REALTORS® attending MIPIM 2015 included IAR members Maurice Hampton, IAR President Mike Drews, Immediate Past President Jim Kinney, IAR CEO Gary Clayton, President-elect Doug Carpenter and Dan Wagner.

As conferences go, MIPIM is one of the biggest real estate events in the world that you’ve probably never heard of.

The conference, held in Cannes, France, draws more than 21,000 people annually who are heavy-hitters in real estate investment. Investors representing nations and firms show up for the event held March 15-18, 2016, and many of them have access to the capital to put toward large-scale residential and commercial projects.

IAR is planning a presence at the show next year, and is looking for partners to help promote the state and real estate investment. The association has come up with a overview which has links to the forms you’ll need to attend and reserve time in the IAR booth to promote your projects.

The National Association of REALTORS® has just recently begin to make inroads at the conference, and last year set up a pavilion to serve as a hub for those interested in learning about REALTORS® and the services they can provide.

IAR sent a small delegation last year to promote Illinois real estate, and those who went were impressed by the the experience. Now, IAR is asking for other Illinois REALTORS® to sign up for the conference to help promote the state and the REALTORS® who work there.

As IAR President Mike Drews put it:

“The people who go there are in charge of millions — if not billions — of dollars of capital that can be used for projects. And while a deal might not get closed at the show, the pathways to making those deals happen in the future are made there.”

If you want to go, act quickly. Although the event is still three months away, hotel rooms go fast, and you’ll want to make sure your passport is up to date.