Report reveals UKREiiF hits £5m social value milestone

The UK’s Real Estate Investment & Infrastructure Forum (UKREiiF) has announced that £5 million in social value has been created by its events in just three years, with the findings detailed in a report by economists at social value organisation Loop.

Intended to connect people, places and businesses to accelerate and unlock sustainable, inclusive, and transformation investment across the country, UKREiiF brings together the public sector from every core UK city and region, alongside government, investors, funders, developers, contractors, housebuilders and more. The event returned to Leeds for its third instalment in May, almost doubling its size from 2023, with 13,000 people descending on Leeds Dock across three days.

The forum’s operations – both in the lead up to, during, and after the event – have been closely analysed by Loop’s social value economists to demonstrate the true impact of the event. Using the National Social Value Standard (SVS), this analysis has been compiled into reports that detail the social value generated by UKREiiF since its first event in 2022 – which now totals more than £5 million.

The 2024 report focuses around 25 monetised and 26 non-monetised metrics – helping to identify an accurate picture of the impact created by UKREiiF, covering the full economic, social, and environmental scope.

Will Campbell, social value engagement lead at Loop, said: “An event like UKREiiF has a huge impact in ways that many will not initially consider. Of course, it creates jobs and brings trade to local retailers, but especially with its multi-faceted programme it does so much more.

“From mentoring schemes, sustainability initiatives, and events that prompt physical fitness happening the week of UKREiiF, to the impact throughout the year from return visits. Of course, the number of visitors to the event also bring increased trade for many vendors and retailers in the area too, which have been able to fuel growth from the opportunity UKREiiF brings forward.

“Importantly, our measurements are rooted in creating that accurate picture for UKREiiF, so they can know that full impact beyond easy to measure elements like number of jobs created. That’s why the National Social Value Standard is such a robust measurement framework, catering for a wide range of metrics that are both monetised and non-monetised for that full picture.

“Marking £5 million in social value generated in just three years is a key moment for UKREiiF – and we know that even more will be generated as the event continues to build the momentous momentum built so far into 2025 and beyond.”

Additionality analysis plays a key role in keeping accuracy at the heart of the social value measured for UKREiiF. This applies a number of factors to every valuation to isolate the level of change each is actually responsible for. For example, ‘deadweight’ allows for the ‘do nothing’ scenario by accounting for outcomes that would have taken place without the intervention – in this case the UKREiiF event. Elsewhere, geographical distribution makes sure that social value is measured with their location in mind, further enhancing accuracy.

Nathan Spencer, managing director at UKREiiF, said: “We are incredibly proud of the impact UKREiiF has made in such a short time. Not only have we been able to double the size of the event and attract key figures from across the public and private sectors, but this report from Loop also demonstrates the tangible social value we are generating.

“It’s not just about the economic benefits – we’re driving real change in communities by creating opportunities, supporting environmental goals, and fostering inclusivity in the built environment sector. This is what makes UKREiiF truly transformational, and we look forward to building on this momentum in the years to come.”

Loop is part of the Pagabo Group, along with procurement specialist Pagabo and contract management software company Sypro. Together, Pagabo Group’s businesses provide organisations with end-to-end solutions from procurement processes through to project delivery – with Loop able to embed social value at every stage. Pagabo Group was the platinum partner for UKREiiF in 2024 – a role it will be reprising in 2025. The full UKREiiF 2024 Social Value Report can be downloaded from Loop’s website here: https://loop.org.uk/ukreiif-social-value-report-2024-2/