EXPO REAL, which took place in Munich from 5th to 7th October 2026, saw a slight increase in participation compared to the previous year. With 1,777 exhibitors from 37 countries and over 42,000 participants from 74 countries, the event surpassed the 2025 figures. This signals sustained interest in the real estate market, although investors face complex financing conditions, high construction costs, and regulatory hurdles, which complicate project realisation.
The exhibition covered 76,000 square metres across seven halls and focused on key themes such as residential construction, financing, and investable infrastructure. The latter represented a standalone focus for the first time. Stefan Rummel, Managing Director of Messe München, stated that slight growth was combined with a challenging reality. He emphasised that many projects in Germany were under significant pressure and structural problems remained unresolved, but encouraging signals from international markets and partners for 2027 were discernible. The exhibition management sees its task as continuously developing EXPO REAL, which has been achieved with the introduction of the 'Investable Infrastructure' section.
The Importance of Investable Infrastructure
The new focus on 'Investable Infrastructure' under the title 'InfrastructureNow' highlighted the increasing interconnectedness of real estate and infrastructure. The expanded exhibition content included energy, digital, and social infrastructure, as well as defence, thereby accentuating the interfaces and relevance of these investment areas for real estate locations. This strategic alignment was positively received by exhibitors and visitors.
Alexander Heinzmann, CEO of BPD Immobilienentwicklung, underscored the necessity of viewing real estate and infrastructure holistically. Particularly in large urban and district developments, the joint planning of housing, mobility, energy supply, green and open spaces, and social infrastructure from the outset is crucial to creating functional districts in the long term. Michael Henn, Global Head of Infrastructure Investments at Commerz Real Investmentgesellschaft mbH, added that infrastructure is evolving from a separate asset class into an integral component of modern real asset strategies. He explained that the value of an asset today increasingly lies in the underlying infrastructure, from energy and network infrastructure to data and digital infrastructure.
Residential Construction and Political Framework Conditions
Another central area was residential construction. Discussions focused on how more affordable housing can be realised in Germany despite high construction and financing costs, as well as lengthy planning and approval processes. In addition to new construction projects, concepts such as vertical extensions, conversions, serial and modular construction, and more efficient land use were also discussed. The intensive debate highlighted the close link between political framework conditions, investment decisions, and project implementation, which underscores the importance of dialogue between business and politics.
- —Jace Tyrell, Chief Executive of Opportunity London, highlighted the business relevance of the contacts made at the fair, especially in the capital raising market.
- —Federal Minister of Construction Verena Hubertz emphasised EXPO REAL's role as a marketplace where all trades come together and solutions for complex challenges are developed.
- —Professor Dr. Alexander von Erdély, Spokesperson for the Executive Board of the Federal Institute for Real Estate Tasks, affirmed the need for joint action by the public sector and private industry, particularly in the context of serial and modular construction as a response to current requirements.
- —Oguz Kusdil, Managing Director and Founder at commonreal, described his company's first-time participation as an important step towards making its positioning in the social infrastructure sector visible and expanding partnerships.
