A major investment event that has brought thousands of delegates to Leeds is to leave the city after next year, with organisers confirming a move to a new Northern home.
UKREiiF will relocate to Liverpool from 2028, following its sixth and final Leeds edition at the Royal Armouries on May 18–20, 2027.
The Liverpool Experience Campus (LEX) has secured the rights to host the event, with organisers citing room for expansion and a wide choice of accommodation as factors supporting its continued growth.
READ MORE: Agency group adds 70 specialists in double acquisition
The move marks a significant change for the North’s conference and events sector. Since launching in Leeds in 2022, UKREiiF has grown to bring together more than 17,000 delegates from government, investment, development, local authorities and the wider built environment. Prolific North hosted a roundtable with Leeds marketing and strategy agency Cast Can at this year’s UKREiiF, focusing on regeneration, placemaking and delivery. The discussion formed part of Cast Can’s three-day Housing Development Summit, bringing together leaders from across housing, investment and development to tackle the UK’s housing crisis.
Leeds City Council leader Cllr James Lewis said its presence had delivered economic benefits of around £75m, while organisers estimate that more than £4bn of investment and projects are in the pipeline or being delivered as a direct result of the event.
Despite the relocation, the Yorkshire-based business will retain its base in the region and is preparing to launch its first Australian event in 2027.
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.”
He added: “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.”
Further details of the Liverpool event will be revealed over the coming months.
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. I’d also like to look forward and mention our next host destination – Liverpool – which will take the reins from 2028. The proposition we’ve created alongside them is excellent and will keep the Festivalisation and vibe which makes UKREiiF what it is, and we look forward to showcasing what we’re set to bring to Liverpool over the coming months.”
For Leeds, attention will turn to developing its conference infrastructure. Lewis said the council would work with the Royal Armouries on plans for a conference and exhibition centre offering greater capacity and an improved visitor experience.
The venue’s Director General and Master of the Armouries, Nat Edwards, said the Royal Armouries Waterfront project would attract the next generation of major events to the city.
West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin said: “We have loved having UKREiiF in Leeds, it was born here, and I hope it comes back home soon.”
The Royal Armouries will host UKREiiF’s final Leeds edition next May before the Liverpool move.
