportunities in Dubai, the Emirates and the wider Middle East.

“For two decades, Cityscape Global has shaped the regional real estate market and has been at the forefront of global change. We want to emphasise that heritage and our theme — Adapting to Change — focusing on how we, as a brand, and the wider industry must embrace the rapid rate of transformation in an evolving market. Our show floor, content platforms, Cityscape Global Conference and Cityscape Global Awards will reflect this theme, tackling the concept of change in our industry and providing viable and sustainable solutions,” added Speller.

With the invitation-only component of Cityscape Global aimed at increasing heavyweight investor attendance at the event, figures released by Dubai Land Department show strong interest in the sector.

The total value of Dubai real estate transactions jumped 33 per cent to Dh34 billion between January and May of this year, compared to Dh24 billion for the same period in 2018.

Cityscape Global 2019 will facilitate optimal business matchmaking by identifying and connecting private and institutional investors with the local, regional and global real estate industry.

In order to boost the real estate market in the region, Cityscape organiser Informa Markets, the world’s largest exhibition organiser, is investing heavily to bring investor delegations from Europe, Asia and the US to source new avenues of growth in the UAE and region.

Speller also revealed new efforts are being made to shine the spotlight on Cityscape Global’s potential to serve as a weathervane for global real estate developments - both on the show floor and in the Cityscape Global Conference.

The show will also feature a range of country pavilions, including those dedicated to UK, Egypt, Pakistan, India, Turkey, France, Bahrain, Oman, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and Russia.

“The essence of ‘global’ is a huge element of our focus this year because regional developers want to access international investors, and international developers want to access regional investors. Cityscape Global is a very advantageous position to bring them together and serve as the fulcrum for alignment and, ultimately, prosperity in a changing global industry.”

A ramped-up knowledge exchange format will see Cityscape Global deliver content to all participants over the duration of the event, kicking-off with the annual Cityscape Global Conference on Sept.24 - a day before the exhibition starts - at the InterContinental Dubai, Festival City.

Thereafter, the Cityscape Talks and Cityscape Intelligence features will take place on the exhibition floor across the three-day show. Cityscape Talks is a free-to-attend live content offering that covers a range of subjects within the various real estate asset classes; residential, commercial (office and retail), industrial & logistics, hospitality, and alternative assets. Cityscape Intelligence is an exclusive B2B area focusing on investment opportunities in countries around the globe for private and institutional investors.