Under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, the second edition of the Social Housing Innovation Conference and Exhibition 2026 will launch tomorrow, Tuesday, at Exhibition World Bahrain. The event is organised by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning and Eskan Bank, in cooperation with the General Secretariat of the Gulf Cooperation Council, as part of the fourth Gulf Housing Week. The conference and exhibition will continue until 3 October.
The conference is expected to feature the signing of cooperation agreements in the housing sector, announcements of new housing projects, and the introduction of additional options for citizens, while the accompanying exhibition will offer exclusive promotions from participating banks and real estate development companies.
The exhibition will enable visitors to explore housing projects, their locations and details, as well as learn directly about available financing solutions and the requirements for benefiting from them.
The conference will bring together officials, experts and specialists from Bahrain and other GCC countries, alongside representatives of government entities, financial institutions and real estate development companies, to discuss the future of social housing, financing solutions and the expansion of private-sector participation in housing development. Its sessions will also address digital transformation, construction technologies and the development of integrated urban communities.
The five-day exhibition will bring together housing service providers, banks, real estate developers, and providers of home-related products and services under one roof. This will give citizens the opportunity to compare projects and financing options and enquire about procedures and offers before making decisions regarding suitable housing.
GCC experiences will also be highlighted this year through dedicated pavilions showcasing housing projects and initiatives from member states. The conference will coincide with Bahrain’s hosting of the 24th meeting of GCC ministers responsible for housing affairs, further supporting the exchange of expertise and joint Gulf cooperation in the housing sector.
The conference will also coincide with the third edition of the Gulf Housing Hackathon, which brings together university students from GCC countries to develop innovative concepts for a real residential site in Bahrain. The teams will present their proposals before a specialised judging panel, with the winning teams to be honoured during the conference in accordance with the hackathon programme.
Seven platinum sponsors from the banking and real estate sectors are participating in the conference and exhibition: Al Salam Bank, Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait, Bahrain Islamic Bank, Diyar Al Muharraq, Khaleeji Bank, Kuwait Finance House – Bahrain, and National Bank of Bahrain.
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