My first Propski (And how it compares to MIPIM)

By Anderton Gables

04 Feb 2020

js-hitting-the-slopes.jpg

2020 was the 8th Propski and it welcomed circa 450 property professionals to the La Folie Douce Hotel in Chamonix.

The event has been, and still remains, a very London centric event. However, with AG being a very Northern focused business, we wanted to dive in and make an impression on it! So, we sponsored a ‘Propski North’ event in Manchester to promote Propski to the Northern community and this proved a great success and led to far more Northern accents echoing around La Folie Douce.

Propski offers a half or full week option and I went for the half week (as the majority do). I found this to be the correct decision for me as by the end of the half week, I was feeling pretty burnt out.

La Folie Douce is a beautiful recently refurbished hotel with fantastic, if slightly risqué, entertainment – you get used to seeing scantily clad performers descending from the ceiling in rolls of silk…….

What to expect! 

I have never skied before, and I was by no means alone. As part of the standard package, you can add ski lessons at all levels of competence and hire ski equipment, boots, poles etc. Generally speaking, the itinerary of my week was along the lines of the following: -

Saturday – Arrive, check in, get welcome pack, go to welcome party. This seems to be the main night out and people certainly party until the small hours, dancing on tables, drinking games and catching up with old friends!

Sunday, Monday, Tuesday – Generally a repeat of the following; Breakfast (mixture of fresh and hungover people enjoying a continental buffet), ski or ski lessons, lunch, ski, attending an event – repeat.

Thrown in to the above was time spent in the hotel spa and open-air pool, which I have got to say is probably some of the best networking I have ever done!

For me, the ski bit was three 2-hour lessons every morning in the ‘newbie’ or absolute beginners’ group. This proved to be a great choice, as it enabled you to rapidly meet people who you would then knock around with and who would introduce you to others.

My two colleagues who attended didn’t have lessons, as they were competent skiers/boarders and they spent the days up in the mountains at various resorts with different groups of people – it is such a friendly event, even if you were to attend alone there was always a welcoming group to spend the day and evenings with.

Many experienced skiers/boarders did have lessons, simply to help them meet people. For me, having lessons is highly recommended.  By day three, I was able to go up into the mountains and tackle the green runs within the most amazing setting. 

Propski is such a great environment to expand your network. There is a common interest in skiing/boarding and therefore the conversations are easy and flow something along the lines of “do you ski/board?” “where have you been today?” “where are you going tomorrow?” “what is it you do?”. All of this moved along nicely by the social events and plenty of Mont Blanc biere!

The half week ends in race night, which anyone can enter and is great fun as people come down the slope with commentary via the Propski team

My return to the world of Business!

Since returning there has been a flurry of contacts from new friends and a real optimism that business will be won. 

So, in summary – I loved it!

A number of people have asked – how does it compare to MIPIM? So below is my brain dump of how Propski compares to MIPIM:

MIPIM feels like a business trip – Propski a holiday feel Propski is fairly small and intimate – MIPIM is huge and can be intimidating There are no business suits to wear at Propski, it is a very causal event Propski is cheaper (certainly if you buy a pass at MIPIM) I would say Propski is better for building relationships and MIPIM may be better for doing deals There is so much going on at MIPIM that there is an overlap and you often miss events, whereas at Propski everyone’s on one agenda at one hotel Both need planning and follow-ups to get the most from them

The overriding thing for me is I think Propski is more FUN!  It’s also a credit to the organisers and really delivers.  A final thought - along with having a great time and meeting new contacts, this can be great team building event, so I hope to see you and your team at Propski 2021!

