Looking back at the Benkey Investor Insights Day at WTC Almere

The afternoon was opened by Mark de Graaf, Investor Relations Manager at Benkey. He welcomed all attendees, introduced the Benkey team, and provided an overview of Benkey as a real estate investment fund.

During his opening, he highlighted Benkey’s mission: making professional real estate investing accessible to private investors, with a strong focus on transparency, long-term value creation, and an engaged investor community.

Following this introduction, Niels Rientjes, CEO of Benkey, took the floor. He elaborated on the fund’s real estate strategy, the vision behind the portfolio, and how Benkey creates value within commercial real estate.

During the presentation, attention was given not only to the opportunities within the real estate strategy, but also to the potential risks associated with managing and developing commercial property.

One of the topics discussed was the challenge of leasing available office space in WTC Almere. Niels Rientjes explained how Benkey approaches this and which strategy is being applied to further strengthen the building’s occupancy rate.

Within the business plan for WTC Almere, Benkey has chosen a different approach from traditional property management. Where many real estate parties take a more reactive role, Benkey operates from a proactive asset management strategy with a hospitality mindset. The focus is not only on leasing square metres, but primarily on creating an attractive working environment and community for tenants.

This approach is already starting to show tangible results. Over the past nine months, four new lease agreements have been signed, and the first new tenants have moved into the building.

In addition, reference was made to one of the newest tenants: Colgate-Palmolive, which is currently renovating its office space and will establish its headquarters in WTC Almere later this year.

During the Investor Insights Day, we welcomed a group of approximately 25 investors and partners. What characterises this group is that they are largely entrepreneurs and investors with a strong interest in wealth building and real estate.

Many attendees have an entrepreneurial background or are actively involved in real estate investing themselves. This created an immediate sense of recognition and led to valuable conversations among like-minded individuals.

A portion of the attendees were already familiar with Benkey and are currently invested in the fund. For them, it was a valuable opportunity to experience WTC Almere up close—one of the largest assets in the portfolio and a building they co-own through the fund.

In addition, there were new contacts present who had discovered Benkey through media or their network and registered to learn more about the real estate fund strategy and realised returns.

Alongside private investors, financial advisors were also in attendance. They support clients in wealth growth, diversification, and building passive income, and used the afternoon to further deepen their understanding of the fund and the underlying property.

Tijdens de Investor Insights Day werd duidelijk waarom vastgoedbeleggen bij Benkey zo tastbaar en concreet is. Beleggers konden letterlijk ervaren waar hun kapitaal in wordt geïnvesteerd, iets wat bij aandelen of fondsen vaak abstract blijft.

De rondleiding door het WTC Almere bood verschillende inzichten:

• Leegstaande verdieping: zo konden investeerders zien hoe de ruimte eruitziet vóór verhuur.
• Verbouwing voor nieuwe huurder: uitleg over huurprijsstelling, incentivepakketten en begeleiding bij inrichting.
• Showroommodel op de 21e verdieping: een ingerichte kantoorverdieping laat zien hoe een moderne werkruimte eruit kan zien, wat helpt potentiële huurders sneller een beeld te vormen van de mogelijkheden.

Bij Benkey geloven we dat dit fysieke inzicht het vertrouwen vergroot. Zoals het gezegde luidt: zien doet geloven. Een ingerichte voorbeeldverdieping vertelt vaak meer dan een lege ruimte of een presentatie.

For Mark de Graaf, events like these are an important moment to connect investors with one another.

“Bringing together our investor community gives me a lot of energy and reinforces the strength of our growth and connection. It motivates me every day to speak with passion to our investors about both the opportunities and risks of investing with Benkey.”

According to Mark, it is precisely the personal meetings and conversations that form an important part of the relationship with investors.

In addition to personal meetings at events, Benkey places great value on transparency and accessibility of information. That is why investors have access to the Benkey Investor Portal.

Through this portal, investors gain direct insight into up-to-date information about their investment. They can, for example, track the fund’s performance, view the value of their personal portfolio, and access detailed reports.

The portal also provides visibility into the real estate portfolio itself. Investors can find information about the properties in which the fund invests and even see the portfolio broken down to the individual lease level.

The portal is therefore an important tool to keep investors continuously informed and engaged with their investment.

The afternoon concluded with an informal drinks reception on the 21st floor of WTC Almere. With a panoramic view over Almere, meaningful conversations took place between investors, advisors, and the Benkey team.

It is precisely this combination of insight, transparency, and personal interaction that makes events like these so valuable.

Want to learn more about Benkey, our real estate strategy, and how we invest? Visit our website for more information.