Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 18 April 2017: Dubai Land Department (DLD) has achieved exceptional success with the first edition of the Gulf Real Estate Awards 2017, fulfilling its aim of making the programme the most prominent event attracting industry leaders from across the region. The event is inspired by the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and his vision of encouraging further innovation to achieve a qualitative leap that positions Dubai as the regional capital of real estate innovation.
DLD launched the initiative to celebrate the region's greatest real estate achievements, in cooperation with Awards International which played an important role throughout the different stages of the awards.
DLD presented the winners of the Gulf Real Estate Awards at a closing ceremony in the presence of a number of prominent real estate figures, honouring the best achievements in 20 categories. The department received 150 submissions from across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar.
His Excellency Sultan Butti bin Mejren, Director General of Dubai Land Department, commented: "We would like to sincerely congratulate all award winners and wish all participants the best of luck for next year's edition. We would also like to assure all of our partners that the Gulf Real Estate Awards will continue to evolve year after year in line with Dubai's growing status, and confirming the Emirate as a centre of global real estate innovation. We can guarantee this through our adoption of the highest standards during the planning and implementation of all stages of the programme, from receiving the nominations and undertaking the screening process, to selecting the winners and announcing the highly anticipated results."
Due to the diversity of the participants' fields and the large number of applications submitted to the jury, the Gulf Real Estate Awards has achieved the main objective set by its organisers – to celebrate and recognise real estate achievements in the region. The awards programme has also demonstrated both the success of the real estate sector and its ongoing development, underscoring its positive role in supporting national economies.
Mahmoud Al Burai, Executive Director of Dubai Real Estate Institute (DREI) at Dubai Land Department, added: "We extend our thanks and appreciation to all parties and individuals who contributed to the success of the first edition of the Gulf Real Estate Awards. Particular thanks go to 'Awards International', all our sponsors, including our Headline Sponsor Takaful Emarat, our Partners Cavendish Maxwell and Harbor Real Estate, and our Media Partners BNC Publishing and Gulf Property. We would also like to express our gratitude to our jury members, who have been keen to pursue credibility, integrity and transparency to the highest degree in order to select and honour the best achievements, making them models to be followed by the whole region."
Winners of the 20 categories:
Mark Hamill, Managing Director for Awards International UAE – the organisers of the awards – commented: "It's important professionals have one stand out event giving all companies, big and small, an equal chance of recognition. Having a fully transparent awards process makes this event special – knowing you've beaten the best on merit alone does wonders for individuals and companies. The scale on which the real estate sector has embraced these awards has been fantastic, bringing huge credibility to our finalists and winners. A massive thanks to all our judges, sponsors, and especially DLD, for making this an event that really matters."
The awards programme is aligned with DLD's vision of making Dubai the leading global real estate destination for innovation, trust and happiness. It also contributes to the consolidation of DLD's position and leadership in all areas of the real estate sector, specifically in stimulating innovation and encouraging best practices that support sustainable growth in the GCC region.
DLD set a number of goals for the launch of the Gulf Real Estate Awards, in particular the reward and recognition of the best real estate institutions in the GCC. The launch of the awards programme is another milestone in Dubai's journey towards becoming a leading destination for global awards in various sectors.
DREI, the educational arm of DLD, signed an agreement with 'Awards International' on the side-lines of Cityscape Global 2016 to launch the awards programme targeting all real estate companies in the Gulf region.