In the run up to this year's Mipim, Leicester and Leicestershire flirted with the idea of combining with the two other major city and county areas in the East Midlands to give all three a bigger bang.
The idea was dismissed as too expensive (being classed as a region instead of a city or county in the exhibition hall sees costs rocket) and politically sensitive.
However, it is looking more likely to happen next year, with Andy Cliffe, managing director of East Midlands Airport, the most high-profile advocate yet for a more unified approach by the region when it comes to attracting investment.
Although Mr Cliffe did not explicitly say he wanted to see a 'Team East Midlands' at Mipim 2016 during his Power of 3 presentation at a Cannes conference hall today, he certainly hinted very strongly at it.
His speech called for the three city/county areas of Leicester, Nottingham and Derby to work closely together to lure inward investment away from London and the South-East and see off the threat of a Government-backed 'Northern Powerhouse' based around Manchester.
His comments make sense, of course. The East Midlands is expected to be the fastest growing economy outside London and the South East this year, having enjoyed the sharpest expansion of any other UK region in the first half of 2014. It is also a well established fact that businesses don't care much for political or historical geographical boundaries.
The region's central location and leading position in hi-tech engineering and distribution means it has a lot more potential for growth, which needs to be exploited thoroughly in a structured and strategic way, states Mr Cliffe. Creating a more formal 'one East Midlands' approach to inward investment is the best way of achieving this, according to Mr Cliffe and many other business leaders, as well as some senior public sector officials.
Whether this means a return to something similar to East Midlands Development Agency - the Nottingham-based economic agency closed down by the Tory-led government and replaced with local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) soon after they took power in 2010 - remains to be seen. A merger of the Leicester and Leicestershire LEP with its Nottingham and Derby counterpart seems unlikely in the short to medium term. D2N2, the combined Nottingham and Derby entity, is currently in the process of creating a more distinct offer for each of the two city/county areas it serves.
Looking more locally, the future of the former Leicester City Council HQ site has been a popular topic of discussion over the past two days. Two businesses have been chosen to develop the 1.8-acre rubble-strewn Welford Place site by the city council. I've heard several different names from various sources over the past 48 hours. An announcement is due by the end of this month.
On the subject of occupiers for the mixed-use, office-led development, one name I was sure was to be a tenant has been shot down in flames by a well-placed source, while I'm finding it hard to get confirmation about another major business name, despite two different people being adamant it will move into the new site. Keep your eye on this blog and the Leicester Mercury newspaper and website for the definitive news on this.
French restaurants are certainly known to be definitive when it comes to the quality of their cuisine, albeit not to everyone's culinary and socio-political tastes. I did my best to reaffirm this stereotype this evening by ordering foie gras for the second night in succession.
Rest assured, no taxpayer coffers suffered as a result.
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