MIPIM IN REVIEW | Fresh faces, major announcements, housing concerns

Despite Cannes swapping its trademark sunshine for almost relentless rain, MIPIM delivered an event packed with captivating discussions, massive announcements, and golden opportunities for partnerships and collaboration, writes Lucy Lomas of Luma Marketing.

The gloomy skies didn’t put a dampener on the conference one bit. Attendees adapted swiftly, focusing intently on meetings, forums, and networking events, soaking up all the MIPIM magic on offer.

Manchester leads with major announcements

Key sessions proved immensely popular, notably surrounding Manchester’s eagerly anticipated announcements. The Strangeways regeneration plan will have been on many lips on the way home. Signalling a transformative period for the city, the 300-acre scheme is going to bring vast opportunities to our industry and the Strangeways area.

Whether you’re looking at MIPIM through a North West lens or a global one, the announcement for a new Old Trafford is huge news. This gargantuan project is going to be fantastic for the region and if Seb Coe is to be believed, could have a bigger impact than  London 2012.

These big project announcements reflected a real sense of excitement about the future from the Manchester delegation at MIPIM 2025. The region’s leaders were out in force and the positive trajectory of the North was palpable.

Collaboration to meet housing targets

We’ve heard a lot about the UK’s 1.5m homes target since it was announced last year and it took centre stage again at MIPIM.

A prominent narrative – pretty much universal across the UK side of the conference – was the pressing need for collaboration to deliver these ambitious housing targets. Local authorities are central to this, frequently highlighted as pivotal in orchestrating effective partnerships across public and private sectors.

In this vein, Mansell Building Solutions, in partnership with Place North, hosted an especially vibrant roundtable discussion. Answering the ‘how’ of building 1.5m homes, the built environment movers and shakers in attendance offered real insight.

It’s time for action and time to do things differently. That’s the only way we’re going to start making progress.

Worries behind the scenes

Away from the events and panel discussions, there are concerns quietly coming to the surface about certain goings-on on the UK.

The lack of resources to administer the Building Safety Act is creating an enormous and growing backlog of projects stuck at the Gateway Two stage of the process. The industry is rightfully worried and putting its collective heads together on what to do to overcome this essential but semmingly insurmountable  hurdle.

Elsewhere, there were whispers from smaller firms within the Palais that they’re struggling to get paid for the work that they’ve done. This is not good news. We’ve been here before, and we know what happens. Along with added pressure on businesses coming from increases to National Insurance, we’ll start seeing SMEs excluded from environments like MIPIM, creating a bubble where only the big and mighty have a say.

Savills released research last year highlighting the importance of small sites in reaching housing demand and it’s going to be SMEs that are best placed to deliver these. We need them healthy and in the conversation.

International intrigue and innovation

International interest remained robust, notably with Saudi Arabia’s ambitious NEOM project repeatedly capturing delegates’ imaginations, positioning itself as an exemplar of futuristic urban planning and investment potential – although whether it’s actually deliverable is another question. There have been so many big projects making waves this year that you’re almost spoiled for choice.

Away from the meetings and panel events, MIPIM’s famous bunker offered some respite from the rampant pace of the conference. With technological innovation featured wall-to-wall, there was a real glimpse of what the future has in store for the built environment and our communities.

Fresh faces and old hands

Over the last few years, MIPIM seems to be welcoming more and more fresh MIPIM rookies. Young people and fledgling professionals were out in force and it was fantastic to see. Diverse minds can only make our built environments more varied and interesting. Bring on the fresh blood.

There are a few learning curves to MIPIM. Finding the Goldilocks zone of planning your schedule enough to get the most out of the conference while not booking too much so you can experience those serendipitous MIPIM moments is a difficult balance – something we MIPIM old hands can help the young newcomers achieve.

Diversity is still an issue

MIPIM has made massive progress over the years when it comes to diversity.

Inside the Palais, female leadership abounds and the whole atmosphere is diverse, collegiate and welcoming. But despite RX’s successful push for more women on the stage, MIPIM seems so much more blokey than in previous years.

Is it simply a visual trick: the prevalence of navy blue in the rain? A lack of female-first events (neither Women in Property nor MIPIM Ladies could get the support they needed this year)? Or does RX’s influence truly end at the boundaries of the Palais des Festivals?

For the first time in many years, I’ve heard reports of no-go areas, inappropriate behaviour, and women going home early because they’d been groped. Our work is definitely not done in this area. We need to do better.

A fitting close to the conference

Thursday’s sessions carried a reflective tone as delegates finalised meetings, cemented agreements, and exchanged final insights.

The conference’s close-out on the Manchester Stand left a real impression. As I said earlier, there’s been a real sense of excitement from Greater Manchester at this conference. There’s still so much raw, untapped potential in our region and its leaders don’t seem to be content to let it go to waste.

Big things are coming.

A soggy MIPIM 2025 may have tested the resilience of its delegates, but it ultimately highlighted the industry’s adaptability, determination, and forward-looking vision.

Here’s hoping for brighter skies – but just as much ambition – at MIPIM 2026.

• Lucy Lomas is director at Luma Marketing