Verbände+
Working together for a strong real estate industry
Verbande+ is the alliance of leading interest groups in Germany’s real estate industry. Four strong partners – the BFW (Federal Association of German Real Estate Companies), the GdW (Federal Association of German Real Estate Companies), the IVD (Industrial Association of German Real Estate Developers), and the VDIV (German Housing Association) – are jointly committed to a sustainable, future-oriented, and economically stable real estate and housing industry.
With our combined expertise, we represent the interests of over 14,000 companies that manage, administer, and develop millions of residential and commercial units. Whether medium-sized property developers, municipal housing companies, real estate agents, or property managers – our alliance pools knowledge, experience, and networks to actively shape the framework conditions of the industry.
By joining forces, our associations create synergies, drive political decision-making processes and ensure practical solutions in the housing and real estate industry. Together, we are shaping the future of living and working in Germany.
Verbände+ booth EXPO REAL 2026
Booth program
Booth C1.120
12.00 p.m.: Booth opening with Verbände+ presidential round
- Federal Minister Verena Hubertz, Federal Ministry of Housing, Urban Development, and Building (requested)
- Dirk Salewski, President BFW
- Axel Gedaschko, President GdW
- Dirk Wohltorf, President IVD
- Martin Kaßler, Managing Director VDIV
1:00 p.m.: Gebäudetyp E and other approaches
- Christian Gaebler, Chair of the Conference of State Building Ministers
- Robert Crumbach, Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Planning for the State of Brandenburg
- Alexander Poetzsch, President Bund deutscher Architektinnen und Architekten (BDA)
- Dirk Salewski, BFW President
- Axel Gedaschko, GdW President
Moderation: Jens Christian Kage, BFW-Spokesperson
2.00 p.m.: Housing Between Climate Goals and Cost Realities: Integrating Incentives, Regulation, and Energy Policy
- Axel Gedaschko, GdW President
- Ralf Sommer, Board-Chairman of Hamburgische Investitions- und Förderbank (IFB Hamburg)
- Prof. Elisabeth Endres, Director of Institut für Bauklimatik und Energie der Architektur, TU Braunschweig
Moderation: Iris Jachertz, DW Die Wohnungswirtschaft
3:00 p.m.: Wohnraum schaffen. Eigentum ermöglichen.
- Dirk Wohltorf , IVD President
- Christian König, Chief Executive Officer Verband der Privaten Bausparkassen e.V.
- Ina Scharrenbach MdL, Minister of Home Affairs, Local Government, Construction and Digitalization for the State of North Rhine-Westphalia
- Christian Huttenloher, Secretary General and Member of the Executive Board of Deutscher Verband für Wohnungswesen, Städtebau und Raumordnung e. V.
Moderation: Carolin Hegenbarth, IVD-Bundesgeschäftsführerin
4:00 p.m.: AI Meets Existing Buildings: How Digital Does a Building Need to Be?
- Thomas Beutner, Geschäftsführer Ecowo GmbH (requested)
- Handrik Mortensen, Trassets GmbH
- Thomas Kirmayr, Fraunhofer Allianz Bau
Moderation: Martin Kaßler, VDIV Geschäftsführer
6:00 p.m.: Get together sponsored by Koalition Holzbau
11:00 a.m.: Leveraging innovations and technologies – managing current and future requirements
- Ingeborg Esser, National Executive Director GdW
- tba
Moderation: Arne Rajchowski, GdW
12:00 p.m.: Serial construction and renovation – game changer?
- Alexander Galler, CCO, Enercube
- Stephan Thoenissen, Head of Sustainability, LEG
- Christopher von Gumppenberg, CEO, KUGU
- Enno Philipps, Head of Operations, FASTR
Moderation: Judy Meidreich
1:30 p.m.: Thinking Ahead: Building with Wood in the Circular Economy
- Theresa Schopper, Minister of Regional Development and Housing for the State of Baden-Württemberg
- Patrick Bergmann, Madaster
- Marc Böhnke, greeen NXT
- n.n., Timpla
Moderation: Fabian Viehrig
2:00 p.m.: Between the Pressure to Innovate and Future Opportunities: How Artificial Intelligence Is Transforming the Real Estate Industry
- Ingeborg Esser, National Executive Director GdW
- Harmut Thomsen, CEO der Aareon Group GmbH
Moderation: Iris Jachertz, Chefredakteurin der DW
2:30 p.m.: People. AI. Added Value. How to Make Co-Intelligence Work in Practice
- tba
Moderation:
3:00 p.m.: Serial Renovation – SerSan 1.0 Framework Agreement: An Important Contribution to a Climate-Neutral Building Stock
- Christian Stolte, Deutsche Energie-Agentur GmbH (dena)
- Tim-Oliver Müller, Hauptverband der Deutschen Bauindustrie e.V.
- Ingeborg Esser, National Executive Director GdW
- Volker Wiegel, LEG (requested)
Moderation: Michael Neitzel, Neitzel Consultants GmbH
4:00 p.m.: Smart Technology in Buildings – Gimmick or Must-Have?
- Robert Schilling, TECE
- tba
Moderation: Joachim Eckert, GdW
5:30 p.m: EBZ Business School Awards Ceremony – Best Master Graduates 2025
7 p.m.: Booth party powered by kleinanzeigen
Career/Young Talent Day
Meet & Greet at the Verbände+ booth. Further information to follow.
Aareon appointment coordination
Sebastian Loska & Isabell Jäger
amazon key appointment coordination
Daglar, Volkan
B&O appointment coordination
Vanessa Bernhofer
B&O Service
Janssen Nick
DelPro
Deutsche Immobilien Akademie Freiburg
Peter Graf & Thomas Bühren
DigiWoh
Dr. Klein wowi
Ecoworks
Sebastan Eck
greeenNXT
Green Structures
Koalition Holzbau
madaster
Noventic
Thomas Ahlborn
Rockethome
Schick Immobilien
Sabrina Deborah Toni French
timpla
Highlights from the past year
