The company behind UKREiiF, the Leeds forum that has grown in four years into the UK’s largest gathering for real estate and infrastructure, is taking its model overseas. Australia has been chosen as the venue for its first international event, launching in 2027.
It is a striking piece of British export success from a business that did not exist five years ago. Since launching in 2022, UKREiiF has grown to more than 17,000 delegates in 2026, and the organisers say they are aware of over £4 billion of investment and development activity, either at planning stage or with spades in the ground, that flowed directly from introductions made at the event.
The economic case for hosting it is equally instructive for any town courting the events industry. The three-day forum generates over £20 million annually for the economy of Leeds and West Yorkshire, has created more than £7 million in social value, and showcases over £300 billion of investable UK opportunities to investors, developers and occupiers each year. Little wonder the city fought to keep its host status through 2026.
The Australian event will replicate that formula: connecting international and domestic investors, developers and occupiers with opportunities in states, cities and towns to drive regeneration and growth. Alongside commercial, residential, transport, infrastructure and retail, it will take in emerging sectors including renewable energy, digital infrastructure and defence.
Nathan Spencer, Founding Director and Managing Director of UKREiiF, said: “Australia is entering an extraordinary period of growth, and the global players within our industry are frequently discussing the opportunities coming forward in the country. Our ambition is to create something genuinely different for the Australian market – a major international festival that tells the stories of each state, city and town across Australia, and one that builds the relationships that see global capital deployed and projects moved forward.”
For UK firms, the timing matters. Australia is one of the few major markets where British businesses trade under a full free trade agreement, which removed tariffs on UK goods exports and opened access to around £10 billion of Australian government contracts each year. The deal was billed at the time as cutting red tape for exporting SMEs, and a festival built on introductions could give British consultancies, contractors and advisers a shop window in a market hungry for built environment expertise.
There is a wry footnote for Westminster too. At a moment when overseas investment in UK commercial property has fallen sharply, one of Britain’s most effective machines for courting global capital is now offering its services to a rival destination.
Matt Christie, Founding Director and Director of External Affairs at UKREiiF, added: “The event will build on the principles that have driven UKREiiF’s growth, including its festival-style, strong public and private sector participation and focus on connecting places and projects with investors, development partners and the wider built environment who are so crucial to making successful schemes happen.”
The company says the Australian event will retain the values it champions at home, from sustainability to diversity and inclusion, with a commitment to a platform reflecting “the breadth of communities, perspectives and voices that shape Australia”.
