MIPIM 2024
- Zoe Davidson
- Mar 26, 2024
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 9, 2024
Some takeaways
For those in the property and development sector, March is often thought of as ‘MIPIM month’. My annual trip to the conference in Cannes last week to engage in a week of discussion around development opportunities in the UK was exhausting but for all the right reasons. It was a busy week but that was because everyone I met was keen to make the best use of their time and investment by ensuring a top quality conversation that might not have been prioritised above day-to-day stresses back home.
My reflections on the conference can be summarised in three words: focussed, positive and refreshing.
Focussed
The UK was there, but not with the significant presence of recent years and there was a noticeable absence of some of the key cities and regions. However, this made the presence of the cities that were able to stretch to investing in a delegate pass or a City pavilion even more impactful. The conference felt focussed and the UK was represented by some strong cities giving out great messages to global investors around what the UK has to offer. London, Manchester, Newcastle, Liverpool and Belfast put on some great programmes of activity and there were plenty of investors and developers keen to hear about the range of schemes on offer, many of which have a link to Levelling Up locations or government funded growth projects. I facilitated a panel for Salford City Council that highlighted some of the significant partnerships that have delivered projects in communities across the city as well as the ambitious plans for growth at MediaCity. This greater focus meant that whilst the breadth of the UK was not represented, the increased focus on some exemplar projects told a great story for the UK as a whole.
Positive
The mood was good, both within the UK public sector representatives, but also within the developer and investor community. There was a sense of this industry having remained resilient throughout some challenging years. There was acknowledgement that there are still some uncertain few months to come, with potential for political change across the globe, but this was balanced with the excitement around the opportunity launches, and the impact that these projects could have on local communities and places. The launch of the Innovation Zone in Liverpool was really positive, as were projects such as Forth Yards in Newcastle and Northfold across Wigan and Bolton.
Refreshing
One of the best things about MIPIM is the ability to walk around “the bunker” and take a look at some of the amazing plans and ideas from across the world of regional placemaking, local projects and city regeneration programmes. It is refreshing to see the inspiring ideas coming out of Tallin, Tokyo, Piemonte and Catalunya, and it serves as a great reminder of how important a distinctive identity is for communities, businesses and the people who are ultimately served by these developers and investors.
Reflecting on our Delivery Associates programme this was my biggest take away from the conference – each project is hugely important to the individuals and communities at the heart of them. The best placemaking projects are loved and “owned” by those they serve and it is vital to help make these valuable projects happen.
Zoe Davidson is a Partner within Deloitte's Real Assets Advisory business and is their national spokesperson for Levelling Up. Zoe provides financial and commercial advice to national, regional and local government as well as private sector, working in the transport, economic growth and place-making space. Zoe specialises in commercial structures for major infrastructure and regeneration development projects.
