Optimism as Barcelona Meeting Point real estate fair opens its doors

The annual international real estate fair known as Barcelona Meeting Point opened its doors on Thursday, until Sunday, with 280 exhibitors (15 more than last year) from 21 countries.

Taking place at Fira de Barcelona's convention center on Montjuïc, this year's edition of the fair covers some 22,000 square meters, and features some 85 talks.

The latest technological advances in the sector feature heavily this year, such as door locks that can be opened with a smartphone, from the STM Seguridad-Watchman Door firm.

The fair also awarded its 'best transformation prize' to Barcelona's Santa Creu i Sant Pau hospital, for its recent renovations, and its 'innovation prize' to San Francisco's Salesforce Tower.

Hot topics at the fair

Yet, as its name suggests, the fair is above all a place where professionals in the sector from all over the world can meet and compare notes.

Among the hot discussion topics this year were such issues as the impact of the political conflict in Catalonia on house prices.

Oriol Canal, head of sales in Barcelona at Engel&Volkers, pointed out that prices fell following last October's referendum, after previously registering increases of 20%.

Yet, there was also optimism at the fair, with the news from Catalonia's association of property developers that building work is about to begin on 15,000 new homes in the Barcelona area, with 6,000 expected to be finished this year.

Another controversial issue is house prices in the Catalan capital, and this was also being discussed at the fair, with real estate firms noticing a leveling off of prices and even a fall in the city center.