Even people who get to drive really fast cars for a living get excited when they see a true classic. Yes, even Eddie Irvine.
The former Formula One speedster forwent the niceties of an introduction to Diary as we shot MIPIM in a Minute next to Belfast City Council’s big draw – an all-electric DeLorean – preferring to fawn over the car itself.
As Back to the Future aficionados, Diary can’t blame him. It was the coolest thing on the Croisette. It’s just a shame he wasn’t allowed to race it around town – we would have loved to see what happened when he got it to 88mph.
You can’t go home again
The bad weather that battered the French Mediterranean coast in the latter stages of MIPIM meant some attendees saw fit to flee Cannes earlier than planned. But one chap’s plans to return to Blighty early were scuppered by Nice Airport’s baggage handlers.
They managed to damage the baggage hold door of the plane he had booked for his escape and, after several hours of uncertainty, the flight was cancelled. By then, with no more seats on other flights to be found and no room at the city’s plush hotels, the unfortunate gentleman found himself having to settle for one of Nice’s budget properties.
Needless to say, he now thinks he should have just waited out the storm.
Brolly good show
But one man’s crisis is another’s opportunity. And so, the inclement weather was soon exploited by the Croisette’s many touts. Usually seen pounding the beach with racks of sunglasses, they swiftly broke out the umbrellas. A
nd, in an elegant illustration of the economic effects of a sudden imbalance between supply and demand worthy of a MIPIM presentation, the clamour for cover at one point saw the price of a brolly soar to around €50 (£43).
Perhaps the umbrella index could be a future gauge of the mood at MIPIM.
Shopping with dinosaurs
With the retail sector facing a hostile climate, shopping centre operators are going to have to think up new ways to stave off extinction, so kudos to Market Place Bolton for digging up some prehistoric inspiration.
The Dinosaurs Come Alive event on 7-8 April will take kids “on an adventure back in time” – but this is 2018, remember, so one of the highlights of the weekend is touted as the “ultimate selfie opportunity” to grab a snap with a roaming velociraptor.
There’s also an animatronic T-rex to look out for, plus a huge “Jurassic Park-inspired entrance”. It’s creative thinking like this that will ensure our shopping centres don’t become a thing of the past.
Computer says YES!
If only all of Diary’s web searches could be so successful. While checking Manchester City Council’s website for details on Abu Dhabi United Group’s plans for further redevelopment around Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium, we got the kind of result that even Pep Guardiola would be pleased with.
Our search for “Eastlands Development Framework” scored a hit that apparently had “102% relevance”. The council obviously thinks so much of the framework that it defies established mathematical convention. Though, bearing in mind the football connection, surely 110% is the least one could expect?
I’ve (not) got the power
Diary was up early this week for a prompt 8am breakfast meeting at the Shard, way up on the 31st storey of the UK’s tallest building. However, a power cut meant that, on arrival, we were informed there was “no coffee, no lighting and no card machine”.
Thankfully, there came the promise of “we’re working on it, shouldn’t be too long.” One hour later, and still with no electricity, Diary was getting restless. Note: journalists need coffee, especially in the mornings.
In short, a productive meeting, albeit involving a scramble for cash and an actual, hand-written receipt, which might take some explaining to accounts. Oh, and the sun didn’t even come out.
