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Another year, another MIPIM. That’s seven on the spin I’ve done, and I’m a mere beginner compared to some. MIPIM 2011’s been very different really.

As yesterday’s blog said, the Germans are absolutely bouncing this week - they are the kings of the castle at the moment with a booming economy that exports loads of things growing economies want to buy – how did they do that, eh? Hardly seems fair.

So what’s been happening that has amused, bemused, bewitched or incensed the punters? Sniggers were raised at the Four Cities event when Dr Herlind Gundelach, appearing for Hamburg, introduced the next speaker, Sir Howard Bernstein, as the chief executive of Manchester City. Well, he does support them.

The event – also featuring Amsterdam and Barcelona – was good, but stretched to two hours – a lifetime in MIPIM terms. Keynote speaker Jim O’Neill, of Goldman Sachs, would surely have been better deployed as a big draw for a stand event. By the way, if you didn’t know, he invented the term ‘BRIC economies’ – attendees were only reminded of this a few times.

Another chief executive causing giggles was Adam Wilkinson of Derby City Council, who took to the Eden Hotel stage with: “Good morning – or should I say 'Good Moaning' – I’ve been picking up the lingo.” For any younger readers, it really isn’t worth looking up the TV comedy ‘Allo ‘Allo to check the verisimilitude of Wilkinson’s impression.

On the food front, MIPIM is a melting pot of cultures and the Brits rarely go far wrong in playing to home comforts, with past classics including the Leeds ‘Full English on a spoon’ or Peel’s in no way a northern cliché 'pie and a pint session'. This year’s prize went to Wakefield, with Coca Cola (it has a big bottling plant) and bags of Haribo (originally from the city). Only the cruel would cite Yorkshire parsimony in observing that the bags were very small…

At least Wakefield and others on the Leeds City Region stand could be heard. Some of the heavy programme of events on the Birmingham stand struggled to make their voices carry over the din in a particularly noisy part of the Riviera Hall. The UK Regenerate stand in particular seemed to have brought in a sound system more suited to Glastonbury.

Finally, the best quote of the week, from a member of the Coventry delegation, who shall remain nameless (because I always think he looks quite hard). The punchy Midland city treated guests to a meal at the swanky L’oasis Rimbauld, but the appetiser of sea urchins in some kind of a sauce wasn’t to all tastes. “I know it’s fine dining, but I don’t get it how people go crazy for salty snot,” mused our man. Who could say fairer than that?

Read Neil's other blogs from MIPIM 2011 below:

Desperately seeking investment

Let's get feisty

Out of the comfort zone