The leading business membership organisation in Coventry and Warwickshire says the region must put itself firmly on the global stage – whatever the outcome of Brexit.
The Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce has signed up to be part of the regional delegation that will head to the south of France for the world’s biggest property and investment event.
The Chamber attended MIPIM with the Coventry and Warwickshire MIPIM Partnership in 2018 and will return this year for the 30th anniversary of the show to help promote the region to potential investors across the globe.
Louise Bennett, chief executive of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “MIPIM takes place just a couple of weeks before we officially leave the EU so it’s vitally important that we, as a region, go out there and tell a world of investors that we are well and truly open for business.
“We are still some way off knowing what the final outcome will be. As a Chamber, we’ve worked hard to keep members informed and up-to-date with any new developments as well as providing information on what they can do to be prepared for any outcome.
“But we cannot wait for a political settlement to tell our story to the world – that Coventry and Warwickshire is in a very positive position and we want to attract investment to our region to take advantage of some of the incredible opportunities we have as a region.
“As well as being in a good place economically, we are European City of Sport in 2019, UK City of Culture in 2021 and then have the Commonwealth Games coming to the wider region in 2022.
“So it’s a perfect time to really promote and ‘sell’ the region to drive investment and create more jobs for Coventry and Warwickshire.
“As a Chamber, we work hard to bring members together to do business with one another and that is reflected in our Go For Growth: Trade Local campaign. However, we urge our members to think global too and that’s why we want to be out at MIPIM with partners from across the region who are striving to grow our economy.”
Les Ratcliffe, chair of the Coventry and Warwickshire Place Board which helps promote the area, said the Chamber’s presence was more important than ever in 2019.
“Our presence at MIPIM is very much a team effort to showcase Coventry and Warwickshire not only as a location for development and investment, but also in support which is on offer to companies looking establish a base in the region and those already here and growing.
“The Chamber has offered that support for more than a century and to have it there alongside the property industry presents a very strong picture.”
The Coventry and Warwickshire MIPIM Partnership– made up of companies and organisations in a range of property-related sectors – is at MIPIM as part of the UK Midlands presence and will be hosting a range of key stakeholder and investment events.