POLITICIANS, business figures and hacks from Liverpool and Manchester will drag themselves away from the grime and cobblestones of the north next month as they head for Cannes for MIPIM, once described as the world’s biggest junket.
Despite both cities and many others being skint, officials say they have to head to the Cote D’azur to press flesh with investors, because virtually every other big city has a presence there.
The event runs between March 10 and 13. On the opening day, the topic for discussion on the shores of the Med will be “Unlocking the Investment Potential of Manchester and Liverpool” and will feature an informal debate with Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson and Sir Howard Bernstein, chief executive of Manchester City Council.
The duo will share another platform on the Wednesday evening for “Devolution: Investing in Leading Cities”, an event aimed at building on efforts to improve collaboration between the capital and other UK cities. The discussion, being led by London and Manchester, will focus on the potential opportunities offered by devolved powers.
And finally, on the last day; “Maximising Growth: Investing in the Northern Powerhouse”. Liverpool Chief Executive Ged Fitzgerald will join Sir Howard and the top CEOs from Leeds, Sheffield and Newcastle.
Meaningful debate
A pre-conference communique today adds: “Liverpool will also take the opportunity to link up with international contacts at MIPIM with a stand event where GVA (the commercial property agency), will look at developments on the Waterfront in Hamburg and Liverpool. There will also be an announcement about partners for the 2015 Liverpool International Waterfront Forum on the Liverpool stand on Wednesday 11th March, followed by an informal meeting between the Mayor of Liverpool and the Mayor of Oslo.”
Throughout the conference, Liverpool’s private sector partners will also take to the stand in a daily series of events. These include speeches and announcements from Deloitte, Morgan Sindall and City Residential.
Liverpool Vision’s Max Steinberg said: “The events calendar for Liverpool has really taken shape over the last couple of months and we look forward to some meaningful debate from key property figures and leaders. Working in partnership with organisations, partners and our neighbouring cities on the events planner has made the programme really varied this year and we hope our guests and visitors to the stand get a lot of value from it.”
During MIPIM, announcements fly like confetti as though hot property deals were done and dusted over frites and frogs legs as go-getters burn the middle oil.
In reality most of the news announced at Cannes will have been agreed back home in council departments across the country.
The problem is MIPIM, as the UK crawls out of recession, is, they say, on the must list. It’s hard work, if you can get it.
Alan Bevan, managing director at City Residential, said: “Our event is entitled ‘Liverpool – The best value residential market in the UK?’ The aim is to highlight some of the major differentials in the pricing amongst other main northern city centres and, when coupled with some of the unique features we have as a city, highlight where we believe there is too large a gap between us and other cities like Manchester.”
Colin Sinclair, director of property marketing at Bruntwood and a member of the steering group for Liverpool at MIPIM, said of the company’s stand event: “Workspace is changing. People want more than just an office. This year at MIPIM we're going to be talking about how Liverpool is leading the way in providing businesses with what they need to grow and succeed."
Colliers International will also host an event on the Liverpool stand entitled: ‘Regional Revolution: Neo Victorian Britain and the emergence of the Northern Powerhouse’.
Liverpool at MIPIM is led and project managed by Marketing Liverpool, supported by its private sector steering group and partners.
