A message from Mandi Cooper, Managing Director.
On behalf of Auction House Scotland, I would like to say how thrilled we all are to be sponsors of the Scottish Property Federation’s Annual Conference 2026.
In particular, we are proud to be Main Session Sponsor of the panel session on Building Better Urban Centres.
This session examines how Scotland’s urban centres can evolve through the rise of the experience economy. The panel will look at the shift from traditional retail towards culture, leisure and mixed use neighbourhoods, and discuss how experience led environments can reinvigorate city centres, support communities and create long term economic value. The panel will explore how Scotland’s towns and cities can adapt, evolve and thrive, helping breathe new life into our shared public realms.
And that is where we come in and why we are sponsoring this session… Auction House Scotland helps regenerate Scotland’s towns, cities, and communities by transforming vacant, underused and problem properties into productive assets through strategic sales, adaptive reuse and targeted regeneration led investment. By unlocking stalled buildings and attracting the right buyers, we turn decline into opportunity, supporting housing supply, local economies, and long-term community renewal. Over the years, I’ve worked with private clients, developers, insolvency practitioners, solicitors and public sector bodies across Scotland, often on disposals where clarity of process and speed of execution are as important as price.
What has consistently struck me is how effective auctions can be as part of a broader property strategy, rather than a last resort. In volatile or constrained market conditions, auctions offer transparency on value, fixed timescales, and competitive tension, all of which are particularly relevant for public sector disposals, regeneration assets, and properties carrying risk or complexity.
I’m especially interested in how auctions can support better outcomes for public bodies by reducing holding costs, increasing market engagement, and providing a clear audit trail.
I place a strong emphasis on realism and early risk identification. In my experience, projects succeed when assumptions are challenged early and decisions are made on evidence rather than optimism.
Through my involvement with the Scottish Property Federation, I’m keen to contribute to discussions around public sector asset disposal, market efficiency, and how different routes to market - including auctions - can work alongside traditional agency, development, and investment models.
I believe collaboration across disciplines is essential if the Scottish property sector is to respond effectively to economic uncertainty, regulatory change, and the increasing pressure to deliver tangible results.
The more people work with us, the more they discover how our property strategy across Scotland has saved buildings, revitalised communities and added economic benefit to the towns and cities of Scotland.
If attending, I trust that you enjoy the Scotish Property Federastion's Annual Conference and please feel free to get in touch if any of these points resonate with you.
Mandi Cooper
Managing Director
Auction House Scotland
E: mandi@auctionhousescotland.com
T: 0141 339 4466
