Bidwells at UKREiiF 2026: Innovation Unlocked

UK Investment Hotspots: Innovative Cities

This opening session sets the stage for the day by examining the UK's most dynamic investment locations - the locations redefining growth, innovation, and economic resilience. Drawing on research from Bidwells, this session identifies where capital is flowing, why certain places are pulling ahead, and what makes a city a genuine hotspot for investors in today's market. From established innovation corridors to emerging sector clusters, the session brings together voices from across the UK to explore the opportunities, challenges, and strategies determining which cities win the race for capital.

Speakers: Robert Leadbetter, Bidwells, Nick Pettit, Bidwells, Paul Weston, Prologis, Jenny Hartley MBE, Newcastle City Council & Kate Bull, Liverpool City Council

Rethinking Office Space for the AI Era

Will AI increase or decrease office demand? It's the question every developer, investor and occupier is asking. The answer emerging from the UK's leading innovation markets is not what most people expect. Demand is not softening - it is structurally reallocating, concentrating among businesses where AI complements specialised science, proprietary data, and infrastructure. This session unpacks what is driving that shift, who the new occupiers are, and what developers need to be planning for now.

Speakers: Sue Foxley, Bidwells, Max Bryan, Bidwells, Jane Hutchins, Cambridge Science Park, Toby Reid, Pioneer Group, Stephen Mulcair, 3RE Capital Ventures & Gareth Fisher, ATOS

BNG for Developers (Invite-only)

Join us for a focused discussion on the implications of Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) for real estate investors and developers. Drawing on new research produced for IPF Research, this session will unpack how BNG regulations affect project delivery, costs, values and reporting obligations, as well as what constitutes best practice in implementation. The conversation will explore how forward-thinking investors can treat BNG not simply as a compliance requirement, but as a strategic opportunity to manage risk, strengthen ESG performance and create new sources of value. Designed for those shaping investment and development strategies, the roundtable will also consider how the regulatory landscape may evolve and what that means for decision-makers today.

Speakers: Roland Bull, Head of Rural, Bidwells

Rethinking Single Family: Finding the Right Model for the UK Market

Single family housing continues to attract significant institutional capital, positioned as a compelling asset class in the UK market. Yet on the ground, developers and housebuilders are questioning whether the model truly suits the UK context - facing delivery challenges, planning hurdles, and market realities that don't always align with investor expectations.

This panel brings together representatives across the development lifecycle to explore the disconnect. What will it take to translate strong investor appetite into successful, scalable delivery in the UK market? What are the practical barriers to delivery at scale? And critically, can we align investment appetite with on-the-ground reality to create a model that works for the UK market?

Join us for a frank discussion on whether single family housing represents a genuine opportunity for the UK, or whether we need to fundamentally rethink the approach to create a model that meets investment objectives, delivers on the country's housing needs, and works for housebuilders.

Speakers: Iain Murray, Bidwells, Jamie Younger, Thriving Investments, Stephen Kelly, Greater Cambridge Shared Planning, Mark Woodrow, Packaged Living & Bela Zavery, Womble Bond Dickinson

Operational Living Drinks Reception - Sponsored by the NRLA

The reception will begin with a keynote by Ben Beadle, Chief Executive of the NRLA, where he will discuss the structural changes taking place in the private rented sector and the Association’s role in supporting viable investment in residential property regardless of scale.

Todd Talk: A Fireside Chat with Tilo Guenther, Niall McLaughlin Architects

Bidwells' Head of Built Environment sits down with Tilo Guenther of Niall McLaughlin Architects for a fireside chat exploring the ideas, challenges and opportunities shaping the built environment today. A candid conversation on design, development and what it takes to deliver architecture that endures.

Speakers: Richard Todd, Head of Built Environment, Bidwells & Tilo Guenther, Director, Niall McLaughlin Architects

How do you Measure Social Impact and Wellbeing?

This will be a practical discussion unpacking one of the built environment’s biggest challenges: identifying and measuring social value creation in a way that is credible, comparable and meaningful. 
As expectations rise from investors, occupiers and local communities, our panellists will explore how social impact and wellbeing can best be measured, and what “good” evidence really looks like. 
We will also demonstrate the powerful impact that rigorous assessment and measurement can have by exploring a case study with RE N-GAGE, a charity working with at-risk young people to change their trajectory from potential criminality, susceptibility to gang membership and unemployment by redirecting them back into the education system.

Speakers: Mark Teasdale, Bidwells, Mags Davison, RE N-GAGE, Paula Mcleay, Cabinet Office, Mike Wiltshire, Homes England