MIPIM Asia 2017

Dates: 28–29 November 2017
Company: Reed MIDEM

The annual MIPIM Asia property leaders’ summit welcomed more than 900 real estate professionals and industry experts from around the world. The event’s programme included high-level presentations and discussion panels on emerging trends and developments across all sectors of the international property industry.

Carrie Lam, chief executive of the Government of the Hong Kong SAR, presented the welcome address, highlighting the administration’s focus on new growth areas linked to innovation and technology. In her speech, she emphasised a number of her administration’s initiatives, including plans to deliver more research and development funding to universities and nurture local talent, developing the Hong Kong–Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park, and large-scale infrastructure projects in the Greater Bay Area that will further strengthen Hong Kong’s position as a super-connector.

Louis Kuijs, head of Asia Economics at Oxford Economics, presented the keynote titled The Economic Outlook for Asia in a Changing World. “Property remains a popular theme globally given the low interest rate environment that we are still faced with,” he said. “Naturally, investors will keep a keen eye on the United States’ monetary and fiscal policies and closely monitor China’s deleveraging efforts and proposed tightening measures on credit, coupled with the tensions on the Korean peninsula.”

Industry veterans Vincent Lo, chairman of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) and founder and chairman of the Shui On Group, and Ronnie C. Chan, chairman of Hang Lung Properties Ltd, shared their views on both the investment landscape and large-scale projects that are expected to have a major impact on the real estate market in China and across the Asia-Pacific region.

“The roadmap for the One Belt One Road is very ambitious, and it will be a challenging task for all stakeholders involved, from both the public and private sectors,” said Lo. “I believe that Hong Kong can play an essential role in this process thanks to the city’s expertise in construction and property development, and Hong Kong can definitely serve as a gateway city and commercial platform in the One Belt One Road initiative.”

Chan hosted a retail session on Excelling in Strengthening Partnerships with Retail Tenants, highlighting the need for retailers to create an elevated in-store experience to attract consumers. “The conventional relationship model between landlords and tenants is changing,” Chan said. “It’s becoming more important for landlords to develop a direct relationship with consumers and add a B2C component to the equation.”

In a lively session on urban development, titled Mayors’ Think Tank: The Attractiveness of Cities, representatives from Paris, Brisbane and Manchester discussed the need to strike a balance between community interests and incentive-based regulation schemes. Topics analysed revolved around brand building for cities, soft power strategies and assets, concerns of offering real estate assets as a form of financing, and smart city development from tech solutions versus strategic long-term planning and growth.

Nine companies from around the world were selected as finalists for the MIPIM Startup Competition and pitched their ideas and business models to a jury panel. The three winners from Hong Kong were Snapflat, an app for landlords and tenants; WeMaintain, a marketplace connecting maintenance mechanics and property and facilities managers; and Workwell, a mobile intranet app for large companies. They will compete in the MIPIM Startup Competition finals in Cannes, France at MIPIM 2018.

The MIPIM Asia Summit closed with the MIPIM Asia Awards Gala Dinner, where 33 of the best architectural projects in Asia from 2017 were recognised for excellence across 11 categories.