MIPIM 2018 started on Monday and it has been a busy start for Directors Julian Broster, Stephen O’Malley and Rob Westcott who are out in Cannes representing Civic Engineers. The weather hasn’t been kind with the Manchester Pavilion affected by flooding but hats off to Marketing Manchester, in true Manchester spirit, an alternative venue was found and things were up and running without delay.

So far, the team have attended the Manchester Pavilion opening reception to hear the official welcome from Sir Richard Leese and catch up with many familiar faces who are also part of the Manchester delegation.

Day 1 / Tuesday  was a mixture of client and collaborator meetings and attendance at the various stand sessions, particularly on the Leeds and Manchester stand. This included an interesting debate by the Metro Mayors and Council Leaders about what the ‘Northern Lifestyle’ really is. The issue of poor connectivity east to west and lack of transport funding was a strong theme. Then Rob, our London Director was supposed to enjoy an afternoon sailing but the weather put pay to that, so he spent an enjoyable networking afternoon on a boat moored up to the quay! They attended the Place NW Drinks Reception and then it was over to the Leeds City Region event. With our ever growing presence in Leeds and the increasing amount of work we are doing in the area, we were keen to meet up with many of our contacts. The evening finished with an informal dinner with one of our collaborators. Looking ahead to day 2, weather is looking much better and it’s an early start to hear from Scottish Cities Alliance about ‘Smart Cities’ and for others breakfast on the beach with London architects.