DIARY


SUSAN FREEMAN PARTNER MISHCON DE REYA


REVIEW021 A NETWORKING WHIRLWIND


Widely known as one of real estate’s best networkers, there is no worthwhile event at MIPIM that Mishcon de Reya partner Susan Freeman does not know about. This year, reporting live for EG, she made sure readers knew all about them too.


MIPIM DAY ONE This promises to be a vintage MIPIM. UK del- egate numbers are up 20% on last year, I was reliably informed by FTI’s Sue Brown on the packed flight out of Heathrow. I arrived straight from the airport with just


time to drop my bags at the hotel before joining the end of lunch with McAlpine’s Robert Neill at the Armani café, seemingly one of the few remaining Croisette café/restaurant establish- ments. Then on to a great MIPIM warm-up dinner with Harvey Soning, Coutts’ Barry Williamson and Liz Peace at Maschou in the old town. Then back to the Carlton for drinks with Anthony Tokatly and Tony Lorenz (star of the recent TV show on Mayfair.) Where was Sebastian, his parrot co-star? I asked. “He’ll be flying in later,” said Tony, without missing a beat.


Finally, time to unpack my case before turn-


ing in. I feel I may have overdone the shoes this year – I counted 11 pairs, including two pairs of boots, on the basis that you can’t have too many shoes.


MIPIM DAY TWO Tuesday didn’t start well. A “goat rodeo”, as my Twitter acquaintance Guy Grainger said MIPIM had been described to him. An American expression, akin to “herding cats”, I imagine. Anyway, the breakfast I had planned at the


Carlton was apparently moved to the Majestic, so I had breakfast toute seule while grappling with the Carlton’s “upgraded” WiFi. Tonight was the annual Mishcon de Reya MIPIM dinner at another Cannes institution, Petite Maison. The room was the usual riotous gathering of real estate’s great and good. British Land’s Chris Grigg rubbed shoulders with Nick Candy. The place was heaving, the food fantastic, but sadly in the end we couldn’t do justice to the tiramisu. On the walk back, Deirdre Foley and I made


the mistake of stopping on a corner to catch up on events. We realised pretty quickly from the appraising looks we were getting from passing punters that, for ladies at MIPIM, standing on street corners is not a good networking ploy.


MIPIM DAY THREE Wednesday was always going to be a mara- thon. I achieved my goal of getting to two breakfasts, two lunches, various dinners and parties and lived to tell the tale. First up was the British Property Federa-


tion investment breakfast, a very busy event at which there was standing room only. GVA’s Rob Bould alerted us to the fact that MIPIM is known as the “undertakers’ conference” because there are so many grey suits. Then the equally packed Movers & Shakers and JLL MIPIM breakfast on UK city leadership. The next hour was spent navigating the back


streets of Cannes to locate the local “cordon- nier” to mend my broken boot. This involved a negotiation to retrieve the boot before evening. Lunch started with the Europa Capital buffet


lunch on the beach. Then back along the beach for the Savills lunch. Before I knew it, it was 3pm and time to reclaim the boot for a quick dash back to the Palais for Pat Brown’s London stand panel “Where next for BIDS?” After excellent drinks receptions with CapCo


and London Chamber of Commerce, dinner was with Robert Davis and the New West End Company. The night continued with some great parties courtesy of Legal & General, Tristan Capital


and AEW. Those who still had the stamina (and/or flat shoes) danced the night away in style.


MIPIM DAY FOUR Apparently the Tristan Capital bash continued unabated until 4am. Hats off to those who made it until the end and were still up for early morning meetings! Meetings were at the Carlton this morning so I didn’t even see the sun, except during a quick circuit of the driveway before lunch. The Topland buffet lunch was held in the discreet elegance of the Carlton’s Sharon Stone Suite, which certainly lives up to its glamorous name. Then a quick canter down to the Majestic for the MIPIM UK tea party. With tea hardly over it was time for the James Andrew International and Coutts & Co party. It was busier than ever – hardly surprising as it is such a well-attended event and the only MIPIM party at which you are served smoked salmon specially flown in from London. Then it was a relaxed evening serenaded by the Gypsy Queens at Petite Maison, again. After dinner, down to the “Boat That Rocks” party courtesy of Citygrove and Doherty Baines. Read Freeman’s blog in full at www.estatesgazette.com/mipim


FOR FULL COVERAGE OF MIPIM 2015 GO TO WWW.ESTATESGAZETTE.COM/MIPIM


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