Being in commercial property, this conference is always an exciting time. The streets buzz with activity as delegates go back and forth between sessions and fringe meetings. Later in the day, crowds fill the bars at different events, chatting about their day, who they met and what sessions they’ve been to, the opportunities they’ve had introduced, what’s inspired them and who they want to meet. Now in its sixth year and having grown to over 16,000 delegates, it demonstrates how important this event is in the UK property calendar. I love that Leeds is the host city and from our Calls Wharf location we get a front row seat to all the activity.
Yet there’s more to Leeds being the host city than just convenience.
The conference has generated an estimated £38.5m in economic benefits through supporting local businesses, the regional leisure and tourism industry and creating jobs. The original location search back in 2022 included other cities including Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool showing a deliberate intent around moving away from London centric thinking and switching emphasis onto regional cities and northern markets. Investors and business leaders that ignore the regions will miss significant opportunities over the next decade. Leeds is already seeing deliverable growth momentum, with ambitious plans to drive more investment and job creation across the city.
Our niche, the flexilbe workspace market has grown into an asset class in its own right and plays a significant role in enabling business growth. Flex gives companies the ability to expand or start up quickly and easily into new regions with high quality, amenity rich, ready to go space, be that a regional base or a new HQ. At the same time, more flex is a growth signal in itself; with more locations and developments designed specifically for the flex market creating jobs, communities and long-term economic value. Flex not only supports economic growth, but in itself it is the economic growth.
And whilst we might not be guaranteed the sunshine of Cannes, the north of the UK is where the real conversations happen and where the meaningful chats occur with measurable outcomes.
We 'll have our doors open at
Calls Wharf to anyone that might need to join a quick call between events; our
meeting rooms and
coworking spaces are all available, and this year we’re one of the proud hosts of a major fringe event (more details on that later). And whilst we may not attend the formal conference sessions in person, the diary is filling up with fringe events and meetings with industry contacts and colleagues that are travelling to Leeds for the event.
We can’t wait – if you are in Leeds for the conference, please do pop in to Calls Wharf if you need a seat, a coffee and decent wifi!