The first Property+Padel, which debuted in London’s Canary Wharf last week, will without doubt be cast as an event of huge significance, an event of its time with a clear mission for driving the growth of the sport forwards. Leading figures from both the property and the padel world convened under one roof – London’s No.1 padel venue, Padium, no less – in search of unique ways to accelerate padel’s growth and tackle what’s become known in Britain as ‘the planning issue’. So, did it succeed? Cage91 reports.
Property+Padel originated from a chance meeting between (yes, you guessed it), property and padel career professionals, Rohit Grewal and Ben Nichols, who earlier this summer and following a swift 15 minute conversation, agreed that the time had come to bring the real estate and padel sectors together, under one roof, to discuss how to accelerate the growth of a sport which promised so much.
Bringing together their vast expertise from the property and padel industries respectively, last week’s half day event at Padium, proves they might just have succeeded in delivering an event both industries so need.
Lessons from Canary Wharf and Sweden
The day kicked off with a dynamic masterclass from Houman Ashrafzadeh, CEO of Padium, and Shobi Khan, CEO of Canary Wharf Group. Ashrafzadeh shared how his experience witnessing the rise and fall of padel in Sweden became both a learning opportunity and an inspiration to introduce the sport to the UK. Meanwhile, Khan spoke about how Canary Wharf has continually adapted to market trends, including the addition of residential developments and leisure facilities, ensuring the area remains a vibrant place to live, work, and visit. When Houman approached Shobi with the idea of incorporating a premium padel club, they saw the potential it could bring to the community. With the addition of the Elizabeth Line, Canary Wharf has further solidified itself as a city within a city, and the success of Padium highlights the perfect synergy between real estate and leisure. People now travel to Canary Wharf to play padel, and often stay to enjoy the surrounding restaurants and amenities, contributing to the area’s continued growth and appeal.
Cross-Continental Growth Trends and Strategic Collaboration
In response to the growing interest in emerging padel markets like the US and UK, and the challenges they face, Nichols and Grewal secured a standout panellist to take the stage next—widely regarded as the leading figure in this field. Alan Flatt, founding CEO of EEP Capital and CEO of Investtrek Capital, is recognized as the top authority in the US padel investment sector. In a conversation led by Nichols, they explored cross-continental opportunities and growth trends in emerging padel nations, with a particular focus on the US. Flatt offered a wealth of insights, highlighting how early the US is in its padel journey. He did an exceptional job of energising the crowd about the exciting opportunities that lie ahead for the sport
Plan, Build & Profit
During a short lunch break, attendees had the opportunity to enjoy delicious food, refreshing drinks, and the chance to connect with fellow leaders from both industries. Pierfrancesco Iazeolla and Gareth Evans then kicked things back off by presenting Plan, Build & Profit, discussing their joint venture aimed at growing padel, showcasing strategic collaborations in the sport’s expansion.
What feels like the impossible task of finding a suitable padel site was the next issue that was tackled during the day. The Searchland Team delivered an impressive session on Proptech, demonstrating how their technology and data can be used to identify off-market development sites for padel facilities. They highlighted the crucial role of innovation in driving the sector’s growth, showing how their technology can dramatically simplify the once daunting task of finding suitable locations. This breakthrough is set to be a game changer for padel developers across the UK, enabling them to secure sites in a fraction of the usual time and without the headache of trawling through hundreds of non-starters.
The event came to a close all too soon with the final remarks from Ben Nichols and Rohit Grewal, summarising the day’s discussions and hinting at the future for property+padel, an event we will surely see much more of. Participants had the incredible opportunity to jump on court, led by no other than former UK No.1, Jorge Martinez, offering the chance to pick up some much needed tips from the very best. The event rolled on well past the last remarks from the hosts as industry leaders in both sectors got the chance to mingle and chat about what the future holds. The day clearly highlighted the excitement and synergy between real estate and padel worlds, demonstrating the sport’s potential to offer an incredibly exciting new string to the property development bow.
