From 17 to 19 November 2026, the BUILDINX trade fair at Messe Dortmund will bring together market participants from the industrial, logistics, and data centre sectors. The event is dedicated to strategic issues across the commercial real estate sector along the entire value chain. Developers, institutional investors, occupiers, and representatives of construction and technology firms will confront changing market conditions shaped by economic uncertainty, land scarcity, and rising demands on energy supply.
The interlinking of location, construction, and technology decisions forms the core of the trade fair concept. In terms of content, the format is supported by the German Logistics Association (BVL) e.V. and the association of the internet industry, eco e.V., which contributes specific expertise in digital infrastructure. A clear focus is placed on data centres: from securing land and grid connections through to the sustainable operation of existing facilities, the programme addresses the structural and technical prerequisites of modern industrial areas.
Economic outlook and capital allocation
In Hall 5, the trade fair will concentrate its professional programme across two stages: the BUILDINX HUB for practice-oriented insights and the FORUM for overarching strategic discourse. Oliver Rakau from Oxford Economics will open the event with a keynote address on the state of the German economy. This will be followed by specialist panels such as 'Industrial Real Estate of Tomorrow', which will analyse planning-law development issues and municipal requirements. The investment climate will be examined in the panel discussion 'Logistics Real Estate Investments 2027: Who buys, how much, and what?', in which participants from the real estate and financial sectors will discuss current sources of capital and financing conditions.
The second day of the event will be dedicated to issues of resilience and location transformation. Among other topics, the regulatory environment will be discussed in light of increasing sustainability and permitting requirements. In addition, practical contributions in the HUB will address the energy integration of existing buildings, battery storage, and fleet electrification, aspects that increasingly turn industrial properties into integral components of energy and mobility networks.
- —Perspectives on the German market and strategic location requirements
- —Investment conditions and capital allocation in the logistics segment up to 2027
- —Data centre infrastructure with regard to energy availability and scalability
- —International capital flows and European market opportunities with a focus on China
International market movements will be discussed with a view to Asian players, among others. On the third day of the fair, a panel discussion on fulfilment centres, featuring speakers including Michal Bezdeka from Zalando and Raimund Paetzmann from Logivalue, will explore the structural consequences of changing retail patterns. Alongside the presentation sessions, the fair will host a get-together on 17 November 2026 from 17:00 to 21:00 in the Executive Lounge in Hall 5, intended to foster further professional exchange.
