Storming ahead of the field

Let’s start from the beginning. On the day when the whole of Poland was preparing for the coming of Cyclone Xavier, over 700 people from the real estate and construction industries, without regard for the increasingly high winds, were getting ready for the gala, which as usual took place in the Hilton Warsaw Hotel. As soon as 7 pm came around, the hotel foyer began to fill with excited voices as well as the smell of perfume and hair spray. The atmosphere of excitement increased with every minute as everyone became consumed by curiosity – who was going to scoop the most Eurobuild statuettes this year? And finally it began. The hosts of the evening, Ewa Andrzejewska, the editor-in-chief of ‘Eurobuild Central & Eastern Europe’, