The Dubai Real Estate Institute (DREI), the educational arm of Dubai Land Department (DLD), and Awards International has announced the launch of the second edition of the Gulf Real Estate Awards.

The awards programme aims to reward innovation in the real estate market and encourage best practices among all real estate professionals, including developers, brokers, contractors, consultants and engineers, as well as facilities management and legal companies.

Mahmoud El Burai, CEO of DREI, said: "The Gulf Real Estate Awards are of paramount importance and set a gold standard in the real estate sector as the programme is organised and supervised by DLD. We have selected a group of experts and specialists in each award category to create an elite judging panel that demonstrates high levels of integrity and transparency while judging entries according to results-based benchmarks.”

“The awards programme aims to create a culture of competition in the real estate sector and have a positive impact on the GCC's property investment environment. It is fully aligned with the UAE's approach to excellence in sustainability, creativity, happiness and competitiveness, and the award categories reflect the national agenda.

"The first edition of the Gulf Real Estate Awards was successful; we received over 150 entries from companies operating in various real estate fields. As a first-of-its-kind regional awards programme, it received high interest from traditional and new media both locally and globally, and generated unprecedented coverage that praised its structure and credibility while also celebrating the winning companies,” El Burai added.

 El Burai confirmed that the awards programme is open to all companies operating in the real estate sector, whether private or public, and will include a diverse range of different categories. DLD will be responsible for organising the awards programme, which is the leading platform for recognising and rewarding excellence in the real estate sector across the Gulf.

DLD has set a timetable for the first round of the awards, with the deadline for early submissions falling on 18th December 2017 and the deadline for final submissions following on December 27. The judging panel will announce the finalists in March 2018, in the run-up to the closing and awards ceremony on March 21, 2018.

Mark Hammil, managing director of Awards International, concluded: "Last year proved that the real estate sector requires a transparent awards programme that is equipped to select the true leaders and recognise the best contributions. Given all the activity and progress in the region, it is important to have one major event like this, where professionals in all real estate fields feel that they have an equal opportunity to gain recognition and honour. Regardless of the winner, the event is also a great opportunity for entrants to learn from their peers and share success stories." – TradeArabia News Service