CEDEM 2004 highlights Post-Accession property market

Never have the opportunities for investing in real estate in Central Europe been as numerous as they are today. With the accession of the region's countries to the European Union completed, the property markets in the region have become even more liquid. Still, real estate in Central Europe remains a riskier venture than the mature Western European markets.

Traditionally, the biggest interest from investors has been in the region's office sector, but while similar, the major markets in the region are developing at different speeds. Budapest's office sector is only somewhat less stable than Prague's, but is generally seen as a safer bet than Warsaw's, where it's not clear yet if rents have settled. However, despite the recent successes of the Czech Republic and Slovakia in attracting major foreign investors, Hungary's industrial property market is seen to be taking off in the past months. Retail is expanding rapidly all over the region, but differing local conditions require developers to choose their strategies carefully.

These and other issues will be on the agenda at CEDEM 2004 , Central Europe's most important property and development conference. Established in 2000, CEDEM attracts more than 300 professionals to Prague from all over Europe both to discuss the latest trends affecting the market and for three days of serious networking.

The Office Panel discussion , to be held in the first morning session on Friday, Sept. 24 , will be moderated by Ben Bannatyne , Managing Director of Jones Lang LaSalle for Central Europe. He'll be joined on stage by Mike de Mug, Ballymore's Central European Marketing Director, who is currently stationed in Bratislava. Two other professionals from the development side of the coin are Yishay Furman of Ablon and Stefan Ausch from Akron Group.

To bring an end user's point of view, Richard Paulson, General Manager of Pfizer in Prague has agreed to join the debate as well. Over the summer, Pfizer moved into its new offices in Prague 5. Pfizer's is an interesting case. Where many multinationals demand their company headquarters to be leased around the world, this pharmaceutical giant chose to buy. It should be interesting for the audience to hear about the company's decision-making process.

To take place between Sept. 22-24 , CEDEM provides an unrivalled venue not just for the exchange of experiences and ideas, but for networking and entertainment. CEDEM 2004 will kick off with the property sector's best party, the opening Gala Party on Wednesday evening, Sept. 22 . Space is limited at CEDEM , so it's imperative to book early. This is done most easily at the conference website, www.cedem.cz where complete program and procedures information is also available.