A major conference being held this month is a great chance to sell Bristol as a place to do business on the international stage, according to a leading property expert.
The annual MIPIM conference in the South of France is the most important event of the year in the property sector and attracts delegates from across Europe and beyond.
This year, a team from the West of England, including delegates from the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership and Bristol’s mayor George Ferguson, will be attending the event. The aim is to market Bristol and the surrounding area as a great place to do business for firms with an international presence and profile.
Philip Morton, from CBRE Bristol, believes that the delegation to Cannes is a great way for Bristol to advertise itself as a leading city and centre of commerce. He said: “For some reason Bristol has always kept its light under a bushel but that does seem to be changing for the better.
“There is no doubt that outside of London, Bristol is one of the best places in the country to do business. We have the quality of life, the expertise in terms of the skills of the workforce and now it seems we also have the full backing of the local authority.
“What has emerged with the new regime in charge at City Hall is a real willingness to get out there and get things done, there seems to be a real can do spirit and that is really encouraging.”
Mr Morton added: “Rightly or wrongly there was a feeling in the past that the political leaders in Bristol did not really understand business.
“Mr Ferguson is an architect by trade but he also has a thorough grounding in business and has been successful in his own right. He has made it clear that one of his roles is to sell Bristol to the wider world.
“The fact that there is a delegation is travelling to MIPIM, which is the most important event of its kind in the industry, sends out exactly the right kind of message.
“If Bristol is really serious about competing then we need to be talking to business and attracting the big names to the city. It is all about making a serious statement of intent.”
The international property event is held in Cannes every March and delegates attend from across the world. It is hosted by Reed MIDEM and advertised as one of the largest real estate shows.
Events include an exhibition area, networking events and expert-led conference sessions over a period of four days. Most delegates attend the event with the aim of setting up business deals between investors, corporate representatives, local authorities, hospitality professionals, industrial and logistics players and other real estate professionals.
