The Manchester Invest Partnership has revealed the schedule of programmed events that will take place on the Manchester stand during MIPIM 2025.
The Manchester at MIPIM 2025 programme will celebrate Greater Manchester’s rapidly growing and diverse economy by offering a deep dive into the many opportunities to invest in its places and people. Recognising that the new UK Government’s growth ambitions are grounded in security and stability, Greater Manchester will set out its stall at MIPIM as the UK’s ready-made growth opportunity.
New leadership, both locally and at a national level, will be a key thread in discussions about how the city-region can drive positive growth, productivity, and a more prosperous economy for the whole of the UK.
The programme was announced earlier this week (Tuesday, 19 November) following a panel discussion featuring Cllr Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council, Caroline Simpson, Chief Executive of Greater Manchester Combined Authority Chief Executive, and Stuart Rogers, North West Director at Muse, moderated by Abiola Ogunsami, a rising-star alumni from Regeneration Brainery, Greater Manchester’s academy for your people in property and regeneration.
Speaking at the event, Cllr Bev Craig said: “It feels like we’ve got ourselves in a strong place ahead of MIPIM 2025; a new government that’s really interested in how you grow the economy and lots of ideas, right across Greater Manchester, about how we take that next step of the journey over the next 10 to 15 years to see further growth.
“MIPIM really helps us take the narrative beyond what people think growth in Manchester and across Greater Manchester looks like, and it gives us a real chance to be able to showcase that whilst you might have heard of what’s happening in Manchester city centre, there’s also a real depth right across the city-region in terms of opportunity.
“If there’s one key message, it’s about Manchester and Greater Manchester’s position and relevance in the discussion around what opportunities in the UK are going to come from over the next 10 to 15 years. The scale of investment that we’ve seen in the last decade is going to be rapidly outstripped in the next 10 years, so we need to be ambitious for the future and set a confident trajectory, because there’s a lot more work left to do.
“Going forward, I think we’ll start to see more change, having a government whose economic strategy complements and amplifies what we’re trying to do here in Greater Manchester. When we talk about some of that change; it’s homes, it’s infrastructure, but it’s also the ability for Greater Manchester’s plan to be backed up by a national plan, and I think that makes for quite an exciting conversation going into MIPIM in March.
Caroline Simpson, also speaking on the panel, added: “One of the most important things about MIPIM, is how we show that delivery is done best through collaboration between the public and private sector. I think that’s evident in the delegation that we are hoping to take to MIPIM again next spring. The maturity of the relationships in Greater Manchester, the track record for how it works – all with a shared vision and with shared values – is really the essence of what makes this public and private partnership tick.
“It’s a great time for us here in Greater Manchester and I think the political alignment is not to be underestimated. We have an opportunity to play a major part in the UK growth ambition and the mission-led government that that the new leaders of the country have set out. And we’ve got that track record; we are the most invested city in the UK, we have the fastest growing economy in the UK, and we’ve got by far the biggest pipeline with the most exciting plan. I think the momentum is absolutely there.”
30 public and private organisations have signed up to represent Greater Manchester as part of the Manchester at MIPIM 2025 partnership, including Arup, Avison Young, Bolton Council, Bruntwood SciTech, Civic, Deloitte, EPR Architects Ltd, Euan Kellie Property Solutions, JLL, Laing O’Rourke, Livingway, Mansell Building Solutions, Muse, NOMA, North West Evergreen Fund, Old Trafford Regeneration, Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council, Peel Land, Renaker, Rochdale Development Agency, Salboy, Salford City Council, Savills UK Limited, Stockport Council, Trafford Council, Victor at MC Construction, and Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council.
Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Manchester City Council, and MIDAS (Greater Manchester’s Inward Investment Agency) are the strategic partners for Manchester at MIPIM 2025. Marketing Manchester is the event delivery partner.
The draft programme
Opening the programme on the Manchester at MIPIM 2025 stand will be a session looking at new visions, powers, and opportunities. This session will set the scene for the week, discussing the vision of new national leadership in Greater Manchester, which is matching the UK Government’s ambitions and already has the foundations in place to deliver the housing, transport, and infrastructure required to turbocharge growth. This will be followed by a session on place-based investment looking at integrated settlement, growth locations, and the new local growth plan, as well as investment in transport as a key to unlocking development.
There will be update on the development of the Strangeways Strategic Regeneration Framework with insight from international peers that have masterplanned similar projects in a session looking at defining and transforming city edges. A lively discussion is anticipated about urban living and the challenges of a growing population, with a focus on regeneration in regional towns across Greater Manchester including Stockport and Oldham.
A session on the power of innovation will explore how education, innovation spaces, and business are working together to provide world-leading facilities, retain bright talent, and enable new companies to scale in one of the UK’s most innovative cities. A look at transport as a driver of productivity will seek to demonstrate Greater Manchester’s role in delivering infrastructure that will better connect and release the full potential of the region’s citizens and businesses.
A panel discussion exploring the vast potential of a new masterplan for Old Trafford Regeneration, and the impact it will have regionally and nationally, is expected to draw in the crowds. Then, a deep dive into the city region’s north-western gateway will provide an update on opportunities at the Wigan/Bolton growth location, Northfold.
A session on hospitality and leisure will dive into Greater Manchester’s major pipeline of luxury hotel developments, flagship food and drink leasings, and landmark investment in culture and leisure; all framed by insights from the new GM Strategy for the Visitor Economy 2025-2030. This will be followed by a session looking at Manchester as a great place to do business, led by MIDAS – Greater Manchester’s Inward Investment Agency, that will offer a robust overview of what makes Manchester a great place to work, live, and invest, with key insights for investors about city leadership and collaboration, business support and ecosystem, infrastructure improvements, and access to talent and skills.
Finally, the Manchester stand will also see the return of its popular international event at MIPIM 2025, exploring city-to-city connections and welcoming leading figures from some of the world’s most exciting growth cities to share their experience.
The remaining sessions will be programmed over the coming weeks, with opportunities available for Manchester at MIPIM 2025 partners to input.
The daily drop-in sessions will return in 2025, allowing delegates from across the partnership to meet on the Manchester stand for pre-booked meetings. This will include colleagues from the local authorities and Greater Manchester Combined Authority.