One week, 800 participants, 51 countries, and a powerful call to ACT

Jun 17, 2026 Latest News

The 76th FIABCI World Real Estate Congress 2026 successfully concluded in Vienna—highlighting what has made FIABCI, the International Real Estate Federation, stand out for 75 years: a global real estate community that goes far beyond the agenda, markets, and projects.

From June 8 to 12, Vienna became the meeting point for around 800 participants from 51 nations, more than 50 speakers, international delegations, global partners, event sponsors, and longtime FIABCI connections.

Guided by the theme “ACT – Action. Collaboration. Transformation.”, the global real estate community explored the industry’s key questions for the future: housing, urban development, financing, geopolitical conditions, macroeconomic trends, technology, artificial intelligence, and leadership. Yet what truly set the Vienna Congress apart was the blend of technical depth, personal connection, and the international community spirit FIABCI is known for worldwide.

Welcome Reception

The Welcome Reception, generously hosted by FIABCI-Austria and Congress Partner EY, offered the perfect opening atmosphere for the global FIABCI community in the presence of Dipl.-Ing. Omar Al-Rawi, Member of the Vienna State Parliament and Vienna City Council, and Chairman of the Committee for Urban Development, Mobility, and Wiener Stadtwerke.

Held at the beautiful Heuriger Fuhrgassl-Huber, a traditional Viennese wine tavern nestled between vineyards and the Vienna Woods, it created a warm and convivial setting for more than 50 delegations to meet, reconnect, and begin meaningful conversations.

Professional Conference Program

Opening Ceremony

The official inauguration of the 76th FIABCI World Real Estate Congress included speeches by Host Chapter President Matthias Gass and FIABCI World President 2025-2026 Antonio Compagnoli, followed by an official address by State Secretary Barbara Eibinger-Miedl.

The amazing performance by the world-famous Wiener Sängerknaben (Vienna Boys’ Choir) was a wonderful way to begin five days of networking, bringing together around 800 participants from 51 countries and more than 50 speakers.

During his welcome speech, as is tradition, FIABCI World President 2025–2026 bestowed the FIABCI Medal of Honor upon four distinguished new recipients: Filippo Rean, Managing Director of RX France (MIPIM); Dato’ Tengku Abdul Aziz Tengku Mahmud, CEO of Merdeka 118 and President of the FIABCI World Council of Developers/Investors; Matthias Gass, President of FIABCI-Austria; and Anacláudia Rossbach, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN-Habitat (United Nations Human Settlements Programme).

Conferences

The first conference day brought together thought leaders from around the world to discuss the future of real estate, cities, and global collaboration. We were honored to welcome keynote speakers Anacláudia Rossbach, Itay Talgam, and Kjell A. Nordström, who shared valuable insights on urban development, leadership, communication, and the global economic forces shaping tomorrow’s real estate industry. Alongside the keynotes, participants joined engaging panel discussions and six real estate breakout sessions covering the industry’s most relevant topics.

A key focus of the second conference day was technology, entrepreneurship, and artificial intelligence. Florian Gschwandtner explained in his keynote just how much AI is already reshaping business models, decision-making, and the pace of execution. His message to the industry: if you only watch AI from the sidelines, you fall behind—but if you use it thoughtfully, you can rethink processes, scaling, and collaboration.

The 15 parallel real estate breakout sessions also highlighted just how broadly the industry has to think today. International experts discussed real-world case studies, investment outlooks, urban development, financing, sustainability, PropTech, market trends, and new ways of working together. The smaller formats, in particular, created space for direct questions, one-on-one conversations, and the kind of professional closeness where new projects and partnerships so often begin.

Medal Holders’ Dinner

The ceremonial events also highlighted what made this World Congress so distinctive. At the FIABCI Medal Holders’ Dinner, leaders recognized for their outstanding contributions to the federation gathered for an exclusive evening at the Albertina Museum. This traditional evening remains one of the most exclusive and symbolic moments of the FIABCI Congress—la crème de la crème du Congrès de la FIABCI—bringing together FIABCI Medal Holders and their accompanying persons in a unique setting surrounded by art, history, and friendship.

Young Professionals Evening

A strong statement for the next generation came through at the Young Professionals Evening at the Wien Museum, in partnership with Generali. As part of the “100 under 40” awards, young talents from Austria’s real estate sector were put in the spotlight and connected with international guests. The evening made one thing clear: the industry’s future isn’t shaped only by new technologies, but also by new voices, fresh perspectives, and stronger networks.

Prix d’Excellence Awards Ceremony and Gala Dinner

The FIABCI World Prix d’Excellence Awards Ceremony at Vienna’s Hofburg Palace delivered a standout highlight of the Congress—featuring internationally honored real estate projects, a festive setting, and musical accompaniment by opera singers. The Prix d’Excellence recognizes projects in 16 categories that excel not only in design and execution, but also in making a lasting contribution to the built environment and to society.

The awarded projects demonstrated not only architectural brilliance and environmental responsibility, but also a meaningful contribution to the vitality, resilience, and quality of life of communities. A total of 33 awards were presented this year: 14 World Gold Winners and 19 World Silver Winners, recognizing outstanding projects from Australia, Austria, Brazil, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, and Vietnam.

Farewell Dinner & Installation Ceremony

The Farewell Dinner also marked a special milestone: FIABCI is celebrating its 75th anniversary worldwide. During the Summer Night’s Ball, the evening honored not only this jubilee, but also the presidential handover. FIABCI World President 2025–2026 Antonio Campagnoli passed the role to the new FIABCI World President, Lily Chang, who was accompanied by a 150-member delegation from Taiwan, including Mayor of Taichung, Lu Shiow-yen.

Conclusion

Some of the most memorable moments didn’t happen on stage, but in between: networking, shared outings, catching up with long-time colleagues, and welcoming new members. Contacts turned into conversations, conversations sparked fresh perspectives—and those grew into connections that last well beyond the World Congress week. That’s what FIABCI has been about for decades: a global business network built on closeness, trust, and a real sense of community.

“The 76th World Congress in Vienna showed that FIABCI is a global community where professional exchange, trust, and personal friendships all have a place. For us, ACT wasn’t a slogan—it was a call to action: to move from ideas to execution, strengthen partnerships, and make transformation possible. I’m delighted that, after 37 years, we were able to bring the Congress back to Vienna and deliver it successfully together. It proves what’s possible when a dedicated team believes in an idea and brings it to life with full commitment,” said Matthias Gass, FIABCI-Austria President.