Every year, MIPIM draws 20,000 property professionals from all over the world to Cannes. This year, from the 9th to 13th March, the south of France will become the European epicentre of the global real estate industry.
Whether you're a small team, an SME, or a large corporation, the trip to Cannes does not come cheap. Much time and money is invested in MIPIM by its attendees and it begs the question: is it worth the investment?
This guide covers everything you need to know before going to Cannes: costs, where the networking happens, common mistakes to avoid, and practical advice from our team who've attended for four consecutive years. Whether you're weighing up your first trip or looking to get more from your tenth, this is what we wish we'd known.
What is MIPIM?
MIPIM (Marché International des Professionnels de l'Immobilier) is a property conference and trade show that has run annually since 1990. The official event takes place at the Palais des Festivals, with exhibition stands, conference sessions, and networking programmes. Tickets cost thousands of pounds.
When people in our industry talk about "going to MIPIM", they don't mean the expo itself. They mean going to Cannes during MIPIM week. The real draw is the concentration of people: investors, developers, lenders, brokers, lawyers, and surveyors, all in one small city at the same time. The networking happens in the cafés, restaurants, hotel lobbies, and evening events that spring up around the official conference.
The UK typically sends one of the largest delegations, with around 6,000 people making the trip. You'll recognise faces from across the industry, people you've worked with, competitors, introducers, and potential partners.
MIPIM 2026 runs from Sunday 9 March to Thursday 13 March. For four days, Cannes becomes the focus of the global property industry, and that concentration creates opportunities you simply can't replicate elsewhere.
How much does it cost?
Here are approximate costs for UK attendees per person:
Flights: Return flights from London to Nice start around £60-80 on easyJet if booked early with hand luggage only. BA or flexible fares with checked luggage run £150-250. Book at least 3 months ahead for the best prices.
Hotels: Hotels are the budget killer. Average room rates in Cannes during MIPIM week exceed €1,000 per night. Premium Croisette hotels (Martinez, Majestic Barrière, JW Marriott) often hit €1,200+.
The budget figure above assumes you're renting an apartment and splitting with colleagues, or staying outside Cannes (Nice or Antibes) and travelling in. The budget figure above assumes you're renting an apartment and splitting with colleagues, or staying outside Cannes (Nice or Antibes) and travelling in. Be wary of Airbnb listings that seem too good to be true.
Mid-range assumes early booking at a 3-star hotel away from the Croisette. If you want a central Cannes hotel booked at normal lead times, expect to pay significantly more. Book 6-12 months in advance for the best rates.
Food & drinks: Croisette restaurants typically charge €80-150 per head for dinner. Coffee meetings and lunches add up quickly. You can offset this by taking advantage of exhibitor receptions, sponsored events, and free networking drinks. £400 for the 4 days is doable if you're strategic. £800 gives you more flexibility to host.
Airport transfer: The train from Nice St-Augustin (10-min walk from the airport) to Cannes takes 30 minutes and costs around €7. Trains run every 20 minutes. A pre-booked private transfer runs €75-100 each way.
Where the networking happens
The value of MIPIM week is the concentration of industry people in one small city. Here's where to find them:
La Croisette cafés
The strip of cafés along the seafront becomes an outdoor office during MIPIM week. Our tip: La Californie. It's right next to the famous Café Roma, so you're in the heart of the action, but without the crowds. Café Roma is where everyone gravitates, which makes it harder to hold a proper conversation. Californie gives you the same location with more space to actually talk.
Beachfront restaurants
A lot of lunch meetings happen on the beach. Popular spots include Mademoiselle Gray Plage, CBeach, and Vega Luna. These offer a slightly more structured setting for conversations. Book ahead, particularly for groups; tables during MIPIM week fill up fast or get taken over by corporate events.
Hotel lobbies
The Martinez, Majestic Barrière, and JW Marriott lobbies are networking hubs. You don't need to be a guest to grab a coffee and hold a meeting. These are useful for scheduled catch-ups or escaping the crowds outside.
Corporate events
Law firms, banks, consultancies, and property companies host receptions and parties every evening. These can be a place for relationships to deepen after the formality of daytime meetings. Keep an eye on LinkedIn in the months leading up to MIPIM, as your connections will likely be posting about events they're attending.
Interactive map
We’ve put together an interactive map of Cannes featuring key MIPIM venues, recommended hotels, restaurants, cafés, and popular meeting spots, complete with direct links to each location to help you plan your week with ease.
Is MIPIM worth it?
This is the question everyone asks. The honest answer: it depends on your expectations.
MIPIM works for:
Professionals who understand that relationship-building takes time. The contact you make in March may become a deal partner in September. If your success runs on reputation and networks, MIPIM concentrates decision-makers like nowhere else.
For brokers: don't expect to find developer clients, but it's valuable for building relationships with lenders, investors, and fellow brokers.
MIPIM may not be right for:
Anyone needing immediate, measurable ROI. If you require signed deals within weeks of returning, you'll likely be disappointed. The work really starts after you get home.
It's also demanding. Days often run from 8am breakfast meetings to midnight drinks. You'll walk 15-20km daily. It's socially and physically exhausting. If that sounds more draining than energising, consider whether it's right for you.
Top tips from the Lendhub leadership team
Before this year's trip, we sat down with our directors to ask what they've learned from previous MIPIMs. Three things came up, and they apply whether you're a first-timer or a veteran.
Value organic networking - Chris Adamou, CEO
The instinct is to pack your diary wall-to-wall to justify the trip. Chris does the opposite. Some of the most useful conversations he's had at MIPIM weren't scheduled. They happened because he had time to say yes when someone suggested a coffee, or stayed at a table longer when a conversation got interesting.
His rule: block out at least a third of your week for whatever comes up.
Don't measure the week by deals closed - Richard Nordgreen, Managing Director
Richard's seen people come back from MIPIM disappointed because they didn't close anything. That's the wrong way to think about it. The contact you make on Wednesday might become a deal partner in September. Someone you have a quick coffee with could introduce you to your biggest client two years later. MIPIM rewards people who treat it as year one of a relationship, not a four-day sales push.
If you're counting signed deals by Friday, you're measuring the wrong thing. The real return shows up months later, sometimes years, when a conversation you barely remember turns into something concrete.
Write everything down before you go to bed - Max Herman, Director
Max’s advice sounds simple, but it's the thing most people forget. You'll meet someone useful at 11pm, exchange cards, and by Thursday you won't remember what you talked about. Whenever he has a spare moment between meetings, he writes down who he's met and the key conversation points.
The quality of your follow-up depends entirely on what you can actually remember.
Lendhub at MIPIM
Lendhub has had a presence at MIPIM since 2022. Over the years, it's become one of the most important weeks in our calendar.
We send a team to Cannes each year to meet brokers, developers, and investors face-to-face. We have broker relationships where the connection started in MIPIM, or where it deepened from transactional to genuine partnership. There's something about spending time together outside the usual phone calls and emails that changes how you work together.
You'll find us in the cafés along La Croisette, at lunch meetings on the beach, and at evening events across the city. We're not there to sell. We're there to listen, to understand what brokers are working on, and to have honest conversations about how we might help.
“Every year MIPIM reminds me why I love this industry. Bringing together inspiring people from every corner of real estate and finance to spark new thinking, new partnerships, and create new opportunities.” - Chris Adamou, CEO
Below are some highlights from our time at MIPIM last year:
