Bojan Jevtić, founder and director of Avalon Real Estate, stated:
"I would say that clients are becoming more sophisticated every year, so we have never tried to sell them something that doesn’t align with their expectations. They are increasingly familiar with practically every market parameter, which is a good thing. You can no longer easily sell a building that is not aligned with ESG standards."
Miloš Grdinić, Director of Development and Asset Management at Delta Real Estate, noted that tenants now seek spaces that reflect their company culture and meet the needs of each employee.
"We are trying to put ourselves in the position of such tenants to provide that kind of space. However, the product is evolving. We've identified a market niche with potential to deliver a kind of ecosystem. In these ecosystems, we don't want to implement just pure office space or purely office buildings. We want to provide buildings for development as well. We'd like to embrace the best practices from Western countries and bring Western charm into Serbia with a final touch of Serbian character.
In Belgrade, we have the Delta District project. All four buildings will offer something completely new to users. Let’s be honest — we all spend more time in offices than in our own homes. With this project, we want to create something new and leave a mark on the market that will also act as a trigger for other competitors to follow.
Tenants value support across all kinds of services — not just square meters — but knowing they can rely on us as a partner," Grdinić emphasized.
Leon Aćim Pantelić, owner and director of We Share Space, added that their clients are looking for solutions that also include cooperation with agents, architects, general contractors, and more.
"A lot of attention is paid to details — air quality, lighting, plants in the office, and so on. There is a very specific client market," he pointed out.
Momčilo Pavlović, Workplace Support Leader at INGKA Group, emphasized that everything starts with a vision of creating a better everyday life for many people.
"The office and workplace are tied to the fundamental question: what is the purpose? It's not just about cost or operational issues. It’s essential to understand what we want to achieve when people come together.
Health and well-being are extremely important because I believe we are still in a big experiment. It’s an endless process — to understand, create, evaluate, and continue. And everything revolves around people.
As tenants, of course, we have our requirements. But what we have is a partnership. From our perspective, that is the best way forward. Bringing people together is not just about having desks and chairs — it’s about understanding the purpose behind the gathering," Pavlović said.
Grdinić also stated that our region should not be referred to as a "developing market" but as a "promising market." He recalled that a few years ago at a conference in Vienna, Novi Sad was ranked among the most promising cities for office space. Delta recognized this opportunity and launched a project in that city.
"I’m certain that competition will follow soon," he said. Bojan Jevtić agreed, adding that in recent years, especially in Belgrade, there has been a trend of renovating older commercial buildings and converting them into office spaces that meet modern standards and tenants' expectations.
One of the ideas raised during the panel was the importance of hybrid business models in the future — combining residential or coworking elements in different types of buildings. The speakers also highlighted the importance of sustainability principles in the office space market. The panelists expressed their desire that, in the near future, the region's office space sector would reach the level of EU-based companies.
