UKREiiF confirms it's leaving Leeds as the event moves to Liverpool in 2028

The UK's largest real estate and infrastructure festival will stage its sixth and final Leeds event next year, before moving to Liverpool from 2028.

UKREiiF (The UK's Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum), which has been based in Leeds since it was launched in 2022, has attracted more than 17,000 delegates to the city and helped to secure a number of major investment projects.

The event will return to the Royal Armouries from May 18 to 20 2027 for a sixth and final event in the city, before the event moves to the Liverpool Experience Campus, which has secured the rights to host the event from 2028.

A spokesman said: “The decision to move to Liverpool aligns with UKREiiF’s strategic direction and continued growth, with the Liverpool Experience Campus offering room for the event to keep expanding and a wide choice of accommodation for delegates as UKREiiF enters its next chapter.”

Nathan Spencer, Co-Founding Director and Managing Director of UKREiiF, said: "This isn't a story about leaving Leeds; it's a story about celebrating everything that Leeds and West Yorkshire has helped UKREiiF become; without the region and the people within it the event wouldn’t have been as successful.

“When we launched UKREiiF, we wanted to create an event that challenged convention and put collaboration, investment and opportunity at the heart of the UK's built environment. Leeds gave us the platform, the confidence and the partnership to do exactly that. That legacy will always belong to Leeds and West Yorkshire, and we’ll continue to be based here with the region holding such a brilliant talent pool that will help us continue our growth, both within the UK and overseas, which starts with our first event in Australia in 2027.”

Coun James Lewis, Leader of Leeds City Council, said: "UKREiiF's presence in our city has been a resounding success story, delivering significant economic benefits of around £75m for the economy and raising our profile on a national and international stage. We are immensely proud to have played a part in its remarkable growth, from a local startup founded here in Leeds to its current position as the largest property and investor conference in the UK.”

Nat Edwards, Director General and Master of the Armouries, where the event has been held since its inception in 2022, said: "It has been a privilege to host UKREiiF here at the Royal Armouries for six remarkable years. What began as a bold new addition to the UK's events calendar has grown into one of the most influential forums in the country, and we are proud of the role our venue and our team have played in that story.

“The economic impact for Leeds and the region has been significant, and UKREiiF has helped demonstrate the genuine potential of this waterfront campus as a destination for events of the very highest calibre.”

Matt Christie, Co-Founding Director and Director of External Affairs at UKREiiF, said: “We’re enormously grateful to the whole West Yorkshire community and would like to thank them for their support in making UKREiiF into what it has become."

Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire said: “We have loved having UKREiiF in Leeds, it was born here, and I hope it comes back home soon. We have proven that we are the best place in the UK to start and grow a business, and it has been great to welcome people from across the country to strike investment deals, while showing what our great city and region has to offer."