The Mipim property fair held annually in Cannes, France has set an all-time attendance record for the second year in a row. The 18th edition of Mipim in mid-March attracted 26,210 participants, an increase of 22% over 2006. Event organiser Reed Midem said in a statement on Tuesday that Mipim hosted 8,537 companies from 83 countries, 'confirming its position as the largest even for property professionals from around the world'.

The Mipim property fair held annually in Cannes, France has set an all-time attendance record for the second year in a row. The 18th edition of Mipim in mid-March attracted 26,210 participants, an increase of 22% over 2006. Event organiser Reed Midem said in a statement on Tuesday that Mipim hosted 8,537 companies from 83 countries, 'confirming its position as the largest even for property professionals from around the world'.

Some 2,523 companies exhibited at Mipim and there were more than 6,000 investors, end-users and hotel groups. 'These figures reflect the excellent health of the global real estate market, and the substantial increase in international transactions,' Mipim director Nadine Castagna said.

The delegations from the Middle East and from Russia grew considerably in 2007, with an increase of 49% and 44% respectively in the number of attending companies compared to 2006. Dubai boosted its presence and was joined by Abu Dhabi, Qatar, Kuwait, the Sultanate of Oman, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. The Russian Federation reached fourth place in the list of the number of companies attending from individual countries. The three largest delegations were from the UK (+ 20%); France (+9%) and Germany (+ 17%).