Two once-in-a-generation disruptors joined forces this year. Black swan events are defined as ‘random, unexpected, but high-impact events’. Over the past 12 months, the property sector salons in Cannes, two winter MAPICs and the springtime MIPIM, have been opportunities to observe the high impact of the twin swans – the health crisis and the energy crisis.
Some 1,000 days after the first appearance of the mystery flu, the intense Covid experiences have begun blurring into one long, anxious succession of lockdowns, curfews, vaccines and self-isolations. Pausing to reflect on the salons immobiliers is a chance to consider how these two big disruptors have been constantly reshaping behaviours over the past year.
“The big conference winners were Cannes’ cafés, with outdoor heated terraces in the wintry sunshine”
In December 2021, with the health crisis still Cannes’ top preoccupation, MAPIC’s attendance was slashed by a last-minute surge of omicron variant. In hindsight, that conference’s ‘hybrid’ model feels so autumn 2021, as organisers have since understood that merging physical and online attendees just feels clunky and uneven. Since wearing face masks was then so well-drilled, the must-have MAPIC 2021 fashion accessory was a Saudi Arabian luxury mask (with internal sand filter!). The conference did, however, feel Covid-safe as the fewer attendees wore face masks and were mainly breathing outdoors. The big conference winners were Cannes’ cafés, with outdoor heated terraces in the wintry sunshine.
