Apr. 1--Investment and real estate development opportunities in Egypt -- one of the 10 most affordable property markets in the world according to Property Guideline report -- will be highlighted during the second edition of the Next Move real estate investment exhibition running from April 28 to May 1, 2009 at the Cairo International Conference Centre.

ACG-ITF, in cooperation with pioneering global marketing specialist Lead Marketing Solutions, will organize the latest edition of what is considered the largest real estate exhibition and forum in Egypt, which was inaugurated in April 2008. The first Next Move was a huge success, as reflected by the participation of more than 40 exhibitors representing the largest companies involved in regional investments and property developments and the attendance of around 25,000 visitors. Residential and commercial projects worth a total of AED 37 billion were presented over 16,000 sqm of exhibition space.

Next Move 2009 is expected to sustain this success and gather over 50 major Arab and Egyptian real estate companies as well as a number of banks and real estate financing institutions along with 30,000 visitors into a bigger 25,000 sqm exhibition area. This year's event will also include in-depth discussions on the effects of the global financial crisis on the real estate market.

Ahmad Ghozzi, Chairman and CEO, ACG-ITF, said: "Egypt's real estate sector continues to perform well in contrast to those of other regional players which are struggling to cope with current market and economic conditions. Internally, residents believe in the stability of property investments and have a good grasp of changing business cycles. There is still a large gap between supply and demand which developers can capitalize on, especially in family-centered projects as there are about 500,000 marriages annually. In addition, the general view towards the crisis is not as gloomy in this part of the world. Property owners and developers thus have a positive outlook on the industry's performance for this year."

"The extent of the crisis abroad is very different from that of Egypt. Oversees, it's a full blown crisis where the real estate industry faces heavy debt, and financing and loan problems rooted in unbalanced business, where financing was provided at values far exceeding the value of the property itself and without adequate guarantees. In Egypt, financing is not debt-based since property buyers often purchase from their surplus liquid money.