Latest news

1

Construction begins on new Civil Service office building in Talbot Gateway Alan McBride Muse Will Town Defence Infrastructure Organisation Jennifer Chard Defence Business Services Cllr Lynn Williams Blackpool Council Garry Bowker Vinci

Construction begins on new Civil Service office building in Talbot Gateway

20 May 2025

2

Skiddle raises over £750,000 for charities Skiddle cheque presentation to Alder Hey Hospital

Skiddle raises over £750,000 for charities

20 May 2025

3

Former Victorian Hotel approved for residential conversion The site

Former Victorian Hotel approved for residential conversion

19 May 2025

4

REVOLUTION PARK: Work starts on Darwen’s new home of advanced manufacturing Oliver Webber, Tracy Clavell-Bate and Tim Webber from Barnfield Group with Cllr Phil Riley, second from right, Leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council

REVOLUTION PARK: Work starts on Darwen’s new home of advanced manufacturing

19 May 2025

5

Two Cuckoo Gins named winners in The Gin Guide Awards 2025 Mark Long

Two Cuckoo Gins named winners in The Gin Guide Awards 2025

19 May 2025

Background image for hub sign up block

LBV Hub

Leverage Lancashire Business View platforms

Post your news
Post your events
Post your offers
Build your network
Improve your SEO
Gain coverage in the magazine
Sign-up
Events
LBV122 May/June Launch Event
121 Lancashire Business View Magazine Launch
Networking
21 May 2025

LBV122 May/June Launch Event

Lancaster and Morecambe College, Lancaster, LA1 2TY

08:30 - 10:30

Sub36 Networking
Networking
11 Jun 2025

Sub36 Networking

British Jewellery School, Scorton, PR3 1BA

15:00 - 17:00

Lancashire Net Zero Carbon Conference
Net Zero Carbon Social 1200pxtrident 2
Networking
18 Jun 2025

Lancashire Net Zero Carbon Conference

Crow Wood Hotel & Spa Resort, Burnley, BB12 0RT

08:30 - 13:00

Lancashire Built Environment Conference 2025
BEC 315 X 315 Px
Networking
25 Sep 2025

Lancashire Built Environment Conference 2025

Blackpool Football Club, Blackpool, FY1 6HX

08:30 - 13:00

CMI Level 5 Project Management Course
UCLanAerialCampus.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
21 Feb 2025 - 21 Feb 2026

CMI Level 5 Project Management Course

Preston Campus, Preston, PR1 2HE

08:00 - 17:00

CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Course
UCLanAerialCampus.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
21 Feb 2025 - 21 Feb 2026

CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Course

Preston Campus, Preston , PR1 2HE

09:00 - 17:00

RISE - The Academy for Female Leaders and Managers
WENDY BOWERS RISE Illustrstion copy.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
02 Apr 2025 - 08 Oct 2025

RISE - The Academy for Female Leaders and Managers

East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce, Clayton le Moors, BB5 5JR

09:00 - 15:30

Amber River True Bearing quarterly investment seminar
LBV Hub Seminars
22 May 2025 - 22 May 2025

Amber River True Bearing quarterly investment seminar

Cottons Hotel & Spa , Knutsford, WA16 0SU

16:00 - 18:00

The Business Network Central & East Lancashire
LBV Hub Networking
22 May 2025 - 22 May 2025

The Business Network Central & East Lancashire

Mytton Fold, Langho, BB6 8AB

11:30 - 14:15

Preston Freelancer Meet-Up: May
Freelancer Meet-Up May.png.png
LBV Hub Networking
22 May 2025 - 22 May 2025

Preston Freelancer Meet-Up: May

society1, Coworking Space, Preston, PR1 3LT

10:00 - 11:30

Liverpool Business Expo 2025
https---cdn.evbuc.com-images-881365363-4862066883-1-original.20241023-085714.jpeg.jpg
LBV Hub Awards
23 May 2025 - 23 May 2025

Liverpool Business Expo 2025

Aintree Racecourse , Liverpool , L9 5AS

09:00 - 15:00

Advantage: AI – A Workshop for Business Leaders – May 29
Artboard 15.png.png
LBV Hub Seminars
29 May 2025 - 29 May 2025

Advantage: AI – A Workshop for Business Leaders – May 29

Door4 Office, Burnley Wharf, Manchester Road, Burnley, BB11 1JG

09:00 - 11:00

Advertise with us

Reaching 50,000 members, our print, digital and event platforms offer a fantastic way to raise your business profile and help you grow.

Find out more LBV122 Online Graphic
Subscribe now

Weekly news bulletin