We're joining business to promote the Central South region

Influential businesses and organisations are joining forces to endorse a new identity for the region that will help encourage inward investment.

The initiative is being championed by Business South and endorsed by business leaders, local authorities and organisations such as the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).

Business South CEO Leigh-Sara Timberlake said the ‘branding’ had been born out of a need to promote the region's offer on a global stage.
“We worked with our partners to develop a vision for the Central South as a way of promoting all that is good in our region to a global audience. We firmly believe this will position the region as a strong proposition in the minds of potential investors,” she said.

As part of its strategy for the Central South, we are taking part in a business-led consortium that will be proudly promoting the region as the UK's global gateway at the world’s largest property and investment show, MIPIM, taking place in Cannes in March 2020.

This is the first time the Central South will be represented at the event; which attracts 26,800 attendees from all sectors of the international property industry, more than 5,000 investors and 560 political leaders from over 100 countries.

The Central South region contributes more than £119 billion to the UK economy and has a workforce of more than one million people.
“This is the most important event in the property calendar and it provides a real opportunity to engage with decision makers at the highest level,” said Tim Hancock, Chair of Business South action group Regen South and managing director of award-winning planning and design company Terence O’Rourke.

“Many UK cities and regions have been attending for several years and now this is our opportunity to proudly promote our ‘future-ready’ credentials to major investors. The consortium will promote a wealth of opportunities for investors, developers and businesses in the Central South region.

Gavin Hall, Director at Savills, has attended MIPIM before and said: “In previous years, it has been a real shame to be in Cannes flying the flag for the region but without representation from the region and its constituent local authorities.

“The presence in 2020 of Central South, among all the other local authorities from across the UK attending, will ensure our region does not miss out on the opportunity provided by the event in the past and will raise the profile of our region on the global property stage.”

Portsmouth, Southampton, Hampshire, Dorset and South West Surrey are included in the Central South region and the team visiting MIPIM will promote key benefits including:
● Portsmouth’s multi billion pound regeneration programme
● Southampton- Mayflower Quarter city centre regeneration programme
● The region’s first class connectivity
● World leading universities
● Major development and investment opportunities
● A world class lifestyle offer including two national parks
The private sector-led group travelling to MIPIM will include representatives from Blake Morgan, Savills, Noviun, Barker Mill Estates, Boyle and Summers, Barton Willmore, LSH, Terence O’Rourke, Willmott Dixon, BECG, Hampshire County Council, Portsmouth City Council, Southampton City Council as well as the Solent LEP. Additional support is being supplied by Southampton Airport, Winchester City Council and WBR.