Region to build on Birmingham’s ranking as a top ten European city for investment prospects.
Greater Birmingham is joining forces with more partners than ever before at global real estate show MIPIM (10th-13th March in Cannes, France). A total of 30 private and public sector organisations have signed up to join Greater Birmingham as the region showcases a landmark year.
MIPIM enables major cities across the world to present their investment opportunities to potential investors, developers, property agents and the media. This year, the event is welcoming some 21,000 participants from 93 countries, including 4,500 investors and 430 journalists.
With key sites such as New Street station, Resorts World and Grand Central completing in 2015 – and work underway on major schemes such as Paradise – Greater Birmingham’s delegation will be focusing on what tangible sites and developments the region can now offer to potential businesses and investors.
Sir Albert Bore, Leader of Birmingham City Council, said: “This is the year when everything comes together for Greater Birmingham. We are no longer just focusing on opportunities that are coming up – because we can also concentrate on what major schemes are happening now. Major infrastructure and leisure schemes, which are significant not just locally but for our national economy, will open for business in 2015. What’s more, key projects such as HS2 and Paradise prove that Greater Birmingham is continuing to push forward in improving its infrastructure, quality of life and business environment.”
As well as regional partners Solihull for Success, Invest Black Country and the Greater Birmingham & Solihull LEP, private sector organisations joining Greater Birmingham include Argent, Ballymore, Thomas Vale Construction, Calthorpe Estates, GVA, Jaguar Land Rover and Miller Developments.
Councillor Ian Courts, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Economic Development & Land at Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council, commented: “We are attending MIPIM to showcase UK Central to potential inward investors. It brings together Solihull’s world class business, transport and entertainment assets alongside the borough’s reputation as an outstanding place to live and work. UK Central is already home to world class businesses like Jaguar Land Rover, The NEC Group, Arup, Britvic and LaSer UK and the four, diverse economic investment zones. It has outstanding connectivity and Solihull’s attractive surroundings create an opportunity at MIPIM to encourage more global brands to bring their headquarters and employment opportunities to the region.”
Greater Birmingham is already grabbing the attention of investors worldwide. It secured more foreign direct investment than any other English region last year, with 77 projects creating over 4,800 jobs. Europe’s top real estate experts recently ranked Birmingham as having the best investment prospects in the UK, according to research by PwC and the Urban Land Institute. It listed the city as the sixth most investable in Europe – beating the likes of London, Paris, Munich and Brussels.
Craig Tatton, managing director at Thomas Vale Construction, a Bouygues UK company, said: “As a locally focused business, which is part of one of the world’s leading construction groups, we are very keen to attend MIPIM with Greater Birmingham this year. The event will provide us with great opportunities to establish new relationships with potential partners and clients from across the globe. International recognition of Greater Birmingham’s investment and development opportunities is growing rapidly, and MIPIM provides the ideal platform to capitalise on this momentum to showcase the local area and allow us to display our own development opportunities to attract potential foreign investment.”
Greater Birmingham will be hosting a range of events at MIPIM. Topics are expected to include HS2 and UK Central, plus the area’s residential market, growing life sciences sector and the space needed for its burgeoning business and professional services industry.
Marketing Birmingham, which operates inward investment agency Business Birmingham, is organising Greater Birmingham’s presence at MIPIM. Chief executive Neil Rami added:“With overheating in cities like London and Paris causing an unsustainable rise in property prices, investors are looking at where they can secure the best returns – and Birmingham has become the top of the list for many. Secondary cities across the world are now snapping at the heels of capital cities. With nationally significant schemes happening across Greater Birmingham – from the connectivity HS2 will bring, to the sheer scale of UK Central – and its economic growth now outpacing many UK and European locations, we expect to attract more interest than ever from the delegates at MIPIM.”
