Greater Manchester is seeing a "huge rise in demand for commercial property" according to the managing director of Marketing Manchester, who told Insider about her ambitions for the UKREiiF festival, and outlined the investment of opportunities that will be under the spotlight. 

The annual real estate, investment and infrastructure conference will be hosted in Leeds from 21 to 23 May 2024, with Marketing Manchester coordinating Manchester's presence at the event. 

Victoria Braddock explained that, for Greater Manchester, attending the conference is about raising its profile and "highlighting that we are the most exciting and fast-growing city-region in the UK right now". 

"It will be an opportunity to show our vision for the future and start conversations about how we can drive the investment to make it a reality", she added. 

The delegation is partnering with Opportunity London, "strengthening our brilliant relationship and demonstrating the power of collaboration between the UK's two leading city regions".

Braddock said: "This partnership sends a strong message about the future of the UK, establishing two global cities at the forefront of change and shaping the future. "

The managing director said that Manchester overall is "growing rapidly". 

"We have always been a hub for business and as our reputation in key sectors grows, so too does our demand for office and commercial space. In the last year, our region has welcomed global names like Starling Bank, Valloop, SafetyCulture and Vanguard alongside the Department for Science, and Innovation taking up commercial spaces to host our region's talent.

"The Deloitte Crane Survey showed that last year Manchester and Salford delivered 381,000 sq ft of office floorspace, and this is not set to slow down anytime soon with 19 per cent of the 2.2m sq ft of office space to be delivered in the next year already pre-let", Braddock explained. 

The region, Braddock said, is "pushing the boundaries of what is possible in commercial space" with the Eden development at New Bailey, which will be "one of the most eco-friendly office buildings in Europe". 

At UKREiiF, a host of schemes will be showcased, including Atom Valley -a Mayoral Development Zone covering Oldham, Bury and Rochdale - which will create a "world-leading innovation cluster in advanced materials and manufacturing". 

I-D Manchester, another mixed-use innovation district scheme by Bruntwood SciTech and The University of Manchester, will also be highlighted, alongside the recently announced MIX MANCHESTER.