Thailand Property Awards 2015 full shortlist unveiled

With the shortlist for Thailand’s biggest real estate event revealed today, the spotlight is back on the country’s property industry.

With only a few weeks to go before the official winners are announced at the black-tie gala night and awards presentation ceremony to be held on Wednesday, 16 September at the prestigious Plaza Athenee Bangkok (a Royal Meridien hotel), where more than 600 respected industry leaders, VIPs and top real estate professionals who have helped shape the country’s property sector and contributed to its growth will be in attendance.

Fair and transparent, the six-month nomination period has seen both established and emerging developers from every corner of the Kingdom enter their latest projects in the hope that they will be rewarded at the Awards that helped put Thai real estate on the radar 10 years ago.

This year’s milestone Thailand Property Awards, organised by Ensign Media, publisher of Property Report, Asia’s industry-leading magazine, will see companies from Bangkok, Phuket, Hua Hin, Chiang Mai, Khao Yai, Samui and Eastern Seaboard compete in 29 categories over three sections: Developer, Development and Design.

“Celebrating 10 years of the Thailand Property Awards, and Asia Property Awards as a whole, is not only a milestone for us, but for the Thai real estate industry as well," said Terry Blackburn, CEO of Ensign Media. “In the past decade we have witnessed how much the industry has evolved from being an emerging market to becoming one of the stars of Southeast Asian real estate, despite certain challenges.”

Four deserving companies are vying for the most coveted honours for developers, including the biggest award of the year – Best Developer – which promises to be a closely fought competition between ‘MQDC’ Magnolia Quality Development Corporation Limited and SC Asset Corporation PLC. Meanwhile, three-time nominee Absolute World Group and Emerald Development Group Co., Ltd. will battle it out for the title of Best Boutique Developer. The winners in these top categories will follow through the achievements of previous Best Developer winners, including last year’s victor Major Development PCL, and two-time champion Raimon Land PLC.

Minor International Plc emerged as the most nominated developer this year with six nods for the company and its subsidiaries: four in the design categories, and two in the Best Villa Development (Phuket) and Best Hotel Development categories.

As the luxury residential segment in the Thai capital continues to demonstrate its resilience despite temporary market slowdown, a category that is sure to be hotly contested is for Best Luxury Condominium (Bangkok), where three-time nominee Menam Residences by Menam Residences Co., Ltd., and the Ivy Ampio by double nominee Pruksa Real Estate Public Company Limited are shortlisted.

Although the Thai market has been affected by political tension and changes, a fluctuating economy, and concerns of a potential bubble in the last few quarters, the industry has remained solid, particularly the high-end, luxury, villa and retail segments.

“We have clearly demonstrated over the years that it is worthwhile putting an extra effort into our entry and judging processes, as that leads to highly credible winners and public recognition that the shortlisted properties truly do represent the best of the best,” said Blackburn. “The awards are free to enter and decided by a truly independent panel, which ensures only the best of the best are recognised and rewarded.”

Apart from the development and design awards, special recognition will also be given to the developer that has exhibited excellence in corporate social responsibility in the past year and has served as a positive influence within the industry.

Another special honour – Real Estate Personality of the Year – will be presented to the individual that has made a significant impact on Thailand’s property sector in the last year. Chosen by the editors of Property Report, it is the only award not selected by the independent panel of judges. Previous recipients of this prestigious accolade include Tos Chirathivat, CEO of The Central Group and Sorapoj Techakraisri, CEO of PACE Development Corporation.

As the Awards is the most widely recognised platform to showcase local innovators in real estate on a regional level, the top winners in Thailand will move on to compete with their ASEAN peers in the grand finale – the South East Asia Property Awards 2015, which will be held at The Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore on Wednesday, 21 October. It will be preceded by the inaugural Property Report Congress, a high-level forum featuring the region’s top industry leaders and experts, and present and past Winners of the Asia Property Awards series.

Supervised by BDO, the fifth-largest accountancy network in the world, the Thailand Property Awards boasts of a highly respected judges panel, headed by chairman Sunchai Nuengsit, managing director of BuilderSmart Public Company Limited.

On the development of the Thai property sector in the last ten years, Nuengsit commented: “I think the biggest change in my opinion is the level of quality of projects. The developers have more experience and improve their projects. They understand the need of the customers and adapt themselves very well despite many obstacles such as instability caused by the political situation in Thailand.

“Now that the situation is more stable, in order to maintain the growth of the real estate sector, developers should have a clear positioning, know who are the target customers, their customers’ needs, what competitive advantages they have over the other developers, and always lead in innovation.”

JLL Thailand returns to support this year’s glittering event as gold sponsor, along with other gold sponsors Hansgrohe, BSG Glass, Rococo Flooring, TMDC Construction, and Condo Butlers, which is also launching its latest virtual concierge product exclusively during the gala night. Moreover, the Awards will receive further boost from the Kingdom’s top business associations, including the highly active British Chamber of Commerce Thailand, the Irish-Thai Chamber of Commerce and the Swedish Chamber of Commerce.

This year’s Awards is presented by Property Report and is being heavily promoted throughout the Kingdom and across South East Asia through various advertising campaigns in multiple formats, as well as through media partners such as Town & Country Thailand, LuxurySocietyAsia.com, Pattaya Today, Hot Magazine, The Phuket News, DDProperty.com, Zagranitsa.com, Mango, and Living Etc.

Tickets for the annual event – which also serves as a unique networking venue for professional realtors in the kingdom to meet industry leaders and stay in touch with their peers – are available now and can be purchased at Ensign-Media.com. All tickets are inclusive of the cocktail reception, a lavish four-course dinner graced by Sanpellegrino, Official Supplier of the Asia Property Awards 2015, plus free-flow wine, beer and soft drinks throughout the evening.