The cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht are considering taking Mipim organiser Reed Midem to court over its rules about where non-standholders can do business at the fair.
The cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht are considering taking Mipim organiser Reed Midem to court over its rules about where non-standholders can do business at the fair.
The four Dutch cities, which all had stands at Mipim in 2009, opted to rent beach pavillions this year in a bid to cut costs. Invitees who had signed up for a symposium organised by the cities in Hotel Majestic on Wednesday were contacted by Reed Midem beforehand to check whether they had paid entry fees for the fair. While no action was ultimately taken against participants who had not, the four cities said they were displeased with Reed Midem's intervention and planned to lodge a case with the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg on the grounds that it violated laws on the free movement of goods and services within the European Union.
Reed Midem has said its stance is in keeping with local council regulations on the official boundaries of the Mipim fairground. The case follows a similar incident involving UK real estate adviser Drivers Jonas which was recently fined EUR 100,000 by Reed Midem for organising acitivites outside the Mipim fairground in 2009.