MIPIM’s Midlands UK delegation came over all gangster midweek, with tweed flat caps and a hostile swagger very much the order of the day. Giving visitors a flavour of the 1919 Birmingham gangland experience, the Midlanders took inspiration from the cast of hit BBC show Peaky Blinders – filmed in Brum – and relished getting in character. One reason to watch the series is its dialogue, with fans delighting in sharing favourite quotes online, including: “Alright lads, this is a respectable event and we will behave accordingly.” And a respectable event it was too, leading Blinders creator Steven Knight – invited to speak about Solihull’s “Soliwood” studio development plans – to conclude that MIPIM was better than the Cannes Film Festival.
Manchester by the sea
No, the movie folks who won Casey Affleck an Oscar didn’t turn up in Cannes thinking it was film festival week. Instead, the capital of the Northern Powerhouse eschewed its usual stand spot above the entrance of the Palais and took a pavilion right on the beach at MIPIM. All mod cons – and indeed modern conference facilities – were suitably accommodated, including its own café/bar areas. And for lunch they served up a suitably coastal delicacy – fish and chips. In a colander, naturally. But most unkind was the wag who asked: is Manchester trying to be Blackpool?
Happiness is… never having to say “please”
Norwegians don’t believe in tact. As a colleague can attest from her professional trip to Oslo last year, they are ruthlessly direct and don’t even have an official word for “please” in their linguistic armoury. But hey, who needs one? When it comes to human interaction, our friends in the north might pull no punches, but that didn’t stand in the way of Norway being voted the happiest place on earth in a United Nations report this week. It turns out that a lack of social niceties and a dearth of small talk might just be the key to award-winning happiness. Sounds good to Diary… three cheers for brutal honesty!
Now that’s what I call MIPIM
MIPIM can be a head-frazzling places, and the occasional bit of comic relief is the only thing that can keep one going until the bitter end. Diary enjoyed the funny side of Cannes with one group of attendees who took interesting moments and fleeting comments and turned them into potential album titles. “Aesthetic Anchovies” was inspired by two neatly placed slivers resting on a small dish during dinner, while “Rise Above the Menaces” was coined after a spot of banter among rival agents. Perhaps, like MIPIM itself, you had to be there…
It’s all in the eyes
It can be difficult to make your mark at MIPIM, what with more than 20,000 people, all be-suited and be-heeled, descending on the French Riviera with one identical objective in mind. So how do you stand out? How do you ensure that all eyes are on you? With actual googly eyeballs, of course – the sticky-backed kind kids use in art projects. Diary met one street artist delegate, busy adorning the Palais and the cafes of Cannes with the novelty peepers, making friends and contacts as he went. That’s certainly one way to start a conversation – and even our own drinking vessels (pictured) weren’t safe. But then, by the end of the week, it’s not unusual to see a few glassy eyes.
