• Combined Authority Chief Executive Katherine Fairclough shares her reflections on a successful week at MIPIM.

We had a really productive few days at MIPIM in Cannes – despite the fact the weather felt at times more like the UK than the south of France!

MIPIM is one of the highlights of my working year and the 2025 event has been a huge success for the Liverpool City Region and all our partner organisations.

There have been some rich conversations with key investors from the UK and overseas, new relationships formed, and existing ones strengthened.

As the world’s biggest property investment showcase, it’s a privilege to share the stories of the City Region and its great investment opportunities across key growth sectors. Our pavilion stand was really eye-catching and proved a real draw, featuring iconic landmarks from the region and showing strengths in innovation, culture, science, transport and housing.

Whether that’s Health and Life Sciences, Maritime, Advanced Manufacturing, or Creative and Digital there really is something here in our City Region for everyone.

Our message last week was clear and has been heard – when organisations choose to work with us and invest in our City Region, they become part of an ecosystem that includes some of the world’s most influential institutions. At the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority we are here to convene partnerships, foster collaborations, connect people and places.  We work together, we deliver great projects and we’re open for business.

LCR’s clusters of economic opportunity, combined with world-leading innovation assets and strong leadership, put us in a prime position to grow. We’re creating an environment within the Liverpool City Region where businesses can thrive, and investment can flourish.

As well as the opportunity to showcase our impressive investment portfolio, I also think MIPIM is a chance for us to learn.

There is so much innovation going on across the world and you get a strong sense of that at MIPIM; of people engaging in business growth and really making change happen.

 It was great to be there with the Mayor, with Liverpool City Council’s Leader and our Cabinet Member for Innovation, Cllr Liam Robinson, with CA Executive Director for Investment and Delivery, Tim Games, Corporate Director, City Development at Liverpool City Council Nuala Gallagher, Director of Regeneration at Liverpool City Council, Sophie Bevan and Head of Commercial Development for Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and Chair of Liverpool City Region Inward Investment Board, Gavin Quinn.

We were joined by close to 80 senior colleagues from the partnership we convened to deliver a joined up and significant delegation at this important showcase. Huge thanks to all our partners and advisors who were part of the delegation as well as all our colleagues at the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and Liverpool City Council who helped make the week such a success.

I was also delighted and inspired to be on an all-female panel last Tuesday on Devolution and the future of urban regeneration – trailblazers and inspiring female leaders.

For a look at what we were promoting to investors as the Liverpool City Region, here’s our Investment Prospectus MIPIM-Investment-Guide-Web.pdf.

Photo by Phil Magowan / Press Eye

It was a whirlwind week of panels, discussions and roundtables and I’ve been thrilled to share our vision and values about inclusive innovation, how to make a difference in communities and improve business strength, growth and productivity.

It’s been inspiring too to meet with colleagues from other European city regions too and our close neighbours in the UK and Northern Ireland.