The European retail market is undergoing massive changes as e-commerce grows and consumer habits change. Here are our 10 key takeaways from the annual RICS European Retail conference that was organised in Amsterdam this week.

After the success of Madrid and Milan, the RICS is delighted to announce the European Retail Conference will return in 2019 in a brand-new location – Amsterdam on the 12th February 2019. The focus of the 2019 conference is how innovators, disruptors, and business model shifts are shaking up the retail sector.

Hosted by RICS in Austria, the 6th Annual RICS CEE Event, held at the British Ambassador’s Residence in Vienna, aimed to answer a number of questions related to the future of the profession and presented how RICS, a solution leader in the real estate sector, helps professionals become well-equipped to meet challenges of the 21st century.

Market sentiment remains positive across Central and Eastern Europe, according to the RICS Commercial Property Monitor. Strong demand from tenants and investors persists in almost all market segments but the number of signs that some markets have reached their peak continues to grow.

RICS is considered the world’s preeminent qualification and standard-setting body for land, property and construction, with more than 125,000 members practicing in more than 146 countries over the world. Employing RICS professionals offers companies a label of excellence and trust, as they follow the highest standards and best practices in the real estate business. CBRE Hungary employs 14 RICS accredited personnel specialising in different areas.

Rents remained stable on the Budapest commercial property market in H1 2018, according to the last survey of the National Bank of Hungary (MNB) and RICS. The typical yield level decreased by roughly 25 basis points to 6% for prime offices and 7.5% for industrial/logistics properties. Respondents anticipate an increase in demand for investments in most market segments for H2 2018, particularly in the case of prime office and industrial/logistics properties.

On 6 November 2018, Property Technology Forum Europe 2018, a conference and networking event for the proptech industry and real estate professionals from all over Europe will be held in Warsaw. Nearly 200 guests will come together in the Polish capital to discuss the future of the real estate industry and to explore the latest innovations in the profession. The mission of the event is to create a common ground for true collaboration between proptech startups, property professionals and occupiers.

Nearly 500 guests from over 30 countries came together at CEE Property Forum 2018, co-organised by Property and RICS. Click here to see the pictures from the event.

What will be the most well-performing investment products of the coming period? How does political risk factor into investment decisions? How many years of growth do we have left in the current cycle? These are some of the questions that members of the investment panel at CEE Property Forum 2018 answered.

Real estate professionals surveyed by the RICS in Q2 2018 now believe that the Czech investment market has reached the peak of the current cycle while the Hungarian and Polish markets are also close to peaking. Nevertheless, market sentiment is still positive on both the occupier and investment market in all CEE countries monitored by the RICS Commercial Property Monitor, including Croatia and Romania.