UKREiiF makes move to Mersey waterfront
Liverpool has been confirmed as the property conference’s host city for 2028 and 2029, as the organisation prepares to move on from Leeds following the 2027 edition.
Founded in the city, the 2027 event will head to Leeds’ Royal Armouries for a sixth time from 18–20 May 2027 before calling time on the Yorkshire city.
UKREiiF will then move to the Liverpool Experience Campus, which has secured the rights to host the event for two years at least at the city’s waterfront from 2028.
UKREiiF said that the decision to move to Liverpool aligns with its strategic direction and continued growth, with the Liverpool Experience Campus – which has this hosted the Labour Party conference for a fifth successive year, having become a fixture of the political circuit – offering room for the event to keep expanding and a wide choice of accommodation for delegates as UKREiiF enters its next chapter.
As far back as 2023 the question was being asked as to how long Leeds could accommodate the event, with Arup research reporting that the city’s hotels had been completely full for that year’s event.
Issues raised included some panel sessions being hard to access due to size constraints, and an over-reliance on good weather, with much of the event being in marquees, and street food trucks accounting for much of the F&B offer.
Leeds has been a popular host though, warmly welcoming the industry. Since launching in 2022, the event has grown into a major forum, bringing together thousands of delegates from government, investment, development, local authorities and the wider built environment to drive investment, regeneration and economic growth.
UKREiiF estimates that more than £4bn of investment and projects are in the pipeline or are being delivered as a direct result of the event.
The successful bid was developed in partnership by Liverpool Experience Campus, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, Liverpool City Council and Liverpool BID Company.
LCR Mayor Steve Rotheram said: “This is a massive win for the Liverpool City Region and a real vote of confidence in everything we’ve been building together. UKREiiF is the UK’s premier real estate, investment and infrastructure event – and from 2028, it’ll call Liverpool home. That means thousands of investors, developers and decision-makers coming here and seeing first-hand the ambition, talent and opportunities right across our city region.
“I want to put on record my genuine thanks to Leeds and West Yorkshire. They’ve done a brilliant job hosting UKREiiF and building it into the major event it is today. Taking the baton from them is a privilege – and we’ll work hard to build on the foundations they’ve laid and take it to the next level.
“We’ve seen with Labour Party Conference how Liverpool can take a major national event and make it part of the fabric of the city – growing together and creating something that feels bigger than the conference itself. That’s the ambition for UKREiiF too.”
Faye Dyer, chief executive of Liverpool Experience Campus, said: “UKREiiF’s move to Liverpool is a reflection of the event’s remarkable success and ambition. Having been expertly developed and grown into the UK’s leading real estate, investment and infrastructure forum, the event now requires scale, flexibility and capacity to support its next chapter.
“Liverpool Experience Campus provides the experienced team and infrastructure to realise that ambition – a combination of conference, exhibition and arena facilities, alongside extensive outdoor waterfront event space, all seamlessly connected across a single campus. This enables organisers to bring together thousands of delegates in one location, while retaining the flexibility to expand and evolve year after year.”
Nathan Spencer, co-founding director and managing director of UKREiiF, said: “UKREiiF has grown enormously since we held our first event in 2022, and the support of people and businesses in Leeds and West Yorkshire has been a massive part of that success – and I truly thank them for all they’ve done for us.
“UKREiiF is now moving into its next chapter, with both domestic growth and international expansion. After reviewing our strategic direction, we believe Liverpool gives us a site and a city region that can support our continued growth. It offers a warm welcome for delegates and the space and flexibility to help the event continue to grow. Crucially, it also allows us to retain the things that make UKREiiF special, while pushing the event beyond the walls of a traditional conference.”
