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The Reading Partnership is a joint venture between Reading's City Centre Management Company, commercial property consultants Hicks Baker and Reading Borough Council. The Reading Partnership delivered the Reading Conferences in 1997, 2000 and 2005 and now leads on positioning Reading at MIPIM. The Partnership's first experience of MIPIM – in 2006 – is summarised below:
The Partnership was able to promote Reading at the British Urban Regeneration Association's (BURA) 'Regeneration Pavilion' and at two bespoke events on board a motor yacht moored nearby. This proved a highly successful means of raising Reading's profile at MIPIM and each event attracted well over 100 delegates. These were from as far afield as the USA, Indonesia and the Czech Republic and from sectors such as development, investment, architecture and engineering. The events were organised in collaboration with Peter Brett Associates and supported by Strutt & Parker, Sackville and PMB Holdings.
The publication of the report commissioned by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM): State of our Cities, provided the perfect platform for the Partnership to lobby senior civil servants from the ODPM, particularly on issues such as funding for the much needed track capacity improvements at Reading Station and for improvements to Junction 11 of the M4. The Partnership's main promotional tool was a pocketbook version of the 2005 Development and Investment Review (RDIR), which was launched at last year's Reading Conference. Throughout the week Partnership representatives were involved in numerous activities including liaison with investment banks that had demonstrated an interest in Reading; lobbying of the regional development agency; exchanging notes with other European cities, eg. Malmo, Berlin and Birmingham; and attending debates with the respective Mayors and Deputy Mayors of world cities such as London, Paris, Stuttgart, Stockholm and Helsinki.
This latter activity demonstrated the desire of even the most high profile location to strengthen its place brand (Stuttgart) or stress its strategic location (Helsinki); similarly, Stockholm claimed to be the 'Capital of Scandinavia'. All of these themes resonate strongly with what we aspire to achieve in Reading. |
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