North East delegation gets set for investor event
Invest North East, combining Durham, Gateshead, Newcastle, North Tyneside, Northumberland, South Tyneside and Sunderland councils, and the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (NELEP), is coming together for the very first time with twelve private sector partners, to attend the first ever MIPIM UK, an event that is expected to attract investors from around the world.
Carillion, Clouston Group, Cobalt Park, Gentoo, Hanro Group, Intu, Knight Frank, Newcastle Science Central, Ryder Architecture, Quorum Business Park, Sanderson Weatherall and UK Land Estates have signed up to attend with the North East Combined Authority (NECA) and NELEP in a bid to bring business to the North East. Though the first MIPIM on UK shores, the event has been running in Cannes since 1991, and is attended by representatives from some of the most influential international property players from all sectors.
Fergus Trim, director at Quorum Business Park is one of the partners attending as part of the consortium. He said:
“MIPIM UK represents a great opportunity to get the North East message in front of an influential audience in London. As a region, we have a strong and compelling business case to make to growth companies and inward investors, and Quorum is delighted to be part of the delegation going to the event and flying the flag for the North East.”
The event takes place between October 15 and 17 and it is thought that more than 3,000 delegates will attend.
Simon Henig, chair of the North East Combined Authority, said that attending MIPIM as part of a public-private sector consortium made a clear statement about the way in which the region's local authorities work with the business community.
He said:
“Attending MIPIM UK is hugely important for us as a region - we need to make sure that we demonstrate to investors from the UK and overseas that we are serious about attracting inward investment in this part of the world.
The spirit of the public-private sector partnership approach we have taken reflects the way that we operate in this region. Our role is to enable businesses to succeed, and create the right environment for businesses to prosper in the long term. I'm delighted that we are attending in this way.”
Councillor Paul Watson, Economic Development and Regeneration lead at the combined authority, said:
“This is an excellent opportunity to showcase the North East as a place to do business to investors from around the world.
The combined authority is committed to working closely with the region’s business community to support economic growth and the fact that private sector partners have joined forces with the seven local authorities and the North East Local Economic Partnership to present the case for investing in the North East at MIPIM makes this all the more compelling.”
The NECA has been backed by local enterprise partnership the NELEP.
Paul Woolston, chair of the North East LEP, said:
"The North East is a really attractive proposition for investors – the economy is growing and we have a strong offer for investment. By working together we make things happen and quickly, a great strength, which is supported by a talented labour pool and excellent infrastructure, which we continue to invest in.
MIPIM provides a great opportunity to promote this to an international audience and we are delighted to be a part of it.”
Invest North East England, the North East LEP and the private sector partners attending MIPIM from the region can be found on stand number E31.
For more information about Invest North East England, visit investnortheastengland.co.uk or follow @InvestNEEngland on Twitter. Or to find out more about MIPIM London, visit mipimuk.co.uk.