Interview with Nathalie Depetro, Director of MIPIM Horizons, Reed MIDEM
What is MIPIM Horizons? Why has Reed MIDEM decided to launch a new property show?
MIPIM Horizons is an international property market dedicated to the world’s fast-growing regions such as Eastern and Central Europe, Russia, Central Asia, Turkey, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America.
The idea to create this second annual meeting aside from MIPIM, the highly successful real estate event organized by Reed MIDEM for the past 19 years and recognized as the international property market, was driven by the demand of the international investment community. International investors (funds, pensions, banks…) are in search of information and business opportunities regarding the real estate markets of fast-growing regions.
MIPIM Horizons is a unique global meeting opportunity for international investors seeking investment opportunities in fast-growing regions and countries
They wish to gain an insight into the best investment opportunities in these territories and to be provided with key factors that will help them to penetrate these specific markets. Therefore, MIPIM Horizons – to be held from 2-4 December 2008 at the “Palais des Festivals” in Cannes, France – is designed to be a dedicated and informative event, specifically conceived for investors seeking investment opportunities in these target regions. The event will highlight the huge offer in terms of real estate available in all of these regions and will help investors establish local partnerships and acquire reliable and actionable information on local market rules.
What will distinguish MIPIM Horizons from other real estate exhibitions, and more particularly from MIPIM?
MIPIM is the global real estate event of the year, providing the international property industry with a unique opportunity to develop business and contacts around the world. MIPIM is strongly focused on office and urban development. MIPIM Horizons will feature these sectors but will also be open to tourism and residential property development, as these real estate segments are particularly vibrant in fast-growing territories, not only reflecting economic growth, but in the case of tourism-related real estate, often driving that growth.
Furthermore, and in comparison to other trade fairs in Europe and the rest of the world, MIPIM Horizons will be a multi-regional event focusing on the world’s regions presenting the greatest growth potential in coming years. Most other property meetings are local or regional and don’t cover a worldwide range of projects. Therefore, we believe that MIPIM Horizons is really different from all other offers, as it is a unique global meeting opportunity for international investors seeking investment opportunities in fast-growing regions and countries.
What is your target audience and how do you plan to attract them to your event?
As previously mentioned, MIPIM Horizons will be dedicated to fast-growing regions including: Eastern and Central Europe, Russia, Central Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America.
On the exhibitors’ side, we will have developers, architects, local authorities, consultants, brokers and construction groups displaying their projects. To date, that is seven months before MIPIM Horizons opens its doors in Cannes, we already have 65 companies from 19 countries registered as exhibitors (among which: Actif Invest – Morocco, Agidel Group – Russia, de Yturbe Architectos – Mexico, or Michaniki – Greece).
On the visitors’ side, we are expecting institutional investors, property funds, end-users and hotel groups, amongst others, who will come to the event with the aim of “shopping” for the best opportunities currently available in these markets. According to our projections, some 500 international investors and around 2,500 real estate professionals should be attending this inaugural MIPIM Horizons.
Apart from the exhibition area, MIPIM Horizons will offer a gold standard conference programme to its clients, with over 150 conferences and workshops taking place over the three days of the event. MIPIM Horizons will also feature many networking opportunities, among which the “speed matching sessions” which give selected developers and funds a chance to present their projects to an audience of investors who might grasp the opportunity and invest directly in one of these particular projects.
How are you expecting MIPIM Horizons to evolve within the next three years?
We are quite confident that MIPIM Horizons will soon become a key date for any investor looking for new and promising investment opportunities in fast-growing regions. There is a clear need for a specific event tailored for the burgeoning real estate market of these regions and the inaugural MIPIM Horizons really couldn’t come at a better time.
