UKREiiF in Leeds: Three-day event to be worth millions to city's economy as 7,500 delegates descend

A major real investment and infrastructure conference being held in Leeds is expected to bring well in excess of £5m into the city’s economy.
By Chris Burn
Published 17th May 2023, 05:45 BST

UKREiiF – which stands for The UK’s Real Estate Investment & Infrastructure Forum – is taking place for the second year in Leeds this week over the course of three days.

It has attracted 7,500 delegates to the Royal Armouries and Leeds Dock. It involves more than 500 speakers over three days, with star names including Gary Neville and Alastair Campbell as well as northern mayors like Tracy Brabin and Ben Houchen.

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Sir Bob Kerslake, chair of the UKREiiF advisory board, said the event had substantially expanded since its first year in 2022.

Thousands of people have come to Leeds for UKREiiF 2023.Thousands of people have come to Leeds for UKREiiF 2023.
Thousands of people have come to Leeds for UKREiiF 2023.

Opening the event on Tuesday morning, he told delegates: “When I wrote this speech only two weeks ago we were at 6,500 delegates. We’re now at 7,500 and we have three-quarters more space than last year.

"Last year we generated £5m for the Leeds city centre economy, this year will be a lot lot bigger. In 2022, the event generated a measurable £1.1m in terms of social value with an 81 per cent return on investment. Again, we will go beyond that.”

On Tuesday, there was a small protest outside the event against the concept of 15-minute cities involving Piers Corbyn, the brother of Jeremy Corbyn. Piers Corbyn has become a well-known conspiracy theorist in recent years and was arrested on several occasions for anti-lockdown and vaccination protests.

The UKREiiF event is due to return to Leeds in 2024.

Related topics:LeedsTracy BrabinBen Houchen