Overview

The second edition of CEDER finds Romania's property in a far more serious situation than last year. While there was still a sense of optimism for most of 2008, the last three months saw the deepening shadow of economic pain fall over virtually all sectors. The country now stands at a crossroads, with developers struggling to secure financing for projects and investors far more interested in exiting their existing holdings than in adding to them.

CEDER 2009 will address head-on the most pressing problems now facing the market, including the probability of distressed assets coming to market, the question of how best to value assets in the current market and prospects for the hotel and retail sectors. Rather than focusing on gloom and doom, the discussions will deal also with constructive survival strategies for market players.

But they will also look ahead, providing insight into how much longer the current crisis is likely to remain. Many regional analysts believe that while Romania has been hit hard by the downturn, in the long-term it is the most likely of the CEE countries to see rapid growth thanks to its low labor costs and its huge internal market.

Now more than ever, it's crucial for real estate professionals to hear and discuss how their colleagues, competitors and potential business partners are doing. CEDER 2009 will provide an ideal forum for an in-depth and honest analyis of the situation.