Highlights of the France Show 2017
London was busy this past weekend with the influx of visitors and guests at this year’s “The France Show”, held at the Olympia Exhibition Center from January 27 until 29, 2017. Home-Hunts Co-Founder, Tim Swannie was among the bevy of luxury property specialists at the event alongside the Foremost Currency Group who represented the best estates and prime regions throughout France
The France Show is the largest French property show in the UK and it always attracts thousands of British clients, many of whom are interested in buying and selling a French property. The event was well laid out in a massive space, with one floor covering lifestyle, travel and cuisine where seminars by travel experts and famous authors were held and live cookery shows from renowned French chefs at the flavors of France theatre. The food stands and wine specialists stalls offered the best of French cuisine and the wine tasting events were all well-attended by curious guests and visitors who had the pleasure of discovering the best of France in an exclusive space over the whole weekend.
One of the highlights of the event was the seminar held with famous Anglo-Irish actress, author and filmmaker, Carol Drinkwater, who recently released her book “The Forgotten Summer” all about the scents and savors of the south of France.
Another part of the event was the property level, this was a floor dedicated to French property, this level was full of immobiliers, financial advisors, currency exchange specialists, legal experts and so on. On this floor, visitors browsed through thousands of French properties and could choose from a wide range of seminars regarding the property market. Most of the property exhibitors stands attracted a lot of interest throughout the weekend as well, with Saturday being the busiest day.
The two property-related seminars which seemed the most popular were “The buying process – 6 easy steps” which came from Home Hunts partner, Beaux Villages, which really helped to talk people through the basic steps of buying a property in France and contained lots of useful hints and tips and general information to help all levels of buyers. The second seminar was called “Brexit and Me, should I stay or should I go” and this was held by the Notaires de France, which focused on how British buyers could potentially be affected by the Brexit ruling and drew a large crowd each day.
From the turnout of this year’s show, it is encouraging to discover that there is still a lot of interest from buyers from the United Kingdom. Some people are concerned by the upcoming Brexit of course but for some, it has made them even more determined to buy a French home. French Property News magazine, one of the sponsors of the show, carried out a survey at the end of 2016: 86% of those who took part said the outcome of June’s referendum would not stop them buying in France – with 13% even saying Brexit made them more determined to buy soon, giving reasons such as wanting to own a French property before Britain leaves the EU and hoping to remain connected to European culture.
The France Show has given us a lot of insight and great moments amidst a camaraderie of British and French culture and interests in prime property buying, starting off a positive year ahead this 2017.
All Photos Courtesy of Home Hunts and The France Show
