Airport City Developers Forum

Our annual "flagship" event, held in Airport Cities every year in September.

The Airport City Developers Network (ACD’N) is an exclusive community of experts in real estate, urban planning, business development, and property management, dedicated to advancing Airport City development. By fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange, ACD’N sets new industry standards and addresses both current and future challenges in the field.

An Airport City encompasses all urban and commercial activities at and around an airport, including offices, hotels, logistics, retail, and conference infrastructure. 

 

Be part of this journey!

Airports all around the world understand the possibilities of airport cities! But how to develop them?

If you are or will be developing an airport city in your country, be part of the global Airport City Developer's network!

  • Discuss challenges and possibilities
  • Share your experiences
  • Get access to the knowledge of your colleagues from other airports
  • Shape models to face the future in the network

 

The Airport City Developers Forum 2026

ACDF in Brussels 23rd - 25th of September 2026

The Airport Cities Developers Forum (ACDF) is the annual main event of the Airport City Developers Network (ACDN), bringing together experts and professionals in real estate, urban planning, business development and property management who are shaping Airport City development.

Through presentations, workshops, site visits and documented discussion, the forum exists to foster structured knowledge exchange, connect disciplines and advance practical strategies for airport cities as regional infrastructure, economic and urban hubs.

Brussels, as the capital of Europe, provides a fitting setting for ACDF 2026 and this wider European perspective will frame the programme throughout the forum.

After having seen Vienna and Munich in the past, this year the ACDF is hosted by Brussels Airport!

Wednesday,
23.09
Starting 16:00

Arrival at Brussels Airport, followed by a tour of the airport and surrounding development areas, and an evening get-together near the airport.  

Thursday,
24.09
9:00-19:00
+ Dinner

Starting with welcome words and an opening keynote. 

Then the two first sessions begin: 

Topic Block 1: Access, Connectivity & Multimodal Hubs

This session looks at how airports function as intermodal nodes and how rail, road, bus, tram, walking, cycling and emerging mobility systems strengthen airport locations on the landside. The focus is on connectivity as a core factor in regional integration, accessibility and the attractiveness of Airport City investments. 

Breakout discussions and group presentations will deepen the exchange around the key topics and document practical perspectives from participants.      

Topic Block 2: Business Models & Value Creation in Airport Cities

This session focuses on the commercial potentials of airport city development and addresses the commercial function mix for the Landside area : hotels, logistics, offices, conferencing and other landside uses. The economic vitality airports generate for their regions; and the influence of energy, security and mobility on future development opportunities and real estate investment models. 

The day continues with an ACDN update, and evening dinner and networking hosted by Brussels Airport. 

Friday,
25.09
9:00-14:00

Short wrap up from yesterdays sessions, then the third session:

Topic Block 3: Urban Integration & Innovation in Airport Cities

The final session addresses how airport city development extends beyond the terminal environment into the wider metropolitan context. Topics include long-term masterplanning, the transition from airside to landside, and to broader regional development, and the spatial, economic and urban effects of Airport City development. Which role does Airport City Developments have from this perspective?

The forum concludes with wrap-up, outlook, lunch and networking. 

Downlad the event overview    Download the Programme overview

Register here! 

Registering Form for ACDF 2026

The costs for the event is EUR 1,150.-- for one person.

In case of a group, you pay EUR 850.-- for every further person.

VAT may occur.


We’ll send you the detailed programme and an exact overview of what’s included in the participation fee.

If you need to cancel, please let us know by the end of August. This helps us avoid incurring non-refundable vendor costs.

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Airport City Developers Forum

Munich 2025

We had three fantastic days during the ACDF in Munich at the ACDF 25!

This third ACDF was a co-creation with Vienna Airport in charge of content and process, and Munich Airport / LabCampus in charge of the venue, the catering, great inputs, a bus tour and the well being!

Peter de Leeuw was again the main driver, Johanna Sonnenburg took care of the quality, and René Droese and his team at LabCampus organised everything great on site and used the opportunity to discuss the Munich Airport City projects in depth!

Also to mention Henrik Rothe, who helped out as a moderator.

Read more …

Airport City Developers Forum

Vienna 2024

The second Airport City Forum was held at Vienna Airport like the year before. It was a nice come together of "old friends" after having met in this format the year before. But also new faces appeared and it was great to see how easily the people got in contact with each other.

Based on the discussions from last year, where we talked abou WHAT IS AN AIRPORT CITY (topic not yet fully discussed) and which topics are the most important for assessing the success of an Airport City Development, we were prepared to dive a little deeper into these topics.

Read more …

Airport City Developers Forum

Vienna 2023

The very first Airport City Developers Forum was held in September 2023. The event was not expected to result in any significant outcomes, other than the opportunity to come together and discuss current practices at various airports.

Following the disruption to personal contact and exchange caused by the pandemic, and the subsequent cancellation of numerous conferences, there was a strong demand for communication and knowledge.

Vienna Airport assumed the initiative by extending an invitation to airport authorities responsible for the development of airport cities.

Read more …

 

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