Pandemic update, New date set for ‘three in one’ 2022 CEEQA Gala
Update: New date set for 2022 CEEQA Gala
We go again
Awards entries for the 2022 edition of CEEQA now open
SAVE THE DATES:
2022 Awards entry deadline extended – 12 May
CEEQA Gala – 29 June 2022, Wyscigi Warsaw
COVID UPDATE: The bad news and the good.
The bad
With initial optimism about global rollout of a number of efficacious covid vaccines being swift and robust enough to enable a Spring 2021 return of the CEEQA Gala now fully receded, and with even an autumn date receding fast as the vaccine roll out – particularly in the EU – being far from the pre-planned shock-and-awe campaign to get the world back to life we might have been forgiven to expect, it is rapidly becoming clear that a Gala date any time this year is now receding out of view.
Therefore, with the full support and complicity of all our sponsors and partners, rather than launch the awards in the wild hope of a fitting conclusion some time later this year, then just present them online if by June it is clear a 2021 date won’t work (large international events are at the end of any covid recovery plan) , a firm decision has been taken to continue our strategy of conserving fuel, energy and time – our own and that of our delivery and commercial partners – and look to 2022 instead. Making another early call for the benefit of the market place and everyone involved.
An online Gala? Well, no. Not for CEEQA.
The good
The good news is we still have a plan, we have the wherewithal, we have the time, we have the motivation to make the combined 20/21/22 CEEQA Gala the best event yet. We were inches away from the last furlong in March 2020 and many of the ideas and plans, and funds to deliver them, were already in place. And still are, with a few tweaks.
A new date was then set for September 2020 but with many international companies announcing a ban on traveling and attending events for the remainder of this year, optimism quickly faded and a second deferral to May 2021 followed, more in hope than in confidence. With the vaccines beginning to appear in November 2020 showing high efficacy rates coupled with evident preparedness for robust roll out, a slightly later spring date enabling a respectful part-indoor/part-outdoor event suddenly looked on despite a new strain of the virus appearing in December. But no…
Trust earned
We’ve been blessed or lucky, or have earned the right and the trust over nearly two decades for our commercial and delivery partnerships, in the main, to have stood firm and on standby. The majority of our sponsors and gala customers had already paid in before the covid cloud descended suddenly and catastrophically in March 2020. and are lying in wait. In this case patience is more than just a virtue.
A few things have been put in perspective by the covid truth serum – that we all need to be better behaved towards the planet and to each other, that business performance itself is something to be grateful for #nevermindthewinning, and that getting together and having fun with colleagues and friends on the level CEEQA does it is not to be sniffed at. And that in the end this sector is a family, we’re a family with history, making history. Right?
To emphasise the point, some of you will be old enough to remember Sister Sledge at CEEQA singing their 70s hit We Are Family, if you weren’t there go here >>
We’re missing the noise – last time out was the Boomtown Rats, Pawel Debowski was Lifetime Achievement recipient, Skanska and Panattoni, CBREm, JLL and Dentons cleaned up again, Wilsons and 7R got one for the little guys and buildings High5ive, Cedet, Forum Gdansk and Raffles Europejski took the bricks and mortar honours. Intention to launch the Zabisnki Foundation was also announced. What a beautiful noise.
We will meet again, and when we do it is our pledge and our duty to deliver the best CEEQA Gala ever, as we always do… are Gloria Gaynor and Garry Kasparov still in the wings? You bet.
Adversity to advantage
Looking ahead, we see an upside in turning adversity to advantage – as we all should, always. The postponement of the Gala will allow us more time and space in our diligent and thorough preparations for the world’s first ever NetZero mass attendance event, which – coupled with another “world first”, the Aiming 4 NetZero buildings and business awards we launched in January 2021 – will speak very well of this sector on the international stage. Showcasing the achievements and opportunities of the CEE & SEE property sector to the global investment arena is at the heart of our mission, and taking early leadership on the health scare issue as well as the NetZero issue will not hurt, and will I’m sure be a NetPositive for us and for the sector going forward.
We hope you agree with us and will get behind this decision with as much energy as we are. We nonetheless apologise for any inconvenience this may cause, and hope we can resolve any issues arising swiftly and comfortably including confirmation of re-calibrated agreements and schedules.
The good times
Jumping around to The Boomtown Rats, Morcheeba and Kim Wilde in recent years now seems a socially-distant memory, and it’s possible things may never be the same as they were before the pandemic. But it’s possible, even probable, that we will arrive at new models and modes of delivery that are just as good, if not better. And better for planet earth.
We’ve got this, if we all pull together the good times will come again.
If in doubt, contact us
If you have questions about how the campaign deferment may affect you or your company please contact us as soon as possible at info@ceeqa.com and we will do our best to assist you.