We are only four days away from MIPIM, the world’s largest global real estate event.

My personal LinkedIn profiles, Twitter and Facebook are booming of Architecture companies announcing their participation.

Halfway packing my bags, halfway researching the exhibits and lectures I am looking to attend next week, I decided to publish a little recommendation for anyone still interested in joining. 

image courtesy: BIG

To name the few I am particularly excited about:

BIG’s partner Kai Uwe Bergman will be the MIPIM Awards 2022 Jury. Joined by studio’s business development director Nathan Smith and heads of business development for the London and Barcelona offices: Nathaniel Moore and Aina Medina Girones.

RIBA’s very own Simon Alford will be there.

As one of the activities he will coordinate the round table discussion on Thursday 17th of March at 10:00 am local Cannes time, in the London Stand with ARUP’s own Edith Blennerhassett, Director, Sustainable Building Services Design titled LEADING THE DECARBONISATION AGENDA, joined by Hélène Chartier, Head of Zero Carbon Development, C40 Cities,  Abigail Dean, Global Head of Strategic Insights, Nuveen and  Philip Graham, Executive Director, Good Growth, Greater London Authority.

Another exciting event taking place at the same (London stand) is called:

Essential infrastructure: Space for industry and logistics and will follow Simons panel on Thursday 17 March 2022, 12.00 – 12.45 local time. Speakers include Simone de Gale (CEO – Director, Simone de Gale Architects), Ben Bannatyne (President, Prologis Europe), Matt Jones (Senior Director, Turley), Tom Alexander (Director, Aukett Swanke). The panel is moderated by Melanie Leech CBE (Chief Executive, British Property Federation)

image courtesy: MVRDV

MVRDV is joining represented by partner Bertrand Schippan– and director Nicolas LAND  followed by their Business Developer Team: Sarah Moylan– Global Head of Business, Alex Rodríguez– senior business and Sruti   Business Developer. 

Image courtesy: Woods Bagot

Woods Bagot is sending their very best: principals Julian Cross, Florian Frotscher & Richard Fenne 

Other companies worth keeping an eye on are:

Adam Architecture, ADW, Alan Camp Architects, Andarchitects, ATKINS, Bond Bryan, VOX Architects, Buckley Gray Yeoman, Cognition Architecture, Corstorphine + Wright, CZWG Architects, David Miller Architects, DMFK, HAL, HKS Architects, Hudson Architects, Hutchinson & Partners, JDA Architects, Manea Kella, Mangera Yvars Architects, Name Architecture, NEX-, One Creative Environments (ONE), Paul Vick Architects, Perpendicular Architecture, Populous, PDA Architects, Ruffarchitects, Seven Architecture, Shorten, SPPARC, Ubberraum.

image courtesy: placetech.net

Why is everyone going there?

If you haven’t clocked in on the potential of this event for your business, you’re in the dark!

This place is a swarm of new business opportunities! 

Why? Because it is organised with a sole focus to welcome key international investors in the real estate industry! 

In the fast-moving post-pandemic environment, where European real estate is hitting record levels of investment, MIPIM gathers investors with the opportunity to reconnect with the property industry, find assets and nurture strategic partnerships with the world’s growing cities and regions.

image courtesy: luxuryyachting.travel

The following companies, including those from top funds & real estate investors, are coming:

Abrdn, Abu Dhabi Investment Council, AEW, Alberta Investment Management Corp, APG Asset Management, ALECTA, Allianz Real Estate, Amundi, Angelo, ARA Asset Management, Ares Management, Aviva Investors, BMO Real Estate Partners, BNP Paribas, CapitaLand, CBRE Global Investors, Clarion Partners, Colony Capital, Credit Suisse, DTZ Investors, DWS, Fidelidade Property Europe, Generali Real Estate, GIC Private Limited, GLP, Gordon Group, Greystar, Heitman, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan, Hermes Investment Management, Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Company, Invesco Real Estate, Ivanhoe Cambridge, J.P. Morgan, Jamestown, KB Securities, KGAL Investment Management, La Française REM, Landmark Partners, LaSalle Investment Management, M&G Real Estate, MEAG, MUFG Group, Northwood Investors, Nuveen, P+, PATRIZIA AG, PGGM, PGIM, Prologis, Qatar Investment Authority, QuadReal Property Group, Redevco, Savills, Schroder Real Estate Investment Management, Swiss Life Asset Managers, Temasek International, Tishman Speyer, State Oil Fund of the Republic of Azerbaijan, UBS, Union investment, and others.

One of the highlights of the 2022 programme will be the Re-Invest Summit, a closed-door event that allows wealth, pension and insurance funds, and other capital owners to debate the latest investment strategies, trends, and challenges. A particular focus will be on the ways to integrate Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) into sustainable investment decision making. During a series of roundtables, speakers will discuss the key topics such as the impact that carbon accounting could have on green and brown assets, the role of governments, the impact of Gen-Z on sustainable ESG adoption and other concerns.

Image courtesy: elinmobiliariomesames.com

MIPIM 2022 will also welcome tech investors thanks to the presence of Propel by MIPIM – the leading real estate technology conference, which will take place at MIPIM in Cannes this year for the first time. At Propel by MIPIM, VC company Metaprop will present its 2022 Global Proptech Confidence Index to provide the audience with the most up-to-date insights regarding the PropTech innovation ecosystem.

One of the most anticipated panel debates is “Prime Real Estate, Location or Features?“, where experts will discuss the characteristics of real estate which make it appealing in terms of volatility, liquidity and regulation, what value-generating assets are thriving in a post-COVID world, and why does prime real estate continue to stand out.

Image courtesy: mipim.com

The panel welcomes the following speakers:

• Courtney Fingar, Editor-in-chief, Investment Monitor
• Neil Slater, Global Head of Real Assets, Abrdn
• Laurent Lavergne, Global Head of Asset Management & Development, AXA
• Aleksandra Njagulj, Global Head of ESG for Real Estate, DWS
• Peter Plaut, Executive Director, Wimmer Family Office

MIPIM will also hold a number of sessions, focused on particular regions: UK, Poland, Germany, CEE, France, Italy and Nordic countries.

Ronan Vaspart, director of MIPIM, said:

“With investment into European real estate reaching an all-time high, this year’s MIPIM arrives at a crucial moment for the sector as we continue to build our recovery following the pandemic. At the same time, as we turbocharge our efforts to reach a net zero carbon future, it’s vital we have decision-makers gathered together to find the best solutions to embed ESG criteria into investment strategies. We are therefore really looking forward to continuing this conversation in person as we welcome back the investor community to Cannes in March.”

If you are an architect or an architect business owner, especially operating within Europe, you need to be at MIPIM. This is probably the only big event of this kind that gives you the unique possibility to mingle with Real Estate, Developers, Venture Capitalists, Investors and Major AEC Tech Companies leading the development of Urban Fabric in Europe.  

MIPIM 2022 takes place on 15-18 March in Cannes, France. I will be there, and if you want to get in touch, write to me on Linkedin.