Five ways to get the most out of MIPIM 2017

Premier real estate event MIPIM is back again for another year, and with it come the most influential players from all sectors of the international property industry for four days of networking, learning and deal-making.

Having attended MIPIM for many years and supported our clients throughout their visits, we’ve picked up some helpful tips to make sure you’re getting the most out of your (hopefully) sunny, productive trip to Cannes.

Reconnect with old contacts

If you’ve been in the industry for a while, chances are you have countless old contacts that you haven’t seen for a long time. MIPIM is the perfect opportunity to reconnect, find out if they’ll be attending Cannes this year and get a meeting set up.

The importance of this is two-pronged – there’s a chance you’ll end up doing business and start bringing in more revenue. There’s also the chance that they’ll introduce you to their own contacts and new business opportunities. MIPIM is all about creating new contacts and reconnecting with old ones, so utilise this time while you have it.

Never underestimate the power of people and authentic working relationships.

Plan your schedule in advance

If you show up to MIPIM with no idea of what you intend on doing, which events you want to attend or who you want to meet, then you’ve put yourself on the back foot.

Before you set off, make sure that you have an understanding of the venue, know which keynote speakers you want to see and who you want to take insights from. This event plays host to some of the biggest names in the industry whose knowledge is incredibly valuable, so don’t waste the opportunity to take advantage of this through poor planning.

And of course, it’s a networking event, so prepare your list of contacts and be ready to meet them, making sure you’ve some time set aside for adhoc networking – you never know who you’re going to meet!

Also, think beyond your immediate region and take the opportunity to ask for referrals before you go out there – people are happier to have ‘cold’ meetings when the sun is out!

Set targets

Know what you want to achieve whilst you’re at MIPIM – set yourself a list of targets and work your way through them. Do you want to come back with a certain amount of leads? Maybe you just want some more contacts within the industry? Have some clear, concise targets to work towards so that you know your time at MIPIM will be a successful one.

Perfect your pitch

You’re going to the property networking event of the year, so there’s absolutely no point in showing up if you don’t know how you’re going to pitch yourself or your company to prospective business partners and clients.

Work on your pitch until you’re happy with it, and practice it on your colleagues to ensure you know it back to front. Naturally with networking, conversation can take different routes, but if you know the main themes you want to cover then you can always steer it back to get the most out of each person you speak to.

Visit the Midlands Pavilion, London Stand and The Manchester Pavilion

The Midlands Pavilion and London Stand are brand new to MIPIM 2017, and act as a main focus-point for UK property prospects, as well as presentations and panel discussions.

Manchester will also be demonstrating its continuing global ambition with a brand new venue at The Majestic Beach, Majestic Barrière Hotel, Boulevard de la Croisette, presenting a fantastic opportunity to connect with the largest delegation Manchester’s ever brought to Cannes.

Utilise these venues if you’re keen on doing more business within the UK, and want to learn more about how the property industry within your area is going to change and evolve this year.

Side note: consider internet restrictions

As a helpful side note, it’s important to consider internet restrictions within MIPIM. There will be thousands of people in one venue, all trying to use the same wifi connections, so your chances of having good internet will be limited.

Invest in portable wifi that you can use across Europe such as Hippocketwifi – this will ensure you never lose contact with your team or those who you plan to meet and network with.

Have your say

Do you have any tips for those who are going to MIPIM this year? If so, leave us a comment below. If you want more advice on how to make the most out of MIPIM, get in contact with us at Roland Dransfield and find out how we can help you.