As the first major property fair in the UK since the summer, Mipim UK will be the perfect venue for the real estate industry and politicians to discuss the implications of Brexit on commercial property.
When Mipim UK made its debut two years ago more than one market observer wondered whether it was a good idea to take the model of a giant international property fair, firmly rooted on the opulent French Riviera, and replicate it as a smaller, more regional affair in cramped London, where many international real estate professionals spend half their time anyway.
A keynote speaker at the maiden event, the then Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, even attracted a group of demonstrators who noisily expressed their frustration at the lack of affordable housing in the UK capital.
Two years on and Boris is once again playing a pivotal role, though not as he intended. As one of the key figures in the successful ‘Leave’ campaign during June’s Brexit referendum he has ensured Mipim UK is more relevant than ever for both UK and international property professionals. Mipim UK, which takes place at the Olympia exhibition centre from 19 to 21 October, will be the first major property fair in the UK since the Brexit shock over the summer. Some 5,000 participants are expected to attend and all will have the same question at the front of their minds: ‘where to now for UK real estate, and London in particular, when the UK is going to leave the European Union, in a manner yet to be decided, at some unspecified time over the next few years?’
The uncertainty and possible outcomes will no doubt have been a big topic of conversation at Expo Real a few weeks earlier. But Mipim UK boasts political figures such as Jules Pipes, deputy mayor of planning for London, and Gavin Barwell, minister of state for housing, planning and London, who will be integral to government strategy for housing, real estate and infrastructure in the post-Brexit environment.
Top speakers from the property industry include John Slade, CEO of BNP Paribas Real Estate UK, Lucinda Bell, chief financial officer of British Land, and for the international perspective, Antoine Castro who heads the European operations of China’s Fosun Property Holdings.
And if the conference programme, which kicks off with ‘What Brexit really means for UK property’, does not manage to answer the big questions, attendees will have the opportunity to talk to those who are active on the ground. Some 250 investment opportunities across the UK will be on show and there will also be a focus on non-Brexit disruptors such as big data and other innovative IT solutions.
