Scotland at MIPIM

Earlier in the year a joint initiative by MLA, PMP, Civic Engineers and Saffery brought together an expert panel to discuss ‘Attracting Occupiers and Investment: Why is Scotland Missing at MIPIM?”

In attendance was an audience of over 100 representatives from the Scottish property industry. The goal, to discuss the value of a collaborative private-public sector presence at MIPIM and assess the cost of not going in terms of lost investment.

Introducing the panel discussion MLA Director, Hazel Pearson said:

Panel Members 

Cllr Susan Aitken, Leader of Glasgow City Council 
Louise Norris – Partner, Lindsays LLP 
Jonathan Guthrie FCIAT – Director for Strategic Partnerships Robertson Group 
Lillian McDowall Head of Business Development, SCAPE Scotland 
Adam Russell, Investment Director, Drum Property Group 
Dino Moutsopoulos– Managing partner, Place North  
and Chair Dan Whelan Deputy Editor, North Place  

These were the key points from the panel discussion and audience Q&A. 

MIPIM is a global event bringing together international investors, making it an unparalleled opportunity to showcase Scotland as an investment destination. 

But previous publicly funded exhibits at MIPIM have been disappointing, lacked impact and put pressure on delegates to achieve short-term goals. 

With other cities, regions and countries maximising the opportunity, the panel explored the potential for Scotland to achieve its aims with a revised approach.  

“MIPIM is about two things. It’s about connecting international investors with places – that’s our number one priority. We have over 20k people who come to Cannes every year and over 30% are investors. 

The second is that it sets the conversation for the rest of the year – so it’s about being part of the conversation and being visible. Four trillion pounds of assets are under management at MIPIM this year. There is also a growing UK presence. Scotland’s voice is missing. Not having Scotland there, it’s noted by its absence.”  

Jake Tappenden- Lowe, UK Key Account Director, MIPIM 

“Being part of that international conversation, looking for the occupiers from other countries, widening our view about what we want for our towns and cities, that’s what MIPIM is all about. Yes, we get a flavour of that at other events, but MIPIM is a condensed form of the world in one place.” 

Jonathan Guthrie, Director for Strategic Partnerships Robertson Group 

Cities such as Manchester and London have a strong presence in the UK pavilion. Lack of representation means Scotland could be losing opportunities to other UK cities and regions but also to other countries. 

Scotland has very positive international recognition and could leverage this with a bold, collective approach to engage directly with investors. 

Previous visits by public representatives have drawn criticism for the perceived extravagance or lack of tangible ROI. The conversation needs to shift to seeing such events as investments in economic development, not expenses. 

‘We need more voices to push back against the howls of protest that occur every time a politician sets foot out of the country. We need to have voices more strongly saying that if we want to build on Scotland’s great successes already, we need to be where it’s happening, where the conversations are taking place and we need to look on that as an investment in Scotland’s economy and an investment in Scotland’s people and places.’ Susan Aitken, Leader of Glasgow City Council 

The panel champion a ‘Team Scotland’ approach which brings together public and private sectors across cities and regions, in order for the whole country to benefit.

“We need clarity about the outcomes that we want to collectively achieve. And then have a conversation about what we can collectively put into that, what our shared contribution will be as a joint public and private sector effort. A Team Scotland united front that is how it would have to be.”

Susan Aitken, Leader of Glasgow City Council

“It’s important to look forward because now more than ever there are going to be more public private partnerships. Now we have challenges around construction costs, labour, interest rates, planning framework – there’s so many things that need to be overcome to start developing. So, the public and private sector need to work really closely to deliver on everyone’s objectives – be that delivering office space, housing, retail whatever it is.”

Adam Russell, Investment Director, Drum Property Group

MIPIM should be part of a long-term investment promotion strategy, not a one-off marketing event. Establishing and nurturing relationships with investors over several years is key to seeing tangible results. 

“These are long term investments where you need to build up trust. So, the success is the longevity of these relationships.” 

Lillian McDowall, Head of Business Development, SCAPE Scotland 

“Having that long term view, strategic view is a really important one. We haven’t necessarily brought back tangible investment from our attendance at COP but what we have done is cemented Glasgow in the minds of the international networks, the investors, because they’re seeing us and hearing us repeat what our ambitions are and what we are doing to deliver them. We can’t repeat it often enough. We need to be out there singing our own praises as much as we can.” 

