Inside Spain's Flex Living Boom | SIMA 2026 & Why Spain Is the "Florida of Europe" | S2, Ep 2

Spain attracted €17 billion in real estate investment in 2025. 40% of that went into living assets. Goldman Sachs, Greystar, Blackstone, Colonies, Cohabs. They're all here. And flex living is at the center of it.In this episode, I sit down with Araceli Martín-Navarro, President of Coword (Spain's most important flex living association, 30+ years in real estate), and Santiago Herreros de Tejada, Managing Partner at Planner Exhibitions and the man behind SIMA, Europe's largest dedicated living conference.We cover:00:00 Introduction00:42 Araceli's background and Co-Work's founding story02:42 Santiago's 25 years in Spanish real estate04:37 What is SIMA? 21,000 visitors, 8,500 investors, 35 countries06:34 How professionals can benefit from SIMA09:08 Flex Living gets its own dedicated space at SIMA for the first time12:33 The Spanish flex living market explained14:07 Who are the people driving flex living demand?16:13 Why international investors should care about Spain17:06 "Spain is the Florida of Europe"18:03 Infrastructure, connectivity, lifestyle, and cost advantages19:54 The regulation question. Madrid vs Barcelona.21:33 Working with public administration22:49 Technical challenges. Parking, kitchens, licensing.25:24 Madrid converting offices to coliving27:40 SIMA ticket offer for Everything Coliving readers29:26 Final thoughtsWhat we discussed:- Spain's three-pillar flex living framework: flexibility, private + shared spaces, service + community- The difference between coliving, co-housing, and senior living in the Spanish context- Why €17B flowed into Spanish real estate in 2025 (30% more than 2024)- How 35-40% of that capital targeted living assets specifically- Why Madrid's administration is actively supporting flex living and office conversions- Why Barcelona's anti-displacement regulations are tightening- The concept of "social coliving" being discussed with Spanish administrations- SIMA 2026: May 20-23, Madrid. 21,000 visitors, 350 exhibitors, 200 speakersFree SIMA Tickets for Everything Coliving Readers:First 20: FREE (€400 value)Next 20: 50% offNext 20: 25% offEmail [email protected] with subject "SIMA 2026"Links:SIMA 2026: https://www.simaexpo.comCoword Spain: www.coword.orgAraceli on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aracelimart%C3%ADn-navarro/Santiago on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yago-herreros-de-tejada/Everything Coliving: https://everythingcoliving.comBookMyColiving: https://bookmycoliving.comNewsletter: https://everythingcoliving.substack.comMayank on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/mayankpokharna#coliving #flexliving #spain #sima2026 #realestate #proptech #sharedliving #seniorliving #cohousing #madrid #barcelona #investinspain #digitalnomads #everythingcoliving