Meridiana and Iberia at MAPIC organize the first Meetup - MAPIC in Lisbon

The future of retail spaces will be about innovation, adaptability and technology

Last Thursday, Meridiana and Iberia at MAPIC organized a new edition of Meetup MAPIC , the leading trade show for the commercial real estate sector specializing in retail, food, technology and leisure.

The first event organized in Lisbon brought together 45 professionals to present MAPIC to the Portuguese community and discuss how to adapt commercial spaces to new ways of living, socializing and shopping.

The event sponsored by IDB Lisbon, Jamestown and Placer took place on the rooftop of the Innovation & Design Building (IDB) in Lisbon, hosted by Jan Verwijs s, Vice President, Asset Management at Jamestown Europe who introduced the building and the various professionals at the event.

“Adapting commercial spaces to the news ways of living, socializing and shopping”

António Gil Machado (FRICS) , director of the Iberinmo Group moderated a round table that addressed important issues such as the creation of spaces adaptable to change, experiential and omnichannel retailing, the need for a physical space for brand creation and the implementation of technology in all these processes.

Jan Verwijs , Vice President, Asset Management, Jamestown Europe, Eduardo Pinto Basto , Managing Partner, Placer - Integrated Urban Design & Development , Sofia Ferreira de Almeida , Head of Property & Asset Services, NHOOD and Ricardo Rosa , Head of Property & Asset Services, Sonae Sierra formed a full panel with different points of view.

Jan Verwijs highlighted the importance of creating ‘lovely spaces’ with light, colour, life and personality. He used the IDB Lisbon building, where the event took place, as an example to illustrate these concepts.

"The intention of this store is to place where consumers are (the store is located in a restaurant area) and engage them with the experience," he continued, "The shopping centers were built to meet a need." said Eduardo Pinto Basto .

According to the Placer - Integrated Urban Design & Development executive, now with the convenience and speed provided by Amazon and other ways of online shopping, consumers are less reliant on large retail spaces. Eduardo believes that brands must adapt to this new profile, locating themselves close to consumers rather than forcing them to go to specific locations. Retailers must look at how and where their customers prefer to shop and become promoters of authentic public spaces.

However, despite this reduced reliance on retail space, ‘consumers still want to try on clothes, even if they buy them online’.

‘The physical space is very profitable,’ says Ricardo Rosa. ‘There is a connection between the physical and online worlds. Perhaps 10 years ago it was thought that today everything would be online, but it turns out that this is not the case,’ he said.

For this reason, Sonae's Director of Innovation believes that retailers' business models should be based on focusing on the development of their physical shops, which are configured as a space of excellence “to create a brand and get to know the customer”.

Following on from this speech, Sofia Ferreria de Almeida, emphasized that the customer experience must be memorable and ‘instagrammable’ in the technological age. All actions must integrate virtual reality and artificial intelligence, combining online, physical and social media presence. She cited Sephora as an example, which uses augmented reality in its shops for customers to try products and share on social media.

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The importance of international trade shows for developing business opportunities and learning about trends in the sector: MAPIC as a key strategy?

Rui Ramos-Pinto Coelho , Director of Business Development in Portugal at Meridiana , closed the day by talking about the virtues of international trade shows to create business opportunities. He stressed that MAPIC allows to establish face-to-face relationships of trust, impossible to achieve online, and highlighted the importance of prior preparation through MAPIC's digital platform to connect with attendees months before the meeting.

MAPIC is the leading trade show for the commercial real estate sector, specializing in retail, food, technology and leisure, which brings together professionals from all over the world to discuss and learn about the latest trends in the sector.

Rui concluded by reminding that Meridiana , as a representative of MAPIC , MIPIM and other business shows, is committed to facilitating the path, preparation and success in these events for all participants.

These and many more topics will be discussed at the MAPIC 2024. We’ll see you in Cannes from 26 to 28 November.

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Once again, we thank all the panelists, sponsors and attendees for making this event possible.

Contact us for more information about MAPIC : Rui Ramos-Pinto Coelho (Portugal) or Guillem Codina (Spain)