A celebration of Manchester’s hard-earned culture of inter-disciplinary collaboration, our theme for Manchester at MIPIM 2020 is Everything is Connected.
As the old adage goes, there are six degrees of separation connecting every human in the world to each other; but in the digital age those degrees have narrowed and in 21st Century Manchester – a big city with a neighbourhood feel – we think one of our greatest strengths is our capacity to collaborate in truly remarkable ways.
We have a proven track record of surprising partnerships – collaborations where science becomes art, where technology drives sustainability and where culture influences health, for example – and it’s well-known at a local level that Manchester is a place where such cross-disciplinary working is valued, encouraged and supported. Our theme will take this message to a global audience.
Through the lens of a series of unique collaborative innovations, filmed and photographed against an unmistakable Manchester backdrop, we’ll meet people with distinct specialisms working together to make extraordinary things happen that neither could achieve alone. We’ll curate stories that showcase a very Mancunian way of doing things; that demonstrate a collective attitude of ‘let’s give it a go’ when conventional barriers suggest otherwise.
So when delegates step onto the Manchester Pavilion at MIPIM 2020, they will immediately be immersed in a narrative about collaboration that will flow through the brand, stand sessions and overall energy of the Manchester at MIPIM Partnership, helping to create a backdrop for conversations that mirrors this behaviour.
Powerful yet simple, the theme and approach puts the way we do things in Manchester - and why we do them a particular way - at the forefront of minds, providing an opportunity to challenge and disrupt the usual way of talking about property and investment. Harnessing a collective desire to innovate, the theme provides scope to cut across a variety of sectors and important issues facing cities around the world, from healthcare and smart technology, to zero carbon and urban communities.
Of course, our stories will also embody the city-region’s standout global sector narratives; its networks, talent and its governance, and will align with the messages that define Manchester as a place to live, work, invest and study. The Manchester Pavilion will put stories of collaboration at the centre of the city’s property narrative, recognising how we’re all richer because of the innovation that comes from being pushed into new territory.
With bold, smart and crystal-clear digital imagery connecting panels along the walls of the Manchester Pavilion, there will be pithy soundbites summarising our stories and encouraging further engagement online. Engaging film footage will capture the excitement that unusual partnerships generate, inspiring fresh thinking and encouraging partners and the wider delegation to be audaciously creative in their approach to making connections.
Manchester at MIPIM 2020 will prove how Everything is Connected.