SIL, Portugal's Real Estate Exhibition, returns to the FIL, in the Parque das Nações, from 10 to 12 April, and will once again be held simultaneously with Tektónica. Cities, housing and technology will be some of the main themes this year. With a surface area of 15,000 sqm, the organisers expect to welcome around 30,000 visitors.
Sérgio Runa, manager of the Portuguese Real Estate Exhibition, stated in an interview with Vida Imobiliária (part of Grupo Iberinmo) that ‘SIL is a benchmark event that brings together professionals and those interested in the real estate and construction sectors’. The organisation ‘maintains a very optimistic stance’ regarding this edition and has reinforced the importance of SIL ‘as a meeting point for investors and professionals’.
‘In the 2025 edition, it is expected that the debates will reflect the current challenges and opportunities of the market’ and, this year, SIL presents a new programme of conferences that will set the agenda of the real estate market. Co-organised by the Iberinmo Group, with its generalist media partners (CNN and the Público newspaper), this event is shaping up to be the ideal space to discuss policy options in housing and the construction and real estate sector, especially with Portugal's legislative elections just two months away.
One of the main topics to be highlighted will be housing. At a time when the country has elections again in May, the main political parties will be able to share their proposals at the conference ‘A housing policy for Portugal, the proposals’, to be held on 10 April.
On the other hand, a new generation of investors will bet on residential development and investment, trying to respond to new needs and ways of living. ‘New concepts, such as Flex-Living, Co-Living, Student Residences and Senior Living, are emerging. It is essential to understand who are the investors behind these projects and what reality they are implementing in Europe’. The session ‘New housing models, from Flex-Living to Renting’ will be dedicated to this topic and will also take place on 10 April.
Cities will play a major role. Today, ‘they live between the pressure of attracting new residents and tourists, and the availability of housing for young Portuguese. One of the challenges we will pose to the municipalities present is how to balance the sustainable development of the territory’. This will be one of the main themes of the ‘SIL Investment Pro 2025’ conference series. On 11 April, the session ‘Cities for all, the challenge of social inclusion’ will be held.
With regard to real estate mediation and financing, Sérgio Runa stressed that ‘they have always been linked, but now with clearer rules and with the structuring of the figure of credit intermediation, which has brought new players to the market’. Furthermore, ‘the digitalisation of the economy poses challenges for the entire sector, and it is crucial to understand what the future holds’. This topic will be the focus of the debate ‘The Future of Real Estate Brokerage and Financing’, which will also take place on 11 April.
Sérgio Runa highlighted that among the new features of SIL's programme in 2025 will be specific debates designed for the end customer. As part of the cycle of conferences, ‘in addition to the topics aimed at professionals in the sector, 12 April will be dedicated to topics more focused on the general public’, with sessions such as ‘How to invest in real estate with just €1,000?', 'Everything you need to know to take out the best loan’ and “How to make the best investment when buying a home”.
According to Runa, ‘due to their topicality, these topics reflect the complexity of the sector and highlight the need for innovative solutions and effective public policies to face current challenges and take advantage of emerging opportunities, so they will undoubtedly be addressed in the different interventions’.
Aveiro, the featured city
This year, the featured city will be Aveiro. This choice is justified ‘for being an example of good practice and a strategic location for real estate investment, which gives it greater visibility both nationally and internationally’. In addition, ‘it has implemented several programmes for the rehabilitation of urban spaces, increasing its attractiveness for investors and showing a real estate market in full expansion, both in urban areas and in the periphery, with opportunities for housing, commerce and services. It also shows a strong focus on social and price-controlled housing’. As a smart city, Aveiro ‘has gained recognition for its projects in urban mobility, sustainability and energy transition, as well as the use of renewable energies’.