MIPIM UK Day 2

We've been very lucky to be joined by the local media during our time at MIPIM UK at Olympia.

Day 1 Claire French, the business editor for the Portsmouth News joined us to get a flavour of what the exhibition was all about. She came along to our lunch at the Belvedere in Holland Park and was able to interview Penny Mordaunt MP, the Minister for Communities.

The resulting two pages of copy really captured the feeling of optimism from our consortium - and as ever it was a delight to spend time with Claire.

On Day 2 Alastair Fee, the Business Correspondent for BBC South came to London to spend the day with us.. He was keen to capture the story of Portsmouth and Southampton working together to promote the opportunities in the region. He filmed in the hustle and bustle of the exhibition hall, on our stand and then at our second lunch. Speakers there included Jonathan Goring talking passionately about Ben Ainslie Racing and Charlie Flynn from investors Lucent speaking about the Royal Pier development in Southampton.

Alastair was filming one minute and tweeting the next- it was great to see such a professional newsman at work.

So MIPIM UK wraps up today. Overall our partners seem to have relished the opportunity to promote the place where they live and work to a wider audience. Business has been done andwe are already thinking about next year.

From the point of view of the Business South team it has been hard work ensuring our time in London was successful  - but it was worth all the effort...

After months of preparation we are finally here at MIPIM UK

After months of preparation we are finally here at MIPIM UK - and what an experience it has been so far...

 

Business South has co-ordinated the private sector led consortium promoting development opportunities in Portsmouth, Southampton and the surrounding region at the first ever MIPIM UK event. We've helped to pull together a cohesive story of what the region has to offer to potential investors and developers - and all the hard work has culminated in three days at Olympia.

 

A prospectus called Prosper has been produced as well as a video and we are proudly manning a beautifully designed stand that has been the focus of much activity. (So much so that a member of the team running MIPIM UK asked us last night whether we had events running on the stand all day...)

 

On the first day we were visited by Minister Greg Clark and throughout the day a vast number of enquiries were dealt with by partners on our stand.

 

MIPIM UK hit the news headlines because of the protesters outside and Champion Manager Leigh-Sara Timberlake was in the thick of it (quite literally) escorting our guests to a traditional London bus taking us off site to a sumptuous lunch at the Belvedere in Holland Park.

 

Potential investors and developers were invited to join us for a delicious lunch in beautiful surroundings. Our speakers were Penny Morduant MP, Minister for Coastal Communities, Regeneration and High Street and Tim Kent, Director at Lloyds Register.

 

Penny Morduant outlined the opportunities for investors in the cities of Portsmouth and Southampton while Tim explained how Lloyds Register had successfully moved to Southampton after centuries based in London.

 

Claire French, Business Editor at The News in Portsmouth, was among the guests and it was fascinating  to see her putting her story on the page while she sat in the Press Centre at Olympia.

 

Seeing how other cities are promoting themselves has been an eye opener. Cardiff has brought an enormous 3D map that illustrates beautifully where their development opportunities lie - and tonight I am off to a reception they are holding to find out more about their aspirations.