LEADING business and council figures from Bolton will travel to the glamorous city of Cannes this year in a bid to drum up investment in the town.

Keith Davies, director of development and regeneration for Bolton Council, will join representatives from property companies Bluemantle and Harworth Estates at the four-day MIPIM event, set to be held in the French Riviera in March.

Thousands of companies and investors from more than 80 countries go to MIPIM every year, which showcases the best office, residential, retail and industrial developments across the globe.

The Business Bolton team will form part of the Greater Manchester Partnership — which in previous years has included Manchester City Council, other local authorities and private sector businesses.

They aim to promote the multi-million pound Logistics North and the Rivington Chase developments, which each promise to bring thousands of jobs to Bolton.

Bluemantle has agreed to sponsor the council’s participation in the trip, paying about £7,000 to cover the partnership fee, transport and accommodation.

Mr Davies said MIPIM was the world’s “premier real estate event”.

He added: “It brings together the most influential decision makers in the industry, offering them access to the largest showcase of development opportunities.

“Bolton Council attended MIPIM as a member of the Manchester Partnership for a number of years, and used the event to launch a series of development briefs and prospectuses including Bolton Innovation Zone and Logistics North.

“This approach was successful in securing development partners and in positioning Bolton as a key player in the North West in contributing to potential economic growth in the region.”

Harworth Estates received permission in November to build the £200 million Logistics North scheme at the old Cutacre site, which is expected to bring an estimated 6,000 jobs to Bolton.

Meanwhile, Bluemantle will be promoting the scheme for the Horwich Loco Works — Rivington Chase — where they hope to create a new town with 1,700 homes and 20 acres of employment land.

Bolton Council has been to the event four times between 2006 and 2013 and the council says this has attracted interest in the Bolton Innovation Zone — the regeneration efforts centred around the University—and Logistics North.