Whether you could think of nothing better than socialising on the Croisette or you’d rather be doing something, anything else, MIPIM has been the place to be for the property world since it was established in 1990.
Like many global events, the March 2020 edition in Cannes became a victim of COVID-19. And although last September saw a special MIPIM conference in its familiar south of France setting, this year the event is fully back in its rightful springtime position. Has this given the organisers and also those in attendance pause for thought about how the world of real estate should move forward in order to be relevant?
The last two years has seen many shifts in attitudes and standpoints, not just COVID-19 related, from Brexit to Black Lives Matter to COP 26 and climate change. It will be interesting to see how the property world reacts to this new normal. Results from a global real estate survey on Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DEI) for instance showed that 92% of firms are adopting programmes or initiatives in this area, with just under half of firms having dedicated professionals overseeing these.
Pan European investment manager PAREF is unlikely to be alone in calling for a ‘collective industry effort’ in responding to Environmental, Social and corporate Governance (ESG) challenges. Increasingly investors and developers are basing decisions to identify risks and growth opportunities on these non-financial factors. In keeping with this year’s theme of Urban Change, could greener cities and all their related infrastructure be one of the key investment trends? Could a flight to quality approach define future real estate investments with the best performing assets being low carbon ones? And given the ongoing debate around the return to the office, should owners and occupiers be thinking differently about office use, focussing on sustainability and wellness rather than occupancy and square footage? Speaking of wellness, the healthcare and life sciences sector will doubtless come under the microscope at this year’s MIPIM, given the potential for growth these areas offer.
There are, of course, some other significant changes for the 2022 event. Given the recent unfolding events in Ukraine, it has been reported that French government sanctions for the Russian Federation have meant delegations and exhibitors have been blocked. And there is also an expectation that some countries’ local authorities might be sending smaller cohorts than usual. Although the outside world may historically not entirely understand why it’s necessary to come to Cannes, these people are often some of the hardest working delegates and investment in infrastructure and development in these places may suffer as a result of their non-attendance.
The London stand, the go-to venue for many Brits in attendance, is under different management this time around too. And for 2022, it has the theme of ‘Leading with Innovation and Action’ with a keynote from Minister of State for Investment, Department of International Trade, Lord Gerry Grimstone plus the usual programme of speeches, debates and of course, networking.
As far as Concert’s attendance goes, Head of Business Development Hayley Cameron and Managing Director Rennie Dalrymple will be pleased to meet you there. Plus, Concert will be reporting back on what the talking points were from this year’s MIPIM so watch this space!