Barcelona Catalonia returns to EXPO REAL in Munich from 5 to 7 October 2026, bringing together the Government of Catalonia, the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona (AMB) and Barcelona City Council for a dedicated programme of Investor Talks powered by Iberian Property, taking place at Stand A2.330.
The three public authorities will use the platform to present a coordinated view of the opportunities emerging across Barcelona and its metropolitan territory, placing urban transformation, economic growth and investment opportunities at the centre of the conversation with international capital.
Across two days of Investor Talks, the programme will explore Barcelona's next growth corridors, the future of offices, logistics, healthcare and life sciences, as well as the wider metropolitan transformation reshaping the geography of the city.
Barcelona's next growth corridors
The programme opens on 5 October with “Barcelona 2035: Mapping the City's Next Growth Corridors”, an interview with Elena Amat, Manager of Metropolitan Coordination & Major City Transformations at Barcelona City Council.
The conversation will look beyond Barcelona's established core to the major transformation areas that are redefining the city's metropolitan dimension. With major projects and new centres of activity emerging around the city's perimeter, the session will examine where Barcelona's next phase of growth is taking shape — and what this changing geography means for investors looking towards 2035.
This will be followed by “Where Offices Still Work: Barcelona's 22@ Playbook”, focusing on one of the city's most established examples of large-scale urban and economic transformation. As European office markets continue to face repricing, refinancing pressures and changing occupier requirements, Barcelona's 22@ offers a relevant case study in how an industrial district can evolve into an innovation and business hub — and where offices can continue to generate long-term investment value.
On 6 October, the focus moves to logistics with “Gateway to the South: Catalonia's Logistics Edge”. Barcelona's position around Spain's largest port, its Mediterranean location and its export-oriented industrial base have established the region as a major logistics platform. The discussion will examine whether the Barcelona metropolitan area remains the principal node within this network, how secondary corridors are developing, and what the wider fundamentals mean for investment across Southern Europe.
The programme will then broaden the lens from Barcelona itself to the metropolitan territory with “Discover the metropolitan opportunities”, bringing together Olga Morales, Mayor of Viladecans City Council; Carlos Cordón, Mayor of Cerdanyola del Vallès City Council; and Filo Cañete, Mayor of Sant Adrià de Besòs, moderated by Ester Pujol, Director of Social and Economic Development at AMB.
The session will look at how economic activity and major urban transformation are increasingly extending beyond municipal boundaries. From the regeneration of industrial areas to the emergence of new centres of economic activity, the discussion will offer investors a more complete picture of the metropolitan geography surrounding Barcelona and the opportunities emerging within it.
The final Investor Talk on 6 October will turn to healthcare and life sciences, sectors whose investment relevance has been reinforced by demographic change, healthcare demand and the expansion of research-driven economies. The session will feature Prof. Scott L. Eckstein, Managing Director at Active Living International, bringing a valuable international perspective to the discussion. With a career in senior care that began in 1996 with an assisted living development project in Brooklyn, New York, Eckstein brings extensive experience from the US market into a European conversation. His perspective will provide a useful comparison between different approaches to healthcare and senior living investment, while helping frame Catalonia's own healthcare, research and life sciences ecosystem within a broader international investment context.
Barcelona Catalonia beyond the stand
The Barcelona Catalonia presence at EXPO REAL will also extend beyond Stand A2.300, with representatives of the region participating in wider discussions around the future of cities and infrastructure.
On 6 October, Elena Amat will join the “Metropolitan Centres & Polycentric Cities” session at the Decarb Arena, contributing Barcelona's experience to a European discussion about the emergence of new metropolitan centres, specialised districts and more polycentric urban models.
On 7 October, she will also participate in “Infrastructure in Growing Cities”, addressing the infrastructure pressures created by urban growth and the importance of transport, energy, water, digital and social infrastructure in supporting competitive metropolitan economies.
The same day, Elisabet Cirici, General Director for Urban Planning and Architecture at the Government of Catalonia, will take part in “New Cities and New Towns”, bringing the Catalan perspective to a discussion about large-scale urban extensions, new settlements, infrastructure and the alignment of public and private investment.
Together, these contributions place Barcelona Catalonia within the broader European debate on how cities grow, how metropolitan economies evolve and how investment can support the next generation of urban transformation.
At EXPO REAL, Barcelona Catalonia will therefore use the platform not simply to showcase what already exists, but to open a conversation about where the next phase of growth is taking place — and how international capital can participate in it.
We invite you to join Barcelona Catalonia at Stand A2.330 from 5 to 7 October and engage directly with the people shaping the region's next generation of urban and investment opportunities.
