By Rachel Yuen, Community Manager of Proptech Collective
At the beginning of this month, I flew to London for Proptech Connect with two goals in mind: to collect market intel for our community and to support Canadian companies on the ground. Here are my key takeaways from the trip:
First Impressions
Proptech Connect attracts 6,000 attendees, with 40% real estate organizations, 40% technology and service providers, and 20% VCs/Other. The conference lived up to its reputation as the biggest real estate tech event in Europe. While tech companies had a notable presence here, some of my other observations were:
The attendees were mainly European, coming from all across the continent, not just the UK
Every Canadian company I connected with indicated they were happy with the leads they had generated
This year was the conference’s largest edition yet: a bigger venue, more booths, and the most attendees
The content spanned across all areas of real estate: commercial, residential, and construction, so attendees were well-balanced
REACH UK mentioned Proptech Connect is always a “safe bet” for their cohorts because of the variety of people that go
Exhibition hall on the 1st floor
Main stage for keynotes
Is Proptech Connect worth going to? Who should go?
Key takeaway: If you’re looking at expanding into Europe, then yes — this is the right conference.
Europe has a dynamic ecosystem with both local and international players, offering ample opportunities for companies looking to expand. It’s important to understand the specific markets you’re entering and to clearly differentiate your offering. While CleanTech and sustainability are more mature in Europe, this maturity brings both opportunities and increased competition.
Walking the Expo Floor
The expo featured two main areas: one with smaller, lower-traffic booths, and another with large, high-profile booths from global leaders like Google Cloud, Mitsubishi, and Matterport. Compared to North American proptech conferences, the booths were more polished and on a larger scale, reflecting clear investment in their presence. Overall, the booths offered engaging activities, attracting potential customers and generating inquiries.
An example of a larger-production booth - showcasing their hardware product
The AI lounge hosted by Google Cloud
What I noticed on the product side:
A big focus on commercial proptech tools: energy management, asset management, and sales
A strong hardware presence: IoT devices, drones, smart locks, intercom systems, with physical displays. This stood out compared to Blueprint, where software tends to dominate.
Despite all that, the expo itself wasn’t the busiest area. Most people gathered in the networking zones, coffee bars, and cocktail areas - which stayed full even as the conference thinned out on the second day.
Key themes I’ve heard
From my conversations with attendees and the sessions I joined, a few themes came up repeatedly:
Understand your potential customers: Know where your potential customers are on their digitalization journey. Early-stage players often need a vision of what their tech stack could look like in five years to secure internal approvals. Asset type also shapes the technology conversation — in the UK, one day you might be dealing with a 100-year-old heritage property, and the next, a brand-new skyscraper.
Climate resilience and accountability in ESG: The industry is shifting from mitigation to adaptation 1 — preparing for inevitable change as companies invest in sustainable solutions with measurable operational and environmental impact. This shift reframes ESG from a reputational or compliance exercise (“do I have a certificate I can show my board?”) to scientific accountability (“is this asset truly on track to meet net-zero targets?”) 2.
Data credibility matters: Several speakers and panelists highlighted that “trust in the data” remains a key barrier to adoption. While ROI is important, it’s meaningless if stakeholders don’t believe the numbers.
Consolidation is coming: “We can’t have 30 companies solving the same problem.” 3 Panelists also predicted that Big Tech (Microsoft, Google) may continue to expand into CRE, eventually launching vertical real estate solutions that could reshape the industry.
(1) Navigating the Paradox: European Real Estate's Strength in Economic Weakness by Zsolt Kohalmi, Global Head of Real Estate and Co-CEO of PAA
(2) PropTech’s Power Moment: Unleashing New Standards by Andrea Palmer, CEO, CRREM(3) Panel: Optimizing Commercial Real Estate with Tech & Automation with Narcis Radoi, David Oates, Sébastien Roux, Shreya Sheth, Christopher Tjiattas, and Tim Govaert
Tips for Your Proptech Connect Trip Next Year
A thriving coffee/beer bar
The networking area on the top floor - Your meeting will be automatically assigned to a table
Book meetings ahead. The conference app was excellent — it suggested timeslots that worked for both sides and automatically assigned a table in the networking area.
Keep it snappy. Most meetings lasted 15 minutes, and no one I met planned for longer. Don’t schedule with big buffers, unless you’ve made it clear beforehand that it could go longer.
Day one is prime. It’s busier, more energetic, and more reliable for meetings. If you’re scheduling meetings at the conference, prioritize the first day.
Catch speakers on the spot. The best time to get facetime is right after they step off stage.
Look for media opportunities. I was pulled into an on-the-spot interview with a digital magazine. If visibility matters, be prepared — and consider doing some outreach in advance.
Network at the coffee bars. Throughout the day, it seemed like buyers and investors tended to gather there rather than at the expo.
Consider lightweight marketing tactics. Some companies left leaflets and business cards on networking desks — while I’m not sure of the ROI, it was a visible approach.
Resources for your next trip:
Canadian Trade Commissioners — Jason Kee in London and Alex Watson in Germany are excellent first points of contact. They can provide local intel, introductions, and guidance on navigating regulations.
This year, through the Canadian Technology Accelerators (CTA) program for PropTech, eight Canadian firms exhibited on the Proptech Collective expo floor, presented on the Innovation Stage, and joined a follow-up mission to Germany.
They also organized a seminar at Canada House, “Driving Innovation in Commercial Real Estate: Lessons from Canada and the UK,” which drew 80+ guests for panels, pitches, and a closed-door roundtable with UK leaders.
The Canadian Pavilion on the show floor - Maple syrup candies for grab!
The CTA cohort (and me) at the Canada House with the High Commissioner
CanExport Grant: Canadian companies could access CanExport SME funding to offset the costs of exploring foreign markets. Proptech Collective also secured CanExport Association funding, allowing us to support member companies attending events like Proptech Connect.
London’s Local Chambers of Commerce: Offers direct support for small businesses looking to scale.
Tech London Advocates: A proptech-focused working group with over 200 members. They meet 2-3 times per year, and membership is free. The group is well-connected; the lead, Mark, is someone worth knowing.
The UK Proptech Association: The “Proptech Collective” in the UK - get access to the local community through their events and programs.
Beaumont Bailey: A proptech and contech executive search and consultancy firm in London - reach out to Emma for a free consultation if you are looking to hire.
London & Partners: A growth agency for London, they can help you set up your business in London with free business advice.
Trustek: An independent proptech advisor based in London. They provide digitalization and technology advisory services for a wide range of buildings across the city, giving them a deep understanding of market needs.
Thank you for reading! I was extremely honoured to have had the opportunity to visit London and represent Canada’s proptech community on a global stage.
And lastly, the absolute highlight of my trip — the basil and mascarpone gelato at Gelupo. I loved it so much I went back for seconds… and honestly, if my flight hadn’t been boarding, I probably would’ve gone back for thirds.
Aw man … I miss this!