Cityscape Dubai 2006, one of the most-sought-after exhibitions for the property sector, is expected to lure some of the biggest players in Europe’s property market into Dubai.

One of the largest international B2B real estate events taking place at the Dubai World Trade Centre from December 4 to 6, the expo is expected to put on show an impressive array of innovative projects aimed to woo regional investors.
Hamburg, consolidating its presence at Cityscape Dubai with a 300 per cent increase in exhibition space, will showcase the the 155-hectare HafenCity project, which will increase the size of the city by 40 per cent, says a spokesman for the organiser.
“Cityscape Dubai brings our project to a wider audience,” says Yvonne Iversen, investor relations at HafenCity Hamburg. “Investor relations between Hamburg and Dubai have improved considerably over the last few years. We are designing a ‘living city’, with buildings occupied as they are built. What we don’t need are investors constructing large structures without end-users in speculative ventures.”
An exciting element of HafenCity is the 24-hour city, Uberseequartier, which will have residential, commercial and retail facilities as well as a science centre, aquarium and a cruise ship terminal. Due to get under way in 2007, investment opportunities are currently still available according to Iversen.
Paris, which has witnessed a doubling of total foreign direct investment in France to €40 billion ($51.2 billion), is also expected to have a strong showing at the event. Paris has made a significant contribution to that figure and has attracted increasing amounts of capital from the Middle East, now estimated to be over 10 per cent of Paris’ total foreign investment.
Global private equity firm The Carlyle Group has invested hundreds of millions of euros in real estate projects not only in Rome but also in Milan, Turin and other cities across Italy. The focus on Italy produced a 400 per cent increase in its overall European real estate portfolio.