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2012 Review

Mixed fortunes

The ninth edition of CEEQA presented a mix of the surprising, the predictable, the curious and the amazing.

Undoubtedly one of the big highlights of the year was an unforgettable live performance by one of the greatest names in pop music, Gloria Gaynor, at the first ever edition of CEEQA@Mipim in Cannes in March, but there were many others. But it was the CEEQA Gala at the Warsaw Marriott Hotel, and the results of the New Europe property sector’s main annual awards, that remained centre stage.

Blinded by the lights

At the predictable end of the spectrum, a roll call of the usual suspects lined up to receive their awards in both the RealGreen Awards and main CEEQA Awards sections, no doubt the lingering tail of the global economic crisis playing into the hands of the biggest fish in the pond. TriGranit Development Corporation came out top among developers with the Developer of the Year title, Skanska Commercial Development Europe underlined its green building credentials with awards for RealGreen Developer of the Year and overall Green Leadership, and one of the true giants of the sector, the Rondo 1 building in Warsaw – winner of the CEEQA Building of the Year award in 2007 – weighed in once more with the RealGreen Building of the Year for its effective and innovative green retrofit by owner MGPA. The Industrial Developer of the Year was Panattoni Europe once again. Among the the other regular winners were Salans (previously Altheimer & Gray, now Dentons) with Legal & Consulting Firm of the Year, architects Chapman Taylor with Development Services Company of the Year and Strabag with Construction Company of the Year.

In the Building Awards, Yareal were successful in the Office Development of the Year category with the Mokotowska Square refurbishment project in Warsaw while ECE’s Galeria Kaskada in Szczecin, Poland, was awarded Retail Development of the Year and the new National Stadium Warsaw took both the Hotel, Leisure and Residential Development of the Year award as well as overall Building of the Year.

Among the positive surprises of the evening was a first time allocation of the Industry Professional of the Year award to a female professional, Barbara Topolska of Neinver, and the reemergence of the former Hypo Real Estate team as PBB Deutsche Pfandbriefbank to lift the the Banking & Financial Services Company of the Year award. Another first time winner was Atrium European Real Estate with Investor of the Year while architect Chapman Taylor was named

But it was Colliers International‘s big night in the main awards section, lifting a hat-trick of awards lifting both the Office Agency and Industrial Agency awards as well as Property Management Company of the Year, closely followed by Jones Lang LaSalle (now JLL) with the Retail Agency and Capital Markets Agency awards.

For a full list of the year’s award winners visit our 2012 Winners page.

Lifetime Achievement in Real Estate

In the highlight award of the evening, the annual award for Lifetime Achievement in Real Estate was presented to Richard Clare, long time Chairman of EC Harris (now Arcadis) and the architect of its success story and international expansion. The award, sponsored by the Financial Times, is given each year to an inspirational industry leader who has made a significant and durable contribution to the real estate business and to the emerging Europe real estate investment sector and internationally.

Entertainment & Charity

A special atrium had been built on the terrace of the Warsaw Marriott Hotel to house the growing CEEQA audience, and it was a night of celebration to remember. The awards ceremony was opened by young Polish star Ada Szulc and hosted by leading Polish broadcaster Monika Richardson (now Zamachowska) and CEEQA director Richard Hallward, an array of entertainment included performances by Wet Fingers with singers Nick Sinckler and Ewa Jach, as well as Lenny Kravitz TBThe Lovely LauraLindsay MartellMonsterbots and CEEQA veteran Albert Kurowski. The event raised 10,200 euros for charity Bator Tabor Foundation.

RealGreen: The business case is crystallising

RealGreen_4Green building, far from being an operational burden, is taking over as a driver of value for developers, investors and tenants of commercial buildings as the business case continues to crystallise, was the resounding message at the all day CEEQA RealGreen Symposium preceding the ninth edition of the CEEQA Gala, attended by 120 business leaders and sustainability experts engaged in the New Europe property sector.  However the private sector should not be left to find the solutions on its own and more regional and national political leadership is required to fast track this sea change in the green building debate.

RealGreen_2A powerful and persuasive keynote by Lauralee Martin, Chief Operating and Financial Officer for global real estate consulting group Jones Lang LaSalle (now JLL) spelled out the “value creation” and “future proofing” possibilities in green building in where financial considerations were gradually superseding ethical considerations, a case supported by in depth presentations by Cisco Systems, Norton Rose (now Norton Rose Fulbright) and Deutsche Bank which unpacked the positive conjunction of the ethical case as a responsibility but also a talent magnet for employers in their selection  of work space.

RealGreen_5The presentations we accompanied by wide ranging panel discussions involving some of the sector’s leading real estate business and sustainability leaders.

The event was concluded with the presentation of four new CEEQA awards for green building and investment in the region. The award for RealGreen Building of the Year was won by MGPA’s retrofit of Warsaw’s Rondo 1 office building, with MGPA also picking up the award for RealGreen investor of the Year. The inaugural RealGreen Developer of the Year was Skanska Commercial Development Europe for their leadership of the issue in the region, while architects Chapman Taylor picked up what proved to be only their first award of the day with RealGreen Service Provider of the Year. The awards were judged by the CEEQA Jury alongside the main CEEQA awards, the judging was supervised by globally respected consulting firm Deloitte.

RealGreen_7A small but high-powered fair involving many of the sector’s leading companies and organisations was organized as part of the event, including: Jones Lang LaSalleSkanskaDeloitteNorton RoseGhelamcoColliers InternationalRICSSwedeCenterCBREEC HarrisCushman & WakefieldStrabagSavills and the Financial Times.

For a full report on the output of the event visit our  CEEQA RealGreen Symposium page.

Decision makers

A group of the sector’s most senior leaders representing market leading companies comprised the 2012 CEEQA Jury. The final award selections were made at a meeting of the jury the night preceding the CEEQA Gala.

Vital to CEEQA’s role and place in the market is the composition and function of the CEEQA Jury. Places on the jury are rotated each year among developers, investors, lenders, advisors and services providers, with five major international agents operating across the region retaining permanent seats on the jury: CBRE, Colliers International, Cushman & Wakefield, JLL and Knight Frank.

CEEQA@Mipim meets Gloria Gaynor

2011_GaynorAt the amazing end of the spectrum, an unforgettable live performance by one of the greatest names in pop music, Gloria Gaynor, had more than 200 guests in full swing in the basement of the JW Marriott hotel in Cannes during the Mipim global real estate fair. The first edition of CEEQA@Mipim saw the announcement of the 2012 CEEQA awards shortlist at the inaugural CEEQA@Mipim New Europe Cocktail.

Reeling off her string of hits including one of the most played songs in pop history, I Will Survive, guests were treated to the sound tracks of many of their loves including I Am What I AmNever Can Say GoodbyeCan’t Take My Eyes Off You and a spectacular on Barry White’s Your the First, the Last, My Everything. CEEQA@Mipim is the focal point for the CEE and SEE property markets at Mipim global real estate fair.

 
 

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