Over 150 companies from around the world have registered for participation in the inaugural edition of Balkan property exhibition BalPex, said Nadezhda Riashi, commercial director of the event. The exhibition, to be held May 18-20 at the Inter Expo Center in Sofia, will be dominated by residential projects but the number of office, retail and logistics offerings is on the rise.

Growth is robust across all segments of the property market in Bulgaria, said Atanas Garov, managing director of the local office of international real estate consultants Colliers International. The supply of retail inventory will jump by 300% over the next 5 years while the area of office space will double, said Garov, adding that similar trends are also shaping the markets in Serbia and Romania. The first edition of a conference on the property investment opportunities in the region will also be held during the exhibition.

The May 17-18 BalPec conference will engage industry professionals in panel discussions on the real estate business and investment climate in Bulgaria, Serbia and Romania. The event will be attended by the managers of the biggest projects underway in the region like Baneasa Investments, GTC, Engel East Europe, Pradera, Pinnacle, BSDP, Development Capital Management and Eyemaxx.