When Property Week launched the Property Awards back in 1995, we had no idea that 25 years later they would still be going strong. But this year’s Silver Jubilee-themed ceremony promises to be the biggest and best yet. Here are five reasons you have to be there:
1. Cause to celebrate
There is a school of thought that there are too many awards out there, that they are passé and that it is inappropriate to celebrate when the market is challenged.
It is true that there are a lot of awards programmes, but the Property Awards were one of the first and, for all the competition, they remain the best because they are the most comprehensive, the most rigorously judged and the most credible.
We also believe they have more currency now than they have ever had and that there couldn’t be a better time to celebrate than a period of adversity. As we stress every year, we are not looking for the biggest, we are looking for the best. There are always some surprise winners – but they are always the right winners.
2. Silver Jubilee award
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Property Awards, we have introduced a special one-off award for the best company of the past quarter of a century.
We are searching for a game-changing company that has stood the test of time, yet continued to pioneer in its area of expertise.
Don’t worry if you were around in 1995 but not in the same form. This category is also open to companies that have merged and rebranded – as long as part of the company existed in some shape or form 25 years ago, it is eligible.
So whether you are a developer, investor or agency, if you have moved the goalposts, rewritten the rule book or led where others have followed, we want to hear from you.
3. New for 2020
Social impact has been one of the breakthrough issues of the past year. Property Week was first to explore how to improve the industry’s social impact at a spotlight with LGIM last February.
With Newcore Capital, we recently launched the Pro Bono Challenge, calling on the industry to commit to a project that benefits the community and generates limited or zero commercial returns.
Now, with this new-for-2020 Social Impact award, we want to celebrate the best social impact projects and initiatives of the past year and celebrate excellence in this emerging field.
We are looking for a company or individual that has completed or committed to a ground-breaking social impact scheme, project or initiative in the past 12 months. If this is you and you want to be recognised for your work, get your submission in now.
4. Silver-tie dress code
What does Property Week have in common with the fashion crowd? We’re all predicting that silver will be a big theme this year – à la seminal 1920s film Metropolis (also, coincidentally, the name of Property Week’s parent company).
This year, we are inviting you to ditch the boring LBD for something more silvery. For the blokes, a DJ is, of course, acceptable, but how about a silver tie rather than black? We don’t mind what ‘touch of silver’ you add to your evening attire, but there will be a prize for the best dressed. So go on, dazzle us with your silver-themed sartorial splendour.
5. Robust judging
The experts who judge the Property Awards know just how robust the process is, but for those who don’t, here’s an insight into how it all works.
The editor, Liz Hamson, and deputy editor, Guy Montague-Jones, personally oversee the judging process and panel. Every year, we refresh the judging panel to ensure it is as diverse yet high calibre as possible.
This does not mean ditching existing judges – their experience and knowledge are invaluable. It means introducing to the line-up new judges with the relevant expertise to judge new categories or give us a broader perspective on existing categories.
When companies have entered their submissions, the long lists are whittled down by the senior editorial team. The shortlisted entries are then sent to the judges, who are recruited from across the industry.
To avoid conflicts of interest, the judges are allocated categories based on their area of expertise, but not that they are active in. They cannot judge a category they have entered or are sponsoring. On the day of judging, the judges sign confidentiality agreements. They are asked to disclose any conflicts of interest and step out of a session where those occur.
We then get to work selecting the winners. It is a lengthy and rigorous process and the winners will be those deemed to have had a transformative impact not just on their own business but the wider market.
If you want to get involved, we have a couple of remaining places on this year’s judging panel, so get in touch and help us ensure the Property Awards retain their status as the Oscars of the UK commercial property market.
Go to awards.propertyweek.com for more information.
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