Asia Property Awards (Malaysia) 2017’s race for the gold officially begins
Asia Property Awards (Malaysia) 2017’s race for the gold officially begins
More than 100 entries are expected from the best projects in Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Ipoh, Melaka, Kota Kinabalu and Iskandar
Nominations are now open until 9 June 2017
The fourth annual PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards (Malaysia), backed by the country’s No. 1 property website PropertyGuru.com.my, have recently been launched to celebrate the industry’s latest innovations in real estate development, design and sustainability.
Presented by Kohler in 2017, the acclaimed international event is organised by PropertyGuru Group, Asia’s leading online property group. Previous winners, including 2016 Best Developer (South East Asia) winner Sime Darby Property, are expected to join again this year along with niche developers and up-and-coming players in the real estate sector.
Known for having a credible, transparent, and free-to-enter awards system, the Asia Property Awards (Malaysia) reward the country’s finest property developers and projects located in the established and emerging property markets of Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Ipoh, Melaka, Kota Kinabalu and Iskandar. The award categories are divided into three sections, namely Developer, Development and Design.
Building on the extraordinary success of last year’s programme that was attended by nearly 400 guests, the 2017 edition introduces a revamped awards scheme filled with destination-focused categories to reflect the growing importance of Malaysia’s most exciting investment destinations and economic zones.
More: Sime Darby wins top honours at South East Asia Property Awards (Malaysia) 2016
In addition, new categories have been added for Best Mass Market Development (Landed) and Best Mass Market Development (Condo) to represent the evolving property landscape and changing consumer preferences in Malaysia.
According to a recent study conducted by PropertyGuru.com.my, the top considerations of today’s Malaysian consumers are price, location and size of a property. The study also reveals that majority of consumers (around 60 percent) intend to purchase new homes – if affordability and design requirements are met.
Prem Kumar, executive director of Jones Lang Wootton and returning chairman of the judging panel, believes that the annual Asia Property Awards (Malaysia) present an excellent opportunity for leaders of the industry to commit to a wider agenda of trendsetting, innovation and sustainability, at a time when the local property market undergoes further consolidation following muted or flat growth in the last two years.
“The Awards elevate the property sector in Malaysia in a way that they promote an international mindset by setting benchmarks comparable to other advanced economies and more mature markets,” Kumar says. “I would say that the culture of benchmarking is also significant as Malaysia aims to achieve a ‘developed nation’ status by year 2020.”
Organisers are now calling on Malaysian developers as well as real estate agents, architects, interior designers, construction companies, suppliers and the general public to submit their nominations online via AsiaPropertyAwards.com/nominations/.
Deadline for nominations is on Friday, 9 June 2017, and entries submission are due on Friday, 16 June 2017.
BDO, the world’s fifth largest accounting and auditing firm, has been appointed once again as official judging supervisor.
Terry Blackburn, founder and managing director of the PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards, says: “We are delighted to hold the fourth edition of the Asia Property Awards in Malaysia. Despite experiencing a challenging last couple of years, the local real estate scene has retained a solid reputation for excellence, as we have witnessed during the Asia Property Awards 2016 grand finals when Malaysia claimed the Best Developer (South East Asia) title for the first time ever.”
More: BDO returns as official supervisor of the 2017 Asia Property Awards
He adds: “What the Asia Property Awards give local developers is a credible and internationally-recognised platform to aim high and continue producing world-class developments designed for Malaysian property seekers. The Awards are truly a showcase of what Malaysia real estate has to offer.”
Hari V. Krishnan, CEO of PropertyGuru Group, comments on the company’s commitment to the Asia Property Awards: “As a ‘hyper-growth’ technology company, a core tenet of PropertyGuru Group’s culture is to pursue greatness, which is mirrored by the exceptional quality of entrants in the Asia Property Awards year after year.
“Our brand promise is to help people make confident property decisions. The Awards platform is a key part of our offline solution, and allows consumers to identify the highest quality real estate developers in the region and thus be more confident in their property decisions.”
The independent judging panel led by Kumar will reveal the official shortlist of nominees, comprising one Winner and up to four Highly Commended in each category, in the third week of July 2017. The black-tie gala dinner is set to take place on Thursday, 17 August 2017, once again at the InterContinental Kuala Lumpur, the official hotel venue of the Awards.
The gala dinner begins with a two-hour international cocktail networking reception, followed by a lavish four-course dinner, and the awards ceremony proper. Previous distinguished guests include Yang Amat Mulia Tunku Seri Menanti Tunku Ali Redhauddin ibni Tuanku Muhriz, chairman of PropertyGuru Malaysia, and keynote speaker Yang Berhormat Datuk Chua Tee Yong, the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry, who both attended the 2016 event.
A day before the black-tie gala dinner, the organisers will gather the country’s senior industry leaders to share insights and reflect on the local property market at the PropertyGuru Malaysia Real Estate Summit, a full-day networking conference that will feature regional and global experts.
More: Why Malaysia’s real estate market woes may soon be over
Both the Summit and Gala Dinner receive extensive coverage through influential media outfits including Asia’s leading luxury real estate, architecture and design publication Property Report, as well as PropertyGuru Group’s market-leading property portals and affiliate websites used by more than 23 million property seekers in Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam.
The top winners from Malaysia will compete for regional accolades at the grand finals of the Asia Property Awards held annually in Singapore every November, opening up their businesses to new audiences around the region.
More information and eligibility rules of the Asia Property Awards (Malaysia) 2017 are available on the official website.
Source: Property Report