With the coronavirus continuing to spread globally and threatening travel and global gatherings, attendees of next month’s MIPIM conference in Cannes may be as likely to pack extra hand sanitiser and even face masks as they are sun lotion and aspirin. But as yet, it looks like they will still network in the sun at the annual event.
The news on 12 February that Barcelona’s Mobile World Congress was being cancelled over “global concern regarding the coronavirus outbreak” put other international conferences in the spotlight. As company after company – many from Asia – pulled out of MWC, questions were asked over whether MIPIM would still go ahead between 10-13 March.
The event’s organisers have stressed that it will take place as planned. “MIPIM will run as scheduled,” says a notice on the homepage of the event’s website.
“The health and safety of our exhibitors, visitors and staff is our number one priority. We are closely following the latest guidance from local and national authorities and the World Health Organization as it relates to travel to and participation in MIPIM.”
The organisers have also taken to social media to reassure attendees and exhibitors, with the official @MIPIMWorld Twitter account posting a response to any tweets questioning whether the coronavirus could lead to the conference’s cancellation.
Keeping distance
Assuming that MIPIM goes ahead, how can attendees prioritise their health at the event? The organisers have announced several measures they are taking on-site to help.
These include making sure staff are aware of the latest WHO recommendations around hand and respiratory hygiene; working more closely with the local airport and hotels to “ensure vigilance”; and boosting the standard of hygiene at the venue, the Palais des Festivals, as well as having a “reinforced” medical team there.
There will also be a dedicated reception service at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris for flights from China, Hong Kong and Macau, provided by approved civil security association personnel.
The WHO’s basic protective measures against coronavirus are to wash your hands regularly with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub; cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing and dispose of any tissues immediately; and maintain at least 1m between yourself and other people – the latter of which is likely to prove impossible in the crowded exhibition halls of MIPIM or bars of Cannes.
Have passport, will travel
Despite the headlines, international MIPIM attendees contacted by EG said they were not yet changing their travel plans.
Marc Shapiro is attending the conference with representatives of New York University and said that, as yet, he was unaware of the virus having any impact on the university’s travel plans.
Shapiro, who as well as being a real estate professor at the university is also a partner at law firm Norton Rose Fulbright, said: “I regularly travel around the world. I am undaunted by the news reports of the coronavirus; I am in a service business and I must serve my clients regardless of these circumstances.”
Kevin Gray, a lecturer at Yale School of Management, still plans to attend alongside a group of students from the school. “None of our meetings with various executives while at MIPIM have been cancelled,” he said, adding: “As you know, the situation is fluid, and could change by the time of MIPIM.”
Patrice Derrington, who directs Columbia University’s Master of Science in Real Estate Development and is heading to the conference with more than 20 students to exhibit, said there had been no change to the university’s travel plans.
Michael Wong, co-founder of Maiblocks, a Hong Kong-based investment firm focused on blockchain, said the outbreak would not deter him from travelling to France.
To send feedback, e-mail tim.burke@egi.co.uk or tweet @_tim_burke or @estatesgazette
