Cityscape Qatar is the largest real estate event ever to be held in the State of Qatar

June 2 2014, Doha, Qatar

Cityscape Qatar, the third of its kind, taking place under the patronage of HE Sheikh Abdullah Bin Nasser Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Interior of Qatar, was officially inaugurated through a ribbon cutting ceremony by HE Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al-Thani at the Qatar National Convention Centre.

In his opening speech, HE Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al-Thani, the Minister of Economy and Commerce welcomed the attendees to "Cityscape Qatar 2014", the largest event in the real estate sector.

He said: "​​Qatar has the highest economic growth rate in the world, ranking it among the world's richest countries in terms of GDP per capita. The exhibition reflects the big leaps that Qatar has made in investment and the real estate sector and embodies the enormous boom, which has taken place in Qatar over the past decade through the investment of huge real estate projects. The national development strategy of Qatar has allocated more than $ 225 billion to infrastructure projects and construction until 2016, as part of the National Vision 2030, and in preparations for the hosting world Cup in 2022.

He also added, " Qatar is still facing  challenges in the real estate sector. In the lead up to the World Cup 2022, Qatar needs to build 12 eco-friendly stadiums costing 32 billion dollars, pave roads and streets worth 20 billion dollars, construct 45 thousand hotel rooms and complete the Msheireb project costing 5 billions dollars, as well as other real estate projects such as Qatar Rail, Doha metro and the deep sea port project."

Mr. Deep Marwaha, Group Director for Cityscape, commented that with strong growth prospects for 2014, participants are looking to unlock this year's theme of 'Finding Opportunities'.

"At Cityscape Qatar we strive to support and promote the real estate sector in Qatar by creating opportunities for new business and sharing industry knowledge. The opening day of our 2014 edition has demonstrated clearly that investors and developers, participating in record numbers, regard Cityscape as the only must-attend real estate event in Qatar. Significant new business takes place each year at Cityscape and we expect new heights to be reached over the next three days. To help participants succeed in this we have a packed program, with a conference, retail focused forum, awards and numerous networking opportunities", he explained.

Mr Marwaha confirmed that 55 percent of all exhibitors have travelled from abroad, representing regional countries such as Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Turkey, as well as major European, North and Latin American markets such as the UK, USA, Spain and Uruguay.

International investors are targeting a dazzling array of mega-projects that are set to transform the country to host the 2022 World Cup. According to Ventures Middle East, a research company, these include a US$7 billion international airport, US$5.5 billion deepwater seaport, US$20 billion roads and highways, US$5.5 billion Msheireb urban redevelopment, US$1 billion planned Doha Bay Crossing, and US$125 billion industrial projects.

Sharing the spotlight with international exhibitors at Cityscape are Qatar's leading real estate developers, headed by Foundation Sponsors Ezdan Holding Group and United Development Company. Other prominent exhibitors include Msheireb Properties, Barwa Real Estate and Al Bandary Real Estate.

Ezdan Holding Group, officially announced the opening of Al Shamal Compound, a brand new development situated in a lively location on Al Shamal Road and consists of 129 luxury villas, 256 distinct apartments and a four-star hotel of 220 rooms.

Msheireb Properties, who are making their debut at Cityscape Qatar, are showcasing their new flagship project Msheireb Downtown Doha, the world's largest certified sustainable community, consisting of commercial and residential units combined with 5200 solar panels.


Mall of Qatar, are using the event to announce their Family Entertainment Centre, the first of its kind at any mall in the Middle East, and are set to make some key announcements.

Of the international exhibitors, Chesterton Humbert, the London based premier property consultants, notably unveiled The London Collection, a series of luxury developments in some of the capital's most desirable locations, in particular London Dock, which is new to their portfolio this year.


The United Development Company, one of the largest leading public shareholding companies in the State of Qatar, introduced a number of outstanding residential units at The Pearl - Qatar in the "Cartier Channel" and the "Medina Central" districts. In addition, they offered a number of commercial units of various sizes in "Porto Arabia" and "Towers Cartier", located at the entrance to the island. 

Running alongside the exhibition are two dedicated conference programmes, the Qatar Real Estate Summit and the Cityscape Qatar Retail Forum, bringing together senior real estate professionals who will explore opportunities and find solutions to key challenges affecting the industry today.

The Summit features presentations and panel discussions from some of the industry's foremost thought-leaders. Eng. Abdulla Al Mehshadi, CEO, Msheireb Properties, Hamad Bin Ali Al Hedfa, CEO, Mazaya Qatar and Fahad Al-Ghunaim, Chairman and CEO, First Qatar, Kuwait, all participated on a panel discussion on the topic of Examining Market Drivers, Dynamics and Opportunities both domestically and in the wider Gulf region. Sharing their collective expertise, delegates learnt about the growth in Qatar 2014-15 based on demographic projections, the real estate developments offering the highest returns on investment and how to best balance a mixed portfolio of suppliers.

In the afternoon, Mohsin Mujtaba, Product and Market Development Director, Qatar Exchange, as well as international figures Robert Lee, Managing Partner, HEMI Capital, Canada and Prof. Roy Ling, Managing Director, RL Capital Management, Singapore, headed a panel discussion on Real Estate Finance. The focus was on the difficulty of securing development loans following new financial regulation this year and how best to overcome these challenges innovatively through alternative funding, notably Islamic Banking and Sukuk structuring.
 

The Retail Forum, a dedicated conference, is being held for the first time at Cityscape Qatar on 4 June 2014 and will explore the entire Qatari retail scene, focusing on opportunities for mall developers, mall operators and retailers alike. The overarching themes will be implementing differentiation strategies, boosting competitiveness and focusing on long-term market sustainability. 

Cityscape Qatar 2014 is supported by its Foundations Sponsors Ezdan Holding Group and United Development Company, with Qatari Diar Construction Products Company and Mall of Qatar as Silver Sponsors.

--ENDS--

Cityscape Qatar is jointly organised by Informa Exhibitions and q.media Events. Informa is the largest organizer of events worldwide with over 8,000 employees working in some 150 offices in more than 40 countries, providing academics, businesses and individuals with unparalleled knowledge, up-to-the minute information and highly specialist skills and services. q.media is a 100% Qatari company owned by the Qatari Government. q.media was established in 2004 with the vision to work in outdoor, audio and visual advertising, events and conferences and the film industry. In addition to a healthy business portfolio within Qatar, q.media also owns a number of operations globally. These companies, covering numerous business sectors, include the largest film distributor and exhibitor in the Middle East, and a leader in the field of outdoor advertising, which operates throughout Australia, Indonesia and Vietnam. www.qmediame.com

About Cityscape:
Cityscape first took place in 2002 in Dubai and since then, the brand has grown to be the largest real estate event brand globally.  Since its launch, Cityscape has welcomed over 400,000 real estate professionals and investors from over 160 countries through its doors.  Cityscape Qatar started in Qatar in 2012 and is the only annual meeting point for governmental authorities, key investors and developers, consultants, architects, designers and other real estate professionals to drive growth in Qatar's real estate market.

For more details please visit: www.cityscapeqatar.com

For media enquiries related to Cityscape Qatar, please contact Forbes Associates, Rinilda Raviraj at rinilda@forbes-associates.com

© Press Release 2014