BREL forum in Riga to bring together leading real estate experts from the Baltics and Europe

On 2 November this year, the annual Baltic Real Estate Leaders, or BREL, forum dedicated to the real estate sector and its latest trends will take place at the VEF Culture Palace. Traditionally, leading industry experts, businesspeople and investors from the Baltics and other European countries will visit Riga as part of the forum to discuss various important issues and challenges related to the sector, as well as to forecast its future development and promote understanding of attracting foreign investment. This year, the BREL programme will focus in depth on smart urban planning, current developments in the retail sector, and the development of future technologies.

One of the forum’s key speakers, who will open the first BREL session, is Henriette Vamberg, a partner and chief executive officer at the Danish architectural firm Gehl Architects. She will speak about creating cities that are friendly to residents, citing real urban transformation projects and examples of improvement strategies based on research into people’s everyday habits. Damian Harrington, regional director for the EMEA region at Colliers International, will speak about attracting talent and investment to cities that serve as examples for other European regions, while Gijs Klomp, investment director at Nepi Rockcastle from the Netherlands, will share his perspective on starting a business in the Baltic market, as well as the challenges and growth opportunities associated with this process. He will examine the main advantages of the Baltic market and current developments in the retail sector, focus on the opportunities offered by Central and Eastern European clusters, and discuss the legal aspects of processes in various countries of the region.

Keith Silverang, chief executive officer of the Finnish real estate company Technopolis, will address the rapid development and changes in the working environment, emphasising the essential role of consistent productivity, innovation and talent attraction. Sohvi Rajamäki, chief executive officer of Schneider Electric in the Baltics, will discuss future trends in commercial real estate at the forum, including among other things, “green building” standards, activity-based workplaces, and the Internet of Things’ impact on building construction and maintenance policies. Finally, Zulfukar Tosun from Germany, a representative of Metro ECE Center management, a shopping centre management company, will give an informative lecture on the future of traditional shopping centres and the impact of digitalisation on consumer habits.