After the postponement of the landmark international trade fair Expo Real in 2020, AFIRE was pleased to return to Munich, Germany last month for Expo Real 2021.

Running from October 11 to 13 and held at the Messe München exhibition center, this year’s Expo Real had a diminished attendance compared to previous years—due largely to still-active travel restrictions inhibiting frictionless international travel. But the event still welcomed more than 19,000 visitors from 52 countries, and nearly 2,000 exhibitors, all sharing an optimistic view about the future of the real estate industry within and beyond Europe.

Adjusting for the “new normal” of post-pandemic real estate exhibitions, AFIRE replaced its annual Expo Real brunch gathering for an intimate, members-only dinner on October 12 at Brenner Opengrille, providing a space for members to reconnect in person after more than a year of Zoom calls and social distancing.

AFIRE CEO Gunnar Branson also joined members on-site at the exhibition center for a series of candid conversations with several Europe-based AFIRE member leaders sharing their views about asset types, investment trends, and emergent challenges and opportunities for US real estate investing.

This episode (out of five) features Sebastian Vetter, the Global Head of Real Estate and Specialised Lending for DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale. DekaBank is the central provider of asset management and capital market solutions of the German Savings Bank Finance Group. Registered in Frankfurt am Main and Berlin, its headquarters is based in Frankfurt. DekaBank was formed in 1999 after the merger of Deutsche Girozentrale Deutsche Kommunalbank and DekaBank GmbH. Together with its subsidiaries it forms the Deka Group, making it one of the largest securities services providers in Germany.