Sun, Jul 05 2009
Nearly 330 exhibitors from 18 countries took part in the 16th edition of International Property, Investment and Finance Fair REFE, an increase of 12 per cent in comparison to figures for the previous year. REFE took place from April 20 to 22 in Poland.
In the investment part of the 16th REFE banks, property managers, city and commune councils presented property investment opportunities. Discussions on finance, business, investments and tourism assets of cities and towns were held during the main part of the expo. Its third part focused on residential developments.
A conference on investment potential of Central and Eastern Europe seemed to be a focal event. Other lectures saw the participation of 41 speakers from Bulgaria, France, Poland, Romania, Ukraine and US.
Organisers said that the autumn edition of the expo will focus on Polish companies.
The autumn edition of the expo will be intended for developers, investors, representatives of national and regional authorities, city and municipal councils, chambers of commerce and trade, sector associations, architects, and others having interest in the property sphere.
The project will be financed by the Bulgarian Bank for Development, and the Joint European Support for Sustainable Investment in City Areas, or Jessica Programme, although the report has so far failed to reveal the total cost of the vast enterprise.
The strategic plan envisages the conservation of the nature "for decades ahead", and it was formulated by a municipal team headed by professor Ivan Nikiforov, backed by Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev.
Once the overhaul and reconstruction of the Sofia–Vidin line is complete, it will cut travel time to three hours, as the train will be able to reach speeds of up to 160 km/h, shortening the journey to three hours.
Marriott however has made it clear that is not interested in investing in construction, but rather to occupy and manage existing buildings. Its strategy is to obtain management contracts.
Investors realise that it’s not viable to have a building remaining empty over the course of a year – so it's better for them to employ more flexibility to offset that loss.