From 9 to 13 March, the world’s premier real estate and urban development forum, MIPIM 2026, took place in Cannes, France, providing access to global capital, discussions, seminars, and worldwide trends. This year, Riga was represented at the forum by a broad range of participants.
This year, the Riga delegation at MIPIM included ten partners — companies and organisations representing a wide spectrum of the real estate sector and initiatives: Riga Airport, Linstow Baltic, Latio Real Estate, SIA “Rīgas nami”, Freeport of Riga, Latvia Sotheby’s International Realty, VERDE – Capitalica Asset Management, Riga Business Park, the Real Estate Developers Alliance (NĪAA), and CPB Connecting Property and Business, presenting the city’s development areas and projects.
The Chairman of the Riga City Council, Viesturs Kleinbergs, also participated in the forum as part of the Riga delegation, working at the Riga stand and representing the city in various discussions, including a mayors’ panel alongside Helsinki and Reykjavik. On the first day of MIPIM, the Mayor of Riga and the Mayor of Lviv, Andriy Sadovyi, mutually signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the Lviv City Council and the Riga City Municipality on cooperation in crisis preparedness, urban resilience, and civil protection, with Riga becoming a member of the UNBROKEN City Network. Commenting on participation in MIPIM, the Mayor of Riga said:
“We are very pleased to see such strong interest in Riga and our development projects. The meetings held during MIPIM allowed us to strengthen cooperation and continue dialogue with each potential partner individually. Events like this are extremely important for sharing best practices from other European cities and fostering Riga’s development.”
When presenting Riga’s offer at MIPIM this year, particular emphasis was placed on the following strategic development directions:
- PPP (public-private partnership) projects
- Data centres
- Development of the Central Market area
- Knowledge Mile and the development of Torņakalns
Fredis Bikovs, Director of the Riga Investment and Tourism Agency (RITA), with extensive experience participating in the MIPIM forum, commented:
“This intensive week and the level of visitor interest confirm that Riga is recognised and attractive in the international market. The projects presented are of high quality, and the city continues to offer opportunities for developing new projects while providing professional support throughout their implementation. Previously arranged strategic meetings ensured that the work at the stand was truly meaningful, and the newly established contacts will contribute to the city’s development in the future.”
The interactive AI (artificial intelligence) activity at the Riga stand also attracted significant visitor attention. It allowed visitors to digitally integrate their faces into one of Riga’s Art Nouveau portraits, print personalised postcards, and send them by placing them in a mailbox at the stand. This creative activity promoted Riga’s cultural and historical heritage and generated genuine interest, drawing queues of visitors eager to try it.