With the retail property sector booming, MAPIC offers professionals an opportunity to update on the latest market trends and meet new players, from countries such as India, Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria, whose potential is still underdeveloped among international retailers.
Palais des Festivals, Cannes.
MAPIC, the International Market for Retail Real Estate, will be held at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes from 15 to 17 November 2006. With a 20% increase in its exhibition area, this twelfth MAPIC is set to be extremely active.
This year, a number of new countries will be attending:
 MAPIC welcomes for the first time a Turkish pavilion, featuring five firms: Renaissance Construction and Torunlar work in building and real estate development, Oncüoglu Architecture-Planning in architecture, IMS Project is a consultant for retail project development, and Koton is a ready-to-wear retailer.
 For India, the major developer Bansal Group will present a series of ambitious building and development projects for shopping centres in Delhi and its surroundings. It launched three of its 'Pacific' shopping centres in a year, the most ambitious of which is Greater Noida, in the Delhi suburbs, which uniquely features luxury hotels, congress centres, supermarkets, hospitals and schools.
 Soon to join the European Union, Romania and Bulgaria are already making a striking debut at MAPIC. They are offering a number of real estate projects such as Baneasa Shopping City, the largest shopping centre in Romania. Also attending will be Eurisco Consulting and Mivan Development for Romania and the developer EVA Medical in Bulgaria.
 Israel will be present at MAPIC with the developer AFI Europe Group, which is expanding its business activities in Central and Eastern Europe.
 From Hungary, the real estate developer Trigranit will showcase for the first time its two large mixed retail projects: Esplanada in Bucharest, Romania, combining retail, residential and tourism, and Lakeside Park in Bratislava, Slovakia.
 Saudi Arabia is for the first time presenting Al Othaim, the leading specialized company owning and running world class shopping and entertainment centres in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Other countries are boosting their presence at MAPIC:
 A large panel of Russian exhibitors, including real estate developers, property consultants, and retailers such as Adwill Partners, LVN Development, Russian Research Group, and Seal, will be present at MAPIC. The TEN Group of Companies developer is exhibiting for the first time, with its luxury shopping centre project in downtown Moscow featuring a 1,000 sq m skating rink for disadvantaged children.
 General Growth Properties, the second largest American real estate investor, will exhibit for the first time at MAPIC. It is developing large-scale shopping centres in 44 states and over 200 regions. Its projects include the Pinnacle Hills Promenade open-air shopping centre in Chicago, offering relaxation areas around many international retailer stores. Other exhibitors include the real estate developers Forest City and Lanuto LLC, the Chainlink Retail advisory, and the City of Washington DC.
 From France, alongside MAPIC regulars such as Altarea, Apsys, Espace Expansion, Bouygues Immobilier, SEGECE and others, there will be two new exhibitors, Nexity and Icade, who are major players in the sector.
 MAPIC participants will discover new exhibitors from Italy such as Gruppo Margheri, Gruppo Leonardo Caltagirone and AEDES. Alongside developers already attending from previous years such as Espansione Commerciale, Essediesse, and Promocentro Italia, together with the consultant Reno.
 For the first time, Howard Holding and Peel Holdings, two British developers will showcase their projects at MAPIC. As last year, a UK pavillon will bring together around 40 companies and major developers such as Hammerson or Grosvenor will be present in the exhibition hall.
 Among the
