Cool in Cannes

This year, as usual MAPIC really started with a party held the night before the official opening. Maybe most of those there for the fair were at the official party in the Majestic hotel, but for the chosen few there was also the Polish party, which was held in the heart of the Cannes marina, near the Festival Palace next to the port authority office. Three companies – developers Gemini Holding, Mayland Real Estate and sports clothing brand 4F – were the hosts of the event. Apart from opportunity to meet a vast section of the retail market, we were also celebrating the official tenth birthday of Mayland. This involved a huge cake, Polish hospitality, French wine, international food and music, a dance floor for us to generate some much-needed body heat on, and a great deal of chat about business as well as less official topics. It was also the fourth time such a party was held, but the previous events had been organised solely by Kraków-based Gemini Holding. And the weather (a mere 7ºC) helped to make the party and the entire fair this year the coolest, or rather, the coldest one so far. Somehow we survived it. But the party provided a good start to the business meetings at the MAPIC fair itself. Over 8,300 participants from around the world (78 countries) converged on the FestivalPalace. Some companies chose a rather different place for their “booths” – on yachts in the adjacent marina, including Pradera and Tétris. So we had to move around quickly. The first day for ‘Eurobuild CEE’ meant walking more than 14 km through the maze of stands. And a dozen meetings. The second day was even more intensive – starting at sunrise with yoga on the beach organised by Colliers International. A dozen of the toughest market representatives took part – mainly from the UK, Poland and Russia. There was an award for all their efforts, though – champagne for breakfast. Later on there was still no rest to be had – i.e. meetings with retail representatives. Among some of the most engaging companies we met in the palace were: Echo Investment, promoting its Libero and Galaxy projects (and with the best barista and bartenders at MAPIC); Kulczyk Silverstein Properties, with its Ethos centre; Atrium, showcasing malls such as Reduta and Promenada; Fashion House Group, with its Moscow project; ECE; Apsys; the Dream Island entertainment park in Russia; Immofinanz, with its Vivo! and Stop Shop brands; Ikea Centres Russia, with its Mega centres; French fashion retailer Kiabi; BNP Paribas; CBRE Global Investors; Neinver; Carrefour; and JLL. Technology and innovation providers for retail made a very strong showing this year. We encountered many such firms, such as Toolbox and Coniq, and although some are already active in the CEE region, a great many have still to come to our part of the world. And believe me, when they do you will be surprised – in a positive way.