MIPIM | Themes from Cannes in 2026 

With another MIPIM in the books, here is a rundown of the themes that occupied delegate’s thoughts during the week on the French Riviera.

A backdrop of war

Once again, geopolitical instability was on everyone’s mind out in Cannes as missiles were exchanged in the Middle East. At recent MIPIMs, there has been plenty of talk about how the ongoing war in Ukraine is impacting the global real estate market. Many put Russia’s invasion chief among the drivers of the construction cost inflation that has been so damaging to viability in the UK and across the world. In 2026, delegates arrived in Cannes as the USA, Israel, and Iran lit up Middle East airspace.

Some who had been scheduled to attend the show never made it, finding themselves stuck in Dubai or other Gulf locations that have grounded flights of safety reasons. In the South of France, MIPIM director Nicholas Boffi used his opening remarks to address the conflict, saying: “We meet in Cannes at a very tense moment.” While events in the Middle East cast something of a shadow over the week, developers and civic leaders put on brave faces as they stared down the barrel of yet more uncertainty wrought be geopolitics. “We need to keep calm and carry on,” said one prominent industrial developer.

Plans were unveiled for a 70-stroey SimpsonHaugh designed tower in Liverpool. Credit: Infinite 3D

Liverpool’s moment to deliver

It was a case of déjà vu for Liverpool City Region, which came to Cannes armed with an impressive, if familiar, list of projects to talk about. The likes of Pall Mall, Hemisphere, and Littlewoods have been on the cusp of delivery for several years and one has to hope that, by the time MIPIM 2027 rolls around, some if not all of those schemes will be making meaningful progress.

If they are it will be evidence that Mayor Steve Rotheram can point to when backing up his firm belief that the city region is going in the right direction. On the other hand, if LCR turns up next year pitching the same handful of schemes, its credibility as an investment proposition will be undermined. In the Mayor’s own words, it would be “crap” if the next 12 months brought no progress.

It wasn’t all familiar though, and one could sense a very real urgency and optimism among the city region’s delegation. News of a 70-storey tower, movement on plans for a mayoral development corporation for North Docks, and a £2bn investment fund to unlock schemes will all help to fuel Liverpool’s palpable feel-good vibe.

Steve Coogan packed it in during a 24-hour stint in Cannes. Credit: Place Media Group

Coogan fever

Steve Coogan was the star attraction at this year’s MIPIM. The actor was in Cannes for his first property expo but it was not his first visit to the French Riviera. MIPIM, he told Place, is not dissimilar to the Cannes Film Festival. “You’re still hawking your wares,” he said. The wares Coogan was hawking during a flying visit to MIPIM 2026 was a vision for the community-led regeneration of Middleton, the town in Rochdale he grew up in.

At the Manchester delegation dinner, the co-chair of the Middleton Mayoral Development Corporation spoke eloquently about the scheme, while property folk waited for their chance to pounce on him for a photograph.

The spectre of elections past and future

Some local authorities deemed it too risky to attend MIPIM this year, fearing backlash ahead of crunch local elections in May. Those in attendance of a Labour persuasion admitted ‘nervousness’ at the prospect of losing seats to both the Greens and Reform in the upcoming elections. Losses this year are almost guaranteed, but it will be the 2027 round of elections that could cause terminal damage to Labour at a local, and national, level. If that comes to pass will all depend on whether Keir Starmer can turn the tanker of public opinion around. Sources Place spoke to are not hopeful.

It was not just May that was irking the UK contingent in Cannes. Almost 10 years on from the vote, it did not take long for the issue of Brexit to rear its head. Cited by many as catastrophic for the economy, the decision to leave the EU in 2016 impacted delegates immediately upon landing in Nice from the UK. Snaking queues of tutting Brits trudged through passport control while our European neighbours breezed through in another lane. ‘We’re being punished,’ said more than one MIPIM-goer, while another described the French authority’s decision to not open the e-gates for British passport holders as ‘deliberate aggravation’.

Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram launched the area’s £2bn investment fund at MIPIM. Credit: LCRCA

Northern know-how

One thing was abundantly clear at MIPIM – the North is done waiting around. Mayors and council leaders came out with clear ambitions for their communities, a long list of investable projects, and a hunger to do business regardless of whether they were from the North West, Yorkshire, or the North East. Continually, public sector leaders referenced the importance of collaboration between each other and national government. However, when things from central government move too slowly, Liverpool City Region and Greater Manchester showed they were not afraid to take matters into their own hands – with GMCA continually evoking its £1bn Good Growth Fund throughout the property convention and LCRCA debuting its £2bn investment fund.

Viability

Those devolution funds will be needed, as viability was continually stressed as a major problem for the sector. Nearly everyone Place spoke to remarked about the difficulty in getting projects over the line and making budgets stack up. Not the most optimistic conversation to be had at MIPIM – or the newest.

Scottish government was in Cannes to lay out the country’s investment proposition. Credit: Place Media Group

Scotland’s big comeback

Scotland returned to MIPIM for the first time since 2019 thanks to a tireless group of private sector companies determined to make it happen. The message from Scottish government was clear – we are open for business. Richard Rollison, director of international trade and investment, cited the recent decision to omit BTR and mid-market housing from rent controls as clear evidence that the government is listening to the market. “We are trying to make investors feel confident and that when you invest in Scotland you have got long-term certainty,” said Richard Rollison, director of international trade and investment at Scottish government.

For many the highlight of the week was the daily whisky tasting sessions on the Scotland stand. It’s good to have them back.