BPF Spotlight Series: MIPIM 2025

Posted by British Property Federation on 25th March 2025 -

Our Chief Executive Melanie Leech and a small team from the BPF and UKPA returned last week from a busy MIPIM, where they were flying the flag for the UK property industry. We caught up with Melanie to hear her key takeaways from this year’s event:

For those who haven't been, what is MIPIM?

MIPIM is one of the biggest events in the real estate calendar, combining an exhibition, conference, networking and awards, all taking place in Cannes each year.

 

MIPIM is described by the organisers as a global urban festival and the place where decision-makers come together to consider the biggest issues impacting the property sector. Housing has been an increasing focus, as has infrastructure, sustainability and AI.

 

What were your biggest takeaways from MIPIM 2025?

 

The BPF works very closely with the organisers of MIPIM and government departments to make sure the UK is well represented during the event. And, the UK presence was definitely felt! We supported a fantastic UK cities dinner and our investor breakfast attracted over 180 people.

We were also delighted to host a roundtable for investors with mayors Andy Burnham and Steve Rotheram, plus the Chief Executive of Homes England and senior MHCLG officials.

 

My colleagues were brilliant - Saminder (Sammy) Pahal flew the flag for the UK proptech sector, Dominic Curran ensured that media representatives in Cannes had at least one decent meal and the indefatigable Kirsty Wade-Potter was everywhere and seemingly knew everyone!

 

I also took part in a new concept (at least for me) – an A-Delphi discussion debating the importance of public/private partnerships.

 

Did you get a feel for how global confidence in the UK property market is evolving?

 

The mood in Cannes was upbeat – particularly amongst the city regions and local authorities attending. The Government’s planning reform agenda was widely welcomed, with the introduction of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill during the week providing an additional talking point.

While investors and developers highlighted the ongoing challenges around regulatory barriers, timescales and viability, it felt as if there was genuine engagement and a willingness to listen and act to tackle these from the public sector. There was also a lot of interest from investors in meeting public sector attendees to understand the implications of the Government’s devolution agenda.

Following MIPIM, the BPF has a busy programme of engagement - what's next?

 

Next up, we’re partnering with Inside Housing for the Build More Homes summit on 2 April, coinciding with the SPF Annual Conference in Glasgow. Then it’s on to UKREiiF in May, followed by Housing 2025 in June. Our final major event before the summer break is our Annual Conference on 8 July. Of course, throughout the year, we’ll continue to host a wide range of member events alongside these key dates.