- UKREiiF is a new annual event that will connect people, places and businesses in order to accelerate the levelling up agenda and unlock sustainable, inclusive and transformational investment
- Conference speakers include a host of senior figures from national and local government, as well as leading developers and investors
- Awards to celebrate pioneers in the ESG agenda, including Net Zero Hero of the Year, Social Value & Inclusive Growth Creator of the Year and Net Zero Place of the Year
Greater Manchester Combined Authority and The Liverpool Place Partnership are teaming up to showcase the region’s economy for investment opportunities at a new conference and exhibition set to bring together thousands of public sector representatives and international investors and developers under one roof.
The inaugural The UK’s Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum (UKREiiF) takes place from 17-19 May in Leeds and is aimed at connecting people, places and businesses in order to accelerate the levelling up agenda and unlock sustainable, inclusive and transformational investment across the country.
Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council, Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor of Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, and Joanne Anderson, Mayor of Liverpool City Council are among the keynote speakers taking centre stage at the event. They will be joined by Lord Grimstone, Minister for Investment at the Department for International Trade, Baroness Vere, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Transport, John Flint, Chief Executive at UK Infrastructure Bank, and Bridget Rosewell, Commissioner at the National Infrastructure Commission.
Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said: “Despite an incredibly challenging couple of years, Greater Manchester has come out of the pandemic with more ambition and energy than ever before. Our sights are set on a swift recovery that includes everyone.
“UKREiiF marks an important first step for Greater Manchester as it puts itself back out on the national and international stage. We’re a city-region that is open for business, open to innovation, and open to partnership.”
Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Chief Executive Katherine Fairclough said: “We are committed to building a better, cleaner and more inclusive City Region that leaves no-one behind and we look forward to sharing our vision and plans with investors.
“Our pre-pandemic economic growth stood out nationally and now we’re back on track, more determined than ever. Teaming up with our colleagues from Greater Manchester we will showcase the best of the north-west and the massive investment opportunities available to business and to Government, to deliver its levelling-up promise.”
Eamonn Boylan, Chief Executive of Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), said: “Greater Manchester will exhibit at UKREiiF to profile the city-region’s investment opportunities to both national and international investors, developers and occupiers.
“We will be sharing a platform with our partners at Liverpool City Region and our joint programme will tackle key themes that are important to both regions, including Levelling Up, the journey to Net Zero, and inclusive growth.”
Stephen Cowperthwaite, Chair of the Liverpool Place Partnership, said: “Levelling up is a big discussion point at the moment. Liverpool and Manchester joining up at UKREiiF provides the perfect opportunity to demonstrate the collective strength in these two great city regions and what we can achieve by working together collaboratively.
“There are challenges that towns and cities across the UK are facing, not least issues relating to the ESG agenda. Events such as UKREiiF are essential for bringing the public and private sectors together to find sustainable solutions and appropriate investment to ensure that we are creating better places for our communities.”
Other public sector bodies also throwing their weight behind the event include Birmingham City Council, Midlands Engine, multiple London boroughs and Glasgow City Council, alongside Belfast City Council and Hull and the Humber and York and North Yorkshire combined authorities.
Wolverhampton, Blackpool, Carlisle, Staffordshire, Bradford, Cornwall, and Fife councils, Tees Valley Combined Authority, Invest Newcastle, Western Gateway – which covers Cardiff, Bristol and Swansea – and Thames Estuary Growth Board have also signed up.
Private sector representation is equally strong, with dozens of exhibitors already signed up including Englobe, LandTech, First Base, Capital & Centric, JLL, MEPC, Countryside, Faithful & Gould, Atkins, Tarmac, Queensberry, Thirteen Group, Celtic Englobe, Delta Simons, Maber, E.ON and ERE Property.
Taking place at Royal Armouries Leeds & Leeds Dock, UKREiiF will be one of the only such events to take place outside London, highlighting the huge investment opportunities that are available right across the UK.
Amanda Griffiths, Director at Built Environment Networking, UKREiiF’s organiser, said: “We are very pleased to be welcoming leaders from the Greater Manchester and Liverpool regions to the inaugural UKREiiF, where they will have a chance to showcase great new investment opportunities for a host of delegates from across the public and private sectors.
“The rich mix of exhibitors signed up so far is highly encouraging and underscores the high demand for this type of event, which is centred around inclusivity and sustainability. Clearly, both the public and private sectors are seeing UKREiiF as valuable opportunity to come together for mutual benefit and for the good of the country.”
Strong conference agenda and high-level speakers
In addition to showcasing investment opportunities to investors, developers and house builders, UKREiiF’s conference agenda will address key themes, including the UK’s net zero target, social value and inclusive growth, the future of real estate and building better communities.
Griffiths added: “At the heart of the show’s reason for being, is improved outcomes for all people. That means promoting social value as well as environmental sustainability in real estate, as well as breaking down barriers and promoting diversity in all its forms in the real estate industry.”
Confirmed keynote speakers include Lord Grimstone, Minister for Investment at the Department for International Trade, and John Flint, Chief Executive at UK Infrastructure Bank, with further names due to be added imminently.
The conference will also hear from leading lights in local government, including Andrew Kerr OBE, Chief Executive of The City of Edinburgh Council, Marvin Rees, the Mayor of Bristol, and Suzanne Wylie, Chief Executive of Belfast City Council, Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, and Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands.
The agenda is also replete with influential figures from central government and national agencies, including Nick Harris, Chief Executive of National Highways, Baroness Vere, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Transport, Bridget Rosewell, Commissioner at the National Infrastructure Commission, and Dr Janet Young, Chief Property Officer of the UK Government, as well as Gareth Rhys Williams, Government Chief Commercial Officer in the Cabinet Office, and Peter Denton, Chief Executive of Homes England.
On the private sector side, meanwhile, speakers include Anna Devlet, Head of Social Sustainability at British Land, Lynda Shillaw, Chief Executive Officer at the Harworth Group, Katie Kopec, International Director at JLL, Jennie Coleville, Head of ESG and Sustainability at Landsec, and Jennie Daly, Group Operations Director at Taylor Wimpey. Heads of leading occupiers include Dr Kath Mackay, Director at Bruntwood Life Sciences, and Andy Williams, Vice President, UK Strategy, at AstraZeneca.
Awards to celebrate environmental and social sustainability
As well as hosting the conference and exhibition, the event will also include an awards dinner on the evening of Tuesday 17th May. The awards feature categories specifically dedicated to celebrating pioneers in the ESG agenda, including Net Zero Hero of the Year, Social Value & Inclusive Growth Creator of the Year and Net Zero Place of the Year
The event is being sponsored by the Department for International Trade and Government Property Function, signifying that UKREiiF is already seen as a key industry event by ministers and officials working at the heart of HM Government. Private sector partners include JLL, the UK Business Council for Sustainable Development and MX Insurance.
UKREiiF’s organisers are confident that the event will see more than 5,000 in person attendees, over 250 speakers across 14 stages, in excess of 100 exhibitors and at least 50 fringe events.
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