With the construction freeze all but over, more companies and local authorities than ever are attending MIPIM, the world’s largest real estate exhibition and conference.
The four-day event — which this year celebrates its 25th anniversary — opened today in Cannes on the French Riviera. It hosts more than 20,000 participants from 80 countries, ranging from global investors to chief executives and journalists. Virtually all major European cities attend the event to showcase their latest developments to potential investors.
MIPIM includes an exhibition area, networking events and expert-led conference sessions and workshops. It attracts people from across all the real estate sectors and aims to promote business between investors, corporate end-users, local authorities, hospitality professionals, industrial and logistics players and other property professionals.
But while the likes of London mayor Boris Johnson deliver key note speeches, scores of delegates from across the UK will attempt to attract global investors and developers to their particular patch of Britain — some will even attempt to sell them a couple of acres.
Tim Garratt, a director of the commercial property agency Innes England, will be in Cannes representing the Central College, Nottingham. It is hoping to sell off a landmark site next to the city’s castle to help finance a new £70m campus. He refused to comment on the site’s £10m price tag but confirmed he “already has meetings scheduled with a number of different people at MIPIM”.
Alongside Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds and Cardiff one of the biggest delegations this year is from the Midlands. Birmingham has teamed up with Solihull and businesses across the Black Country to field more than 27 partners promoting flagship schemes and infrastructure projects.
Steve Hollis is deputy chair of the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership. He described the group’s MIPIM venture as “politically very brave” and added: “What these local politicians are doing is actually demonstrating that the economic agenda doesn’t end at the old-fashioned boundaries drawn up years ago. By sharing a wider economic vision, they are helping to drive jobs and growth.”
Manchester’s presence at the property convention will be launched this afternoon by economist Jim O’Neill who will speak about the importance of co-operation between trading cities. As chair of the City Growth Commission, his brief includes finding ways to boost investment in locations beyond London.
One person who will not be joining the 235 companies and thousands of delegates cramming into the venue is seasoned MIPIM attendee Nick Johnson. “London-centric euphoria may be a cause for celebration for those looking at the recovery of the UK economy through capital-tinted glasses — and no doubt MIPIM will fan those over-excited flames to the sound of self-congratulatory backslapping,” said the former Urban Splash director who now heads Altrincham Market. “But the lack of intelligent debate about the restoration of regions, their realignment, their redefinition and their role in revitalising our identity, our culture and our wealth, is one pithy issue that we continue to ignore at our peril.”
