Britannia Rules the MIPIM Waves

PARIS, Jan. 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The 22nd edition of MIPIM, the world's foremost real estate market, shines the spotlight on the British property industry by naming the United Kingdom as its Country of Honour.

"Since the launch of MIPIM in 1990, British real estate companies have understood and supported the idea of an international gathering of property executives and the importance of developing their business beyond national borders. When you consider that real estate investment in Europe in 2010 was valued at euro 103.5 billion* and euro 35.1 billion of that was in Britain, you get an idea of the importance of the UK market," says Filippo Rean, MIPIM Director.

"The decision to pay tribute to the United Kingdom is in recognition of the contribution that the UK has made to the global real estate market during MIPIM's 22 year history and the vital role the UK has played in the promotion of cross-border investment. One only has to look at the 2012 Olympic Games project to understand how the United Kingdom has brought together government departments, sports specialists and the real estate industry, to develop an Olympic site that is designed to invigorate the British economy while being economically and environmentally sustainable. It is this kind of forward thinking, even in difficult economic times, that encouraged us to choose the UK as our Country of Honour," adds the MIPIM Director.

As part of the Country of Honour programme, a series of UK-focused events are scheduled to take place on Wednesday 9th March. The day will kick off with an exclusive British Property Federation and MIPIM private industry breakfast, bringing together 60 key players from both the UK and the international property and financial sectors. A conference about the UK cities, entitled "Making Regeneration Happen in the UK," will look how do the cities and towns to make regeneration possible and on investors and developers involvement.

Coinciding with the UK Country of Honour, MIPIM will host a major new showcase for the UK regeneration community. Place UK, organised by Place Live and supported by UK Regeneration, will bring together a collection of UK local authorities and private sector organisations specialising in the regeneration sector. Participants currently include the City of Edinburgh, Luton Borough, Kent County Council, Wates, PRP Architects and Peter Brett Associates.

Commenting on the outlook for the UK real estate industry and the choice of the UK as Country of Honour, Liz Peace, Chief Executive of the British Property Federation says, "The UK is very much open for business. It provides a great environment for commerce and offers competitive opportunities for investment. We represent the interests of the UK property sector and we are long-term supporters of MIPIM, appreciating fully the benefits of the event and the great platform it provides for both our member companies and ourselves to showcase Britain and to meet our peers, financiers, and business leaders."

MIPIM Launches Investor Quest

Inspired by the popular British television programme, 'Dragons' Den, where entrepreneurs pitch for investment from leading venture capitalists and businessmen, MIPIM is introducing Investor Quest, its own UK Investment Competition.

A selection of developers, working in the UK, will pitch their projects to a jury of potential investors. The "business angels" will then choose the project they consider the most worthy of investment. The investment theme continues with a MIPIM and IP Real Estate-hosted conference entitled 'from stimulus to austerity: assessing the outlook for UK property.' Speakers will discuss the state of the British economy, the attractiveness of investing in UK cities and the relative shortage of prime sites.

UK participants who have already confirmed include investors, Aviva Investors, Hammerson and Pramerica, together with the developers Bovis Lend Lease and Morston Assets Limited as well as leading UK cities such as London, Birmingham and Edinburgh. Key UK developments such as The Pinnacle, the 288m-high tower in the London financial district, will be showcasing at MIPIM. As part of the MIPIM Awards a special prize will be attributed to a UK real estate project.

*Source: CBRE

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