When 3M was looking for a location for its new headquarters in the Netherlands, the city of Delft's reputation as a hub for innovation, technology and R&D made the decision a simple one.

Lublin is rapidly establishing itself as a leading business hub in eastern Poland, with companies attracted by the city's large and highly skilled talent pool. Now, it is looking to benefit from the growing nearshoring trend, and is setting its sights on attracting businesses in the business process outsourcing sector.  

For more than a decade, the Medical University of Lublin has been attracting foreign students to the city with its English-language medical degrees. Now, the rest of Lublin's medical sector is catching on to the idea of targeting foreign customers, and the city is positioning itself as a medical tourism hub.

Lublin is working hard to strengthen the links between academia and business, with incubators fostering innovation and co-operation in the technology sector. 

Steeped in history, the Polish city of Lublin had fallen upon hard times in the 20th century. However, its 2013 to 2020 strategy plan is already reaping dividends in positioning the city as a centre of business, investment and entrepreneurship within easy reach of both Warsaw and neighbouring Ukraine.

Real estate investment is thriving, with industry-watchers all over the world reporting increased demand. However, as Karen E Thuermer reports, the type of demand differs quite dramatically from country to country and region to region.

With the hosting of large, international events leading to palpable increases in foreign investment in a handful of cities across Europe, more and more locations are keen to replicate this success and are working on developing their reputations in the trade events space.