By the end of UKREiiF, after more events, panels and drinks parties than we can recollect, we were pretty shattered.

What a week it was though – packed with great conversations, reconnecting with familiar faces and meeting new people.

We were thrilled to design the Thames Estuary Growth Board stand, which became the ideal spot for meaningful discussions and exploring how communities can genuinely benefit from growth.

Our big takeaway? Genuine partnerships are going to be the key to any real change in the UK economy. And there was a real belief that we can make it happen.

With 16,000 attendees packed into Leeds, from council officials to developers, investors, and operators, the real value wasn’t in the big announcements or keynote speeches. It was in the smaller moments when people dropped the corporate speak and had genuine conversations.

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner put it perfectly at UKREiiF: “The days of business as usual are over. It’s time to fight for a brighter, more ambitious future for our country.”

That’s the energy we felt all week – people ready to move beyond the usual conference chatter and get things done through real human connection.