Galaxy Investment Group for another year in a row participated in the most influential public platform for discussion in the Bulgarian real estate sector "BalREc". The professional forum gathers high-level representatives from the most attractive companies in the field of investment projects in Bulgaria: investors and investment funds, banks, consultants, legal companies, asset managers and other participants in the investment process. Among the discussed topics were market tendencies and forecasts in various segments – office, commercial, industrial, residential and holiday projects, the economic climate as a factor for projects development, the challenges that investors face, best practices in asset management and current patterns of the market. During the panel "Logistics and Industrial Space Market", it became clear that the development rate in this segment is growing. A common opinion from the participants in the conference is that Bulgaria is a market with potential and even with rising labor costs the country is still a competitive destination. Rental and purchase prices of industrial properties are expected to remain stable, but the offering of quality plots is insufficient. "In the region of Plovdiv land with ready infrastructure for industrial and logistics activities remains a challenge. The success of Industrial Park Markovo convinces us that the customers appreciate quality products and prefer industrial plots where the land is ready for construction.", commented Martin Dragoev, Director Investment and Sales at Galaxy Investment Group.   During the conference in panel "Urban and Holiday Hotels - Trends 2018" Zhivko Ivanov, Asset Management Director at Galaxy Investment Group commented: „We combine our fifteen years of experience in the hotel business with the international expertise, standards, sales systems and corporate identity of the leading hotel brands, which contributes to maximizing the financial performance of our hotel assets. In the beginning, achieving this synergy was a challenge, but at the moment we have well-working collaboration with global hotel chains and they see a reliable partner in the face of Galaxy Investment Group. Currently, we see growing interest from world-wide hotel chains, regarding entering the country, but few partners with whom they can work with. In our view, every new brand will contribute to the destination being attractive and recognizable at international level, but only through high quality and familiar product we can achieve steady growth in the number of tourists and hotel accommodation price levels. Luxury brands, like InterContinental and leading brands, like the hundred-year-old Hilton, are a guarantee for high quality and reliability for every one of the hundreds of millions loyal guests and corporate customers. Once the brands are positioned in Sofia, they have a solid foundation for further expand in the secondary cities. For these brands, this is an obligatory part of the development strategy.”

Galaxy Investment Group was awarded the prize „The most successful investment in the hotel business” for hotel InterContinental Sofia at the First Annual Competition of the National Board of Tourism. The CEO of Galaxy Investment Group Konstantin Boyadzhiev received the award from the Executive Director of the Bulgarian Investment Agency. “The entry of 5-star hotel brands in Bulgaria such as InterContinental will contribute to the positive image of the country as a luxury tourist destination and position it as a suitable place for doing business”, commented Konstantin Boyadzhiev. The awards were distributed in 15 categories during the conference "Digital Transformation in Tourism". The forum was organized by the National Board of Tourism with the assistance of the Ministry of Tourism and the State e-Government Agency. The award is a replica of the coin of the Odrysian king Amadocus I (389-356 BC). The original coin was discovered near Kazanlak, originating from the valley of the Thracian kings and has a rose, depicted at one of the sides. The coin was provided from the personal collection of Stavri Topalov. The Management of the National Board of Tourism organizes the Annual Awards for the first time. 

InterContinental Hotels & Resorts celebrated the opening of its first luxury hotel in Bulgaria with an official grand opening ceremony. More than 500 international investors, representatives of the authorities, ambassadors, diplomats, and managers of leading Bulgarian and foreign companies attended the event. In the symbolic ribbon cutting ceremony, Angelo Zuccala, General Manager of InterContinental Sofia; Fergus Stewart, Vice President, Luxury Operations, Europe; Konstantin Boyadzhiev, CEO of Galaxy Investment Group and Nikolina Angelkova, Minister of Tourism, cut the ribbon. Arthur Févre and Theo Randall, two of the best chefs in Europe's finest cuisine and part of the InterContinental Hotels Group, were the big surprise of the event. They prepared special recipes in front of the guests that will be included in Floret Restaurant and bar’s menu. At the opening cocktail party, all of the guests had the opportunity to taste a special selection of exquisite "Face-to-Face" wines (F2F), part of the New Bloom Winery’s portfolio. For the good mood of the guests, the Bulgarian musical group “The Strings” and the singers Lubo Kirov, Vasil Petrov and Orlin Pavlov had special live performances. InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, the world's largest luxury brand with 70 years of history, is part of the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG®). IHG® is a leading hotel company that operates in nearly 100 countries and holds leading positions in some of the most attractive segments in the industry to date. Each of the brand’s hotels, including the newly opened one in Bulgaria, offers the ultimate luxury services to its clients. "We have developed InterContinental Club Lounge, providing innovative for the local market personalized services and exclusive preferences that make the stay of our guests even more special," said Angelo Zuccala, General Manager of InterContinental Sofia at the grand opening of the hotel in Sofia. "We also offer professional concierge services with individual approach to each guest and his needs - from booking a restaurant to flower delivery" the hotel management added. Fergus Stewart specially thanked Konstantin Boyadzhiev, CEO of Galaxy Investment Group for the official grand opening of the luxury hotel wishing InterContinental Sofia soon to win the title "Best hotel in Bulgaria." "The entry of some of the largest hotel brands in Bulgaria such as InterContinental will provide luxury five-star services to the tourists in Sofia. This will contribute to the positive image of the country and position it as a modern tourist destination and a suitable place for doing business.” said Konstantin Boyadzhiev. The remarkable InterContinental Sofia is located at the heart of the Bulgarian capital, adjacent to the country’s primary government buildings and cultural highlights with convenient access to the business district, with a breathtaking view of the National Assembly Square and the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. The hotel has 194 rooms and suites, 5 meeting rooms, a la carte restaurant and Club InterContinental Lounge.

Galaxy Investment Group participated in the First International Conference for Industrial Property, which was organized by BGSKLAD and was held on 16.10.2018. Representatives of the local government, leading Bulgarian and foreign investors, brokers, consultants and others took part in the event. At the conference were discussed different topics among which were the development of the industrial property market in the country as well as the specifics of the transactions and the demand for real estate during the last year. In the fourth panel "Development of large industrial, logistics parks and bases in Bulgaria" Stefan Karpuzov, Investment manager at Galaxy Investment Group, presented Industrial Park Markovo and the opportunities that the project offers for the development of logistics and production activities. "The main interest in Industrial Park Markovo comes from companies that would like to rent a built-to-suit plots as customers nowadays have more specific requirements and needs. The infrastructure is fully completed - electricity, sewage system and internal road network, which makes it easy for future investors to start building their projects immediately. The location is strategic for manufacturing, warehouse or commercial activities - near Trakia Highway, three of the Pan-European corridors and Intermodal terminal", Stefan Karpuzov commented during the event. Industrial Park Markovo is located on the ring road of Plovdiv, only 14 km from Trakia Highway. Its total area is 158,000 sq. m and consists of different plots, facing the main road and capable of meeting investors' needs. Galaxy Investment Group offers the opportunity for development of industrial projects according to a specific assignment, as well as professional property management. Additional information about Industrial Park Markovo can be found here.

Galaxy Investment Group presented its portfolio at a Bulgarian collective stand at Expo Real in Munich, Germany for the fifth consecutive year. The fair took place on October 6-8, 2018 and was attended by a record number of participants – 44, 536 and 2,095 exhibitors from 41 countries. Six Bulgarian companies including Sofia Municipal Privatisation & Investment Agency presented their projects at the Bulgarian stand.    Interest in the Bulgarian collective participation was demonstrated also by Klaus Dittrich, Chairman and CEO of Messe München. He personally visited the booth to meet the Bulgarian delegates and to learn about their projects. In the recent years, Bulgaria has become an attractive destination for investment projects and business opportunities. Core themes at the fair were the opportunities and the risks ten years after the financial crisis and global investments in the current phase of the cycle. A decline in investment in North America is expected at the expense of those in Europe. This trend is observed in Bulgaria as well. EXPO REAL is Europe’s largest Real estate and Investment Exhibition. It is held annually in October in Munich and brings together participants from the whole spectrum of the real estate business: investors, project managers, consultants, property managers, architects and representatives of cities and economic regions. The official Bulgarian representation of the Munich Fair is planning to participate at the next edition of EXPO REAL in 2019. The Bulgarian presence at the exhibition is expected to grow further.

Industrial Park Markovo has a total area of 158 000 sq.m. It is located on the ring road of Plovdiv, 14 km from Trakia Highway, next to the Customs Plovdiv and only a few kilometers away from the newly built Intermodal terminal. The zone is among the priority development zones in the region and ever more domestic and foreign companies invest in new production facilities and logistics spaces or expand the existing ones. The increasing interest is obvious from the transactions in Industrial Park Markovo where the finalized infrastructure - internal road network, electricity, sewerage and telecommunications, allows the start and realization of construction process of the projects on time.  Industrial Park Markovo offers different development schemes depending on investors needs – sale of plots and development of industrial projects according to a specific assignment. There is a possibility of separating and merging of plots which makes the project attractive for small and big production and logistics companies.