Industrial and logistics real estate will have unprecedented exposure at MIPM 2012 with the first dedicated Logistics Pavilion and a complete conference program devoted to this fast-growing sector of the real estate industry.
"Industrial and logistics real estate is attracting more and more industry professionals. At last year's MIPIM, 20% of investment companies were involved in this sector. This is why MIPIM 2012 is highlighting this growing business area with a special first-time Logistics Pavilion in the exhibition area and a series of conferences followed by 'Link-In' discussion sessions for meetings with industry experts," says Filippo Rean, Director of MIPIM.
To help identify emerging trends in this sector and draw attention to new opportunities, MIPIM is holding a series of conferences scheduled for the first three days of the event at 11:30 in the morning. Key personalities such as Philip Dunne, President of Prologis Europe, Ranald Hahn, Managing Director at GSE, and Rob Wilkinson, Chief Investment Officer at AEW Europe, will share their views on market developments in the first session. They will also discuss the new requirements for efficiency, functionality, flow optimization and land use facing industry professionals.
Urban logistics plays a leading role in addressing these new challenges and will be covered in a second session. As the concentration of people and economic activity keeps growing in cities, more and more of the logistics infrastructure must connect directly to city centers while respecting urban life patterns and the environment. Another conference will focus on river-borne supply chains a logistics agenda that is increasingly popular with cities as it has clear economic, environmental and efficiency advantages.
Launched for the first time this year, a special real estate Logistics Pavilion will promote major projects that illustrate the topics covered in the conference program. The city of Calais is presenting its 'CalaisPremier' project to create a premium multimodal distribution platform containing two warehouses, storage buildings and a business park. The leading Mediterranean seaport city of Marseille will also promote its Fos-Distriport logistics area which is set to grow to a million square metres of warehousing. Other key logistics players such as Prologis, AEW Europe, Ghelamco Group and Segro will be presenting on this stand. This program will also feature geographic focuses on Southern, Northern, Central and Eastern Europe.
Among other highlights, the MIPIM Awards 2012 will pay tribute to logistics projects with a special new category this year. The finalists include Distribution Park Dutra designed by Dupre Arquitetura (Brazil), Lavoisier represented by ASSAR Architects (Belgium), and the McLaren Production Centre designed by Foster + Partners (UK), illustrating growing interest from internationally famous architects in the logistics industry. Logistics infrastructure projects are entering a new era of improved functionality and higher architectural quality.
Source: Reed MIDEM
