Preparing to look our best at world property showcase

As chairman of the Sheffield City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) it becomes almost second nature to be talking about investments from companies as world-leading as McLaren, Boeing and Rolls Royce each and every day.

But when you see our unique offer right there, laid out in a programme, it provides time to reflect on what we’ve achieved, how we’ve got here, and where we’re going next.

On Monday, March 12 I’ll be flying out to the French Riviera with a public and private sector delegation made up of companies from across Sheffield City Region, including organisations as large and as varied as Harworth Group PLC, Doncaster Sheffield Airport, Kier Construction Northern, Scarborough Group International and Sheffield Hallam University.

We’ll spend the week talking to potential investors, forming new business relationships, and focusing on the three main themes of our super-connected economy, our excellence in innovation and our enviable position as a truly great place to live.

I’m particularly excited that British artist and designer Alex Chinneck will be joining our delegation, bringing a creative voice and different perspective to our events programme.

Mr Chinneck, who is behind the ambitious Onwards & Upwards art project planned as a Gateway to the North, will speak to potential investors and delegates about how Onwards & Upwards will transform the waterways at Tinsley, linking Sheffield and Rotherham, into a prime cultural destination on a par with the Angel of the North.

That’s just one example of how our MIPIM offer will be so different and truly innovative this year.

Because what we have here in Sheffield City Region is special – and it’s my job, as chairman of the LEP to make sure we use this annual opportunity at MIPIM to sell it to the world.

Our events over the course of the week will include a session focusing upon promoting the £2bn of urban regeneration investment opportunities in the city region; and an Estates Gazette Panel session supported by David Cross, founding director of the Coda Group of companies and Alex Chinneck, with the theme of how great architects and artists are leading our regeneration journey.

Property consultancy Trebbi will lead a breakfast panel discussion, and we’ll showcase our residential and housing growth opportunities whilst demonstrating that we’re leading the way in turning place-making rhetoric into a reality.

We’re also running an event focusing specifically on our excellence in logistics, enabled by our super-connected economy.

There will be invitation-only dinners, a dedicated presence in the Rivera 7 area at the heart of the Palais des Festivals, and a number of surprises – including live music and much more.

Our public sector partners at Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield councils will all be joining us for the week, as will representatives from private sector organisations such as CMS, Trebbi, JF Finnegan, Whittam Cox Architects, HLM Architects, Coda Planning, Turner and Townsend, Engie and Bond Bryan Architects.

For the first time, we will be flying out together, on a dedicated Sheffield City Region flight, direct from Doncaster Sheffield Airport to Nice – yet more proof of how our MIPIM delegation has grown since the first time we attended back in 2014.

Relationships formed at events such as MIPIM simply cannot be underestimated. It was a chance meeting with Frank Jurgen-Richter at the Davos World Economic Forum, for example, that resulted in the Horasis China Meeting coming to Sheffield City Region last year – bringing with it 300 delegates from across the world and putting us firmly on the map for large-scale international conferences.

Critics of MIPIM say that the meetings that happen there could be held anywhere in the world. Why Cannes? Why France?

But the truth is, meetings of this level don’t happen anywhere else.

This is a once-a-year opportunity to connect with those people who can make our city region grow, thrive and prosper. And I’m looking forward to doing my bit to make the 2018 MIPIM Sheffield City Region’s best yet.

Spreading the word for region

A varied programme of events and meetings organised by the SCR team will be taking place throughout MIPIM, running from the evening of Monday, March 12 until Thursday, March 15.

The SCR team will have a dedicated presence in the heart of MIPIM, in the Riviera 7 area of the Palais des Festivals.

For all the latest news on Sheffield City Region at MIPIM, both before and during the event, follow the dedicated Twitter feed @SCRmipim