Bangkok--27 Aug--Infinity Communications & Consultant
Following an active period of nominations for the 2009 Thailand Property Awards, well over 1,000 nominations were received which represents over 300% increase on last year.
“We're taken aback by the response. The number of nominations has been a surprise this year and as a result BDO Richfield Advisory Limited have done a fantastic job checking them all against the eligibility criteria,” said Duncan Worthington, Managing Director of Ensign Media, organisers of the awards.
All nominations were collated by the organisers and passed on to BDO Richfield Advisory Limited who's role it is to check the eligibility of nominations against the awards eligibility criteria. This is a very important stage, and due to the large number of nominations beating everyone's expectations, the process has taken longer than normal.
“After BDO Richfield's checks, we received a final list of nominations. Some had to be discarded due to not meeting the awards' eligibility criteria, but the number in each award category is still well in excess of previous years, and we are expecting very competitive entries as a result,” added Worthington.
The entry form submission period is now closed. The next step is all entry forms are sent to BDO Richfield to check again against eligibility criteria and from there to the judges for their discussion.
Judging Process
The Judging will be similar to previous years with the first round of judging producing a short list of upto five in each of the development categories. These short-listed developments will then be inspected by local judging teams in Bangkok, Eastern Seaboard, Phuket, Samui and Hua Hin respectively.
The significant change in the judging process this year is that a panel of judges, sourced from the real estate industry, will review entries and submit their short-list of upto five per award category, to BDO Richfield Advisory Limited. The panel will then meet, discuss and select the final short-list of up to five per award category.
In 2008, a selection of anonymous judges from around the country used a scoring system whereby the highest five scorers made the short-list. This year a team of independent judges will produce the short-lists through a consultative process and the panel will be announced publicly.
“It is a significant change this year. We've had feedback that people would like to know who the judges are. So this year we will announce the judging panel. We are recruiting the panel now and are being selective to ensure fair representation and no bias. The panel will cumulatively have nationwide knowledge, be both experienced on the Thai real estate industry and in general business, and a number of nationalities will be represented,” added Worthington.
Those short-listed in the development categories will then be contacted and visited by local judging teams in Bangkok, Eastern Seaboard, Phuket, Samui and Hua Hin, respectively. Following the site visits, the local teams will select the winners.
Following their success in 2008 and involvement in the awards since the beginning in 2006, BDO Richfield Advisory Limited have again been engaged by the organisers to oversee the nomination, entry and judging process, and to ensure all is transparent and fair. BDO Richfield Advisory Limited and the organisers of the awards are not involved in judging the awards.
Gala Dinner
The gala dinner will be held on 7th November, 2009, at the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel in Bangkok, and the awards winners will be announced on the evening. The format will be similar to last year: a wine reception followed by a 4-course dinner and awards presentation. The price is 35,000THB (+VAT) for a table of 10. So far ten tables have been booked, and space is limited. Last year capacity was reached and some had to be turned. To avoid disappointment, it is best to book early.
Sponsors of the 2009 Thailand Property Awards include Gaggenau and Limcharoen Hughes & Glanville as Co-Sponsors and Signity Thailand as Official Supplier. Media Partners include Deluxe Property Vietnam magazine, i-Marketing, Luxury Properties magazine, Phuket Post newspaper, Prestige Thailand magazine, Property Report magazine, REIDIN.com and Thaizeit magazine. The British Chamber of Commerce Thailand, The Lighthouse Club Bangkok and RICS Thailand are Supporting Associations. The judging is supervised by BDO Richfield Advisory Limited and the awards are organised by Ensign Media Co. Ltd.
For more information, visit www.thailandpropertyawards.com
About Thailand Property Awards
Thailand Property Awards was first held in 2006. The awards aim to create awareness and showcase the best of Thailand's real estate and promote the quality of Thailand’s real estate, construction, architectural and interior design as well as industry professional services. The award night is a unique networking night for Thailand real estate professionals. For more information, please visit www.thailandpropertyawards.com
About Ensign Media
Ensign Media Co. Ltd. (www.ensign-media.com) has published the monthly English language real estate publication Property Report Thailand since 2003 - a leading property magazine in Thailand reknown for it's strong content. In 2006 Ensign Media launched a sister publication Property Report Singapore-Malaysia-Indonesia. Ensign Media also publish Asia's only online real estate portal Asia Property Report (www.property-report.com).
Ensign Media also offer tailor-made contract publishing tools for companies and products, as well as publishing niche publications such as The Sailing Legacy, Phuket Marine Guide, Phuket For Kids, and the Culture & Cuisine series of books (Phuket and Samui editions).
Media contact:
Chanut Nawnarong
Infinity Communications & Consultant
Tel: +66 (0) 89 512 7030
Email: [email protected]
Nungruthai Julakul
Project Co-ordinator
Infinity Communications & Consultant - Phuket
Tel +66.76.264.887
Fax +66.76.264.792
Skype:Nungruthain