Earlier this year, we published a complete guide to MIPIM for UK property professionals. It covered costs, where the networking happens, and how to prepare.
Our team have now returned from their fourth consecutive year in Cannes. Whilst our leadership team are seasoned MIPIM goers, this year was the first time for two of our Relationship Managers. Each person provides a unique perspective on MIPIM and the value it holds.
In this blog, through the voices of our CEO, Directors, and Origination team, we uncover the true value of MIPIM, what to expect from your first time, and the question people ask every year - is it worth it?
The real return isn't measured in days
The scepticism around MIPIM is understandable. Flights, hotels, and dinners in Cannes during one of the most expensive weeks of the year leaves you asking, once again, is it worth it?
Most people who dismiss MIPIM as expensive and over-hyped are measuring the wrong thing. If you're counting deals signed by Friday, you'll come back disappointed.
Prod Adamou, Director and Chair at Lendhub with over 30 years of experience working in property and finance, shared his view: “The industry has always been relationship-led, and MIPIM hasn't changed that foundation. What's changed is the pace. You can now meet dozens of potential partners in a few intense days, with those initial conversations followed by the same trust-building that's always mattered. Same game, much faster starting point, far wider reach.”
What compounds over time
Ever since Lendhub first attended MIPIM, it became a highlight in the calendar. Having the time away from the desk each year to focus on expanding our network and nurturing relationships is invaluable.
Richard Nordgreen, Managing Director, was back in Cannes for the third time in a row. His early trips were about orientation with a focus on making connections and finding his feet. This year, Richard built on that early groundwork and saw the benefits come through.
"The shift was from building relationships to seeing them actually work. People bringing you into conversations, making introductions unprompted. You can't accelerate that. It comes from trust, and trust is built by showing up consistently over time and following through."
The digitalisation question comes up every year. If you can do everything on a video call, why fly to Cannes? Richard's view on this is that digital tools and AI make the human element more valuable, not less. A conversation you’ve had this year can be why someone introduces you to the right person in three years. That can't be manufactured remotely.
He also made an observation that stuck with us. In an industry where uncertainty is the norm, relationships hold more value than ever. "Being around people you trust, doing serious work with integrity, is energising" as Richard points out.
Prod put it more bluntly. “The value of being at MIPIM can't be quantified, but being in the mix reminds people that you're a serious player. Sometimes showing up is the statement.”
Chris Adamou, CEO, has attended since 2019. His view is simple: "Despite all the changes in the market, relationships remain at the core of everything we do. Face-to-face interaction still carries huge value, and the strongest opportunities continue to come from trusted, long-term connections.”
What our first-timers found
Three of our team, Francesco, Jack, and Dan, attended MIPIM for the first time this year. Their reactions were strikingly similar.
Francesco Prelorenzo, Investment Manager, described MIPIM as “a reminder of how large the ecosystem around property finance really is, and how many touchpoints into what we do are easy to underestimate from behind a desk. It's also a reminder of how far your ripples spread. You bump into people from yesteryear that you hadn't expected to see."
Jack Bruce, Relationship Manager, found “speaking to people face to face at MIPIM fast-tracks relationships in a way that phone calls can't replicate. Everyone is there to connect. There's no question of whether it's the right time to speak to someone. At MIPIM, it always is.”
Dan Margolis, Relationship Manager, said the experience far exceeded his expectations. “Back home, everyone is spinning plates between work and life. MIPIM removes all of that.” What surprised him most was that the conversations that mattered weren't about deals, they were about life outside the office. Many of his most meaningful interactions had nothing to do with transactions and everything to do with building genuine rapport.
What brokers are telling us
From dozens of broker conversations across the week, one theme came through louder than anything else: relationships matter more than rates.
Jack heard it repeatedly. “Brokers want lenders they can trust to deliver on what's promised, to be flexible where it counts, and to always act in the best interests of their clients. Rates and leverage matter, but they're secondary to reliability and communication.” Dan echoed this. The brokers he spoke with placed the highest value on a lender's ability to follow through, answer calls and emails on the same day, and communicate clearly throughout.
That's a useful signal for any lender. Product is table stakes. What sets you apart is how you behave when the deal gets complicated.
What the market is saying
MIPIM is one of the few places where you can take the temperature of the market across hundreds of conversations in a single week. Here's what we heard.
The mood has shifted
The general sentiment was more positive than you might expect. Richard described it well: “the industry has absorbed so many external shocks now, Brexit, Covid, elections, the mini-budget, tariffs, geopolitical turbulence. That uncertainty has stopped feeling temporary, it's now permanent. And rather than waiting for calm, people are building through it.”
Francesco framed it as a shift from "survive until '25" to "in the mix in '26.” He found that “the appetite to transact is there, but it's selective. The consensus across the week was fundamentals are improving, capital is available, and the urge to act is outweighing the urge to wait.”
Viability, not planning, is the bottleneck
One of the more striking themes was around development. Francesco noted that residential viability, not planning consent, has become the biggest barrier to getting deals done. High build costs, labour shortages, and debt pricing are making schemes unworkable even where planning exists. Consented schemes are sitting there, not being implemented.
Jack saw this reflected in broker conversations too: "The refurb-and-retain model continues to perform well, but the development space is trickier given slow sales and higher build costs."
The elephants in the room
The team had more conversations about geopolitics than property. The conflict involving Iran was a genuine concern, particularly around its impact on interest rates. Swap rates were already spiking on the news, raising questions about whether rate cuts would arrive as expected. Paradoxically, the disruption from US trade policy is pushing capital toward Europe, viewed as more stable by comparison.
They also found the collapse of Market Financial Solutions was impossible to ignore. MFS entered administration in February amid allegations of double-pledging, and the fallout is still unfolding. For bridging lenders and the brokers who work with them, it raises uncomfortable but necessary questions about oversight, transparency, and how funding structures operate in this space.
Francesco noted that the consensus was clear: “The way these structures work will need to change, and platforms will have to adapt. In the short term, it's unwelcome noise for bridging. In the longer term, it may be the catalyst for stronger standards across the sector.”
Max Herman, Director, said: “It was reassuring to see professionals across the industry laser-focused on doing good work despite the noise. That focus felt like the defining mood of the week.”
Advice for anyone considering MIPIM in 2027
- Structure your days, but leave room for the unexpected. Book meetings, but don't go back-to-back. Conversations will overrun for the right reasons, and you'll bump into people worth speaking to. The last thing you want is to let someone down because you've overbooked, or to miss an important conversation because you're rushing to the next one.
- Speak to everyone. Don't limit yourself to your immediate network. Some of the best conversations happen with people outside your usual circle. And don't be shy. The whole point of being there is to put yourself out there.
- Plan your hosting early. Lunches and dinners should be organised well in advance, ideally by mid-January. And start engaging with your network in the weeks before to find out who's attending.
- Write everything down. You'll meet someone useful at 11 pm and by Thursday, you won't remember what you talked about. Max said: “note down who you've met and the key points of the conversation while they're still fresh.”
Lendhub at MIPIM
We sent seven people across different roles and levels of experience because we believe the value of MIPIM isn't reserved for leadership. Relationships are built at every level, and the conversations our Relationship Managers have on the ground are just as important as any boardroom meeting.
We'll be back in 2027. If you're going too, we'd love to meet.
If you're planning your events calendar for the rest of the year, take a look at our Industry Events Calendar for conferences, networking events, and awards happening across the UK in 2026.
