MIPIM falls victim to Coronavirus crisis
International property conferece MIPIM has been postponed by organisers, little more than a week before thousands of UK property professionals were due to head to the south of France.
The annual event attracts thousands of investors, developers, and local and national governments.
The four day event costs millions of pounds to stage and local authorites sink hundreds of thousands into making sure they stand out amidst the hundreds of exhibitors.
However as the Coronavirus epidemic has gathered pace – and the host town of Cannes declared its first confirmed case – major firms pulled out and it became inevitable that the event would not be taking place.
Paul Zilk, chief executive of organisers Reed MIDEM, said: “The well-being of our clients and staff is our priority. Given the evolving context, the best course of action is to postpone MIPIM to June.
“This is not a decision we have taken lightly. We believe these new dates will provide the international MIPIM community with the opportunity to achieve their business objectives.
“We are grateful to our clients for their support and constructive input during this challenging period, and we look forward to talking with them in the coming days about MIPIM in June.”
Sir Richard Leese , leader of Manchester City Council, said: “Whilst we are undoubtedly disappointed about the postponement of MIPIM, owing to the huge amount of work and planning that we always put in to make the Manchester Pavilion an informative and effective business destination within the overall MIPIM programme, it is absolutely the right decision given how things currently stand.
“Our international profile is hugely important and MIPIM plays a significant role in helping us showcase Manchester on the world stage.
“We are fully committed to our international strategy and will do everything we can to continue our momentum. In the meantime I ask that you please adhere to the values of the Manchester at MIPIM Partnership and support the delivery team at Marketing Manchester as they deal with the important task of mitigating the impact of postponement.”
The event has been moved to the first week of June.
#MIPIM 2020 is rescheduled to June 2-5 in Cannes, due to growing concerns related to the coronavirus (Covid-19). The well-being of clients and staff is our number one priority.
More information (updates to follow): https://t.co/Q9CpF83i6s pic.twitter.com/1DauGhzEy0
— MIPIMWorld (@MIPIMWorld) February 29, 2020
More to follow.