Susan Aitken, Leader of Glasgow City Council 

Although not all international investment has come through our presence at MIPIM there are certainly plenty of examples of success. 

‘Over a ten-year period, Scotland brought in £2 billion of investment by attending MIPIM. That’s a lot of jobs; that’s a lot of money into the economy. So, there’s definitely merit in being bold’. 

Lillian McDowall, Head of Business Development, SCAPE Scotland 

‘We definitely have evidence, we had investment that came out of MIPIM, in fact we are sitting in one. The first conversations that led to the development of Candleriggs Square, after decades of it sitting as a gap site, started at MIPIM’  

Susan Aitken, Leader of Glasgow City Council 

“St James Quarter in Edinburgh. But it wasn’t a decision that was made there and then it took a few visits back and forward.”  

Jonathan Guthrie, Director for Strategic Partnerships Robertson Group 

“The first year I was out there I was introduced to a national retailer with 6 outlets, and they’ve now expanded into Scotland, so we’ve been acting for them. And last year it was an international drinks firm and they’re investing in their Scottish properties.” 

Louise Norris, Partner, Lindsays LLP 

As part of a collaborative strategy, Scotland needs to clearly articulate what it offers to investors: e.g., affordable opportunities, strong innovation economy, regeneration projects, and key sectors like housing and sustainability.  

“An education piece is needed. We’re not going to get investment for Scotland if people don’t know what sectors we’ve got and what key areas they can come and invest in. We need to show people what we’ve got. It’s a shopfront isn’t it.”  

Lillian McDowall Head of Business Development, SCAPE Scotland 

“If you haven’t been there since pre-Pandemic you need to start again. But the Scotland brand is very strong. A lot of people have an idea of what Scotland has to offer and that might be true but some of it may be wrong. And you’ve got to go and tell them, and you’ve got to tell them what good looks like.” 

Dino Moutsopoulos, Managing partner, Place North 

“Scotland’s building on success here. Scotland consistently ranks, outside of the SE of England, as one of the best performing regions in the UK for inward investment and has done so for years. Edinburgh and Glasgow are consistently in the top 5 for UK investment. We’ve got a lot to shout about, a lot to boast about, a lot to promote. 

Let’s make sure that we’ve got collective strategies and go out with a clear message about our pipeline of potential developments, knowing what we want, what we’ve got to offer and clear about the opportunities. It’s a very simple message – talk to us and work with us.” 

Susan Aitken, Leader of Glasgow City Council 

Cities like Manchester and countries like Saudi Arabia showcase how bold, confident branding and clear investment offers make a difference at MIPIM. Scotland can emulate these strategies while playing to its unique strengths. 

“Who could we emulate? The obvious answer is Manchester. What the public sector brings is support. Elected officials from Great Manchester are there and they’re saying ‘We will support you. We’ll help break down any barriers that you may have. We’re here to help incentivise you to invest in our country.’ That’s the tone we need to be setting.” 

Adam Russell, Investment Director, Drum Property Group 

“It needs to be a partnership across Scotland between public and private sector. I liked London’s approach, Sadiq Khan gave a presentation about the opportunities that are open for London, and it was both public and private sector and actually even Network Rail were part of that conversation this year.”    

Louise Norris, Partner, Lindsays LLP 

With UK based events like UKReiif, some question the need to travel to mainland Europe and the carbon cost of flying delegates to France. But smaller strategic teams would not only reduce overall costs but also lower the environmental impact of travel. 

“This sector does not travel very much compared to others. This is one trip a year to Cannes, it’s not that far away, it’s still in Europe and it’s for 5 days! The amount of work you can do in that period and the amount of meetings you can have is enough of a compensation to say it’s not that big a footprint.” 

Dino Moutsopoulos, Managing partner, Place North 

The panel concluded that given our increased international profile post-COP26 and continued strong FDI performance, now is an opportune moment for Scotland to re-enter the MIPIM stage with a clear, collaborative, and ambitious offer. 

Since then the founding partners have been working hard to plan for MIPIM 2026. A delegation of eight founding sponsors – PMP, MLA, Drum Property Group, Brodies LLP, Robertson Group, Civic Engineers, Saffery and OOBE – has been established to lead the Scotland at MIPIM initiative.

Find out more about how your business can get involved by downloading the Scotland at MIPIM brochure