A new landmark investment summit to showcase the North of England on the global stage and unlock new investment and jobs has been planned for Monday, May 18, 2026.

The Great North Investment Summit has been announced by The Great North, a partnership founded by northern mayors to create prosperity and opportunity.

The Summit will take place on May 18 ahead of the UKREiiF forum in Leeds — The UK’s Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum — in collaboration with UKREiiF, the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) and the Office for Investment (OfI).

The Summit aims to showcase pipeline-ready investment opportunities across the North’s growth sectors, position the Great North as a world-class investment brand for growth, strengthen relationships with sovereign wealth funds, institutional investors and international partners.

Chair of The Great North, North East Mayor Kim McGuinness, said: “We are seizing control of the North’s economic destiny, ending the days where our regions are overlooked.

“By establishing the Great North Investment Summit, we are creating the first ever forum dedicated to promoting the North of England collectively, demonstrating our unrivalled investment potential, and telling our story on the global stage with passion and pride.

“As Mayors, we are determined to bring jobs and opportunity to the communities we serve, and this Summit is a signal of our intent and ambition.”

Nathan Spencer, Managing Director at UKREiiF, said: “We are proud and delighted to host an enhanced Great North presence in Leeds on the eve of UKREiiF 2026, building on from the activities which took place in the lead up to 2025’s summit.

“The strategic alignment between what the North’s brilliant towns and cities wish to accomplish and what UKREiiF is trying to do is clear and we are honoured to be supporting all the great Northern Mayors and local authority leaders by hosting their forum on Monday 18th May 2026 at Leeds Dock, the day before UKREiiF 2026 gets underway.”