Bath’s role as an innovative city will be demonstrated at the highest-profile gathering of the global property market next week.
MIPIM, staged annually in Cannes, brings together the most senior players in international property development and investment and acts as a showcase for business and development opportunities across the world.
For the first time Bath will be highlighted as a centre for innovation capable of attracting businesses in the creative and hi-tech sectors.
The Bath Quays North and South scheme will be promoted by 
Invest Bristol & Bath, the organisation that aims to attract inward investment to the city-region.
The 6.5-acre area is to be branded as Innovation Quay and marketed to developers and investors at MIPIM.
It will be the first time that Bath has been able to compete with major international cities to attract inward investment. Property agents are calling it a once-in-a-generation opportunity for a city that has traditionally been off-limits to most property developers due to a severe lack of sites.
Innovation Quay will also ties in with Bath’s ambitions to be seen as a ‘city of ideas’ – a test bed for innovation in new, low-carbon and ‘smart’ technologies.
The development could create 2,500 jobs and provide a £100m boost to the local economy. It could be open for business by 2019.
Invest Bristol & Bath will use MIPIM to outline how the region intends to use £1bn in Government funding and how the private sector can influence investment decisions and lever funding.
The funding will help spark new developments with the capacity to create 100,000 new jobs.
In addition, Invest in Bristol & Bath’s exhibition and events will showcase the region’s world-class industry clusters, deep talent pool, global transport links and quality of life which combine to make it one of the strongest performing city regions, according to research published in January by think tank Centre for Cities.
The agency, which is part of the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), will be talking to investors and developers about how they can work with the regional authorities to make the most of the unique levels of public sector investment.
A wealth of specific development and investment opportunities in the region will also be promoted.
These include Bath City Riverside Enterprise Area, which has the capacity to create up to 9,000 jobs and 3,600 new homes. Innovation Quay will be its centrepiece offering approximately 200,000 sq ft of modern work space as part of its aspiration to create a new Innovation Campus.
Also included will be Emersons Green Enterprise Area, a flagship site for the West of England and home to the Bristol & Bath Science Park and National Composites Centre, has the potential for 40 hectares of employment space.
LEP chair Colin Skellett said: “The Bristol and Bath region is one of Europe’s fastest growing and most prosperous sub regions. I’m proud to be able to present such a strong offer to investors and the wider business community at MIPIM.
As we emerge from the recession, it’s crucial that we capitalise on the return in confidence and MIPIM is the ideal place to do this as it will give us the opportunity to get in front of companies who are ready to invest.”
Last month, the Bristol and Bath region was recognised in the fDi European Cities and Regions of the Future 2014/15 – an annual survey of foreign direct investment in Europe carried out by fDi Intelligence, part of the Financial Times. The region was identified as second only to Copenhagen in the Top 10 Small European Regions. Bristol was second to Zurich in the Mid-Sized European City for Economic Potential category and Bath is fifth in the Top 10 Micro European Cities category, and number one in the UK.
Invest Bristol & Bath’s attendance at MIPIM is supported by Bath-based housing organisation Curo and Bristol law firm Burges Salmon.
Curo chief executive Victor da Cunha said: “There’s a real sense of excitement about the future of our region. The new phase of growth we’re now entering presents great opportunities; redevelopment and investment will create jobs.
“We’re part of this exciting future and we’re looking forward to forging some great, creative partnerships at MIPIM that will enable us in delivering some of the many new homes needed to facilitate the tremendous growth we are sure to see over the next 20 years.”
Burges Salmon partner Elizabeth Dunn added: “We are pleased to be supporting the Bristol and Bath region at MIPIM 2014 and are looking forward to sharing a presence with Invest Bristol & Bath, along with the world’s property market, at this international event.
“Burges Salmon is once again sending a team of lawyers to MIPIM, which this year includes specialists in infrastructure, energy, planning, development, finance, and international real estate.”
A high level delegation from across the four unitary authorities will be attending MIPIM including Mr Skellett, Bath & North East Somerset Council leader Paul Crossley, Mayor of Bristol George Ferguson, and Steve Evans, director of environment and community services at South Gloucestershire Council.
MIPIM takes place between March 11 and 14.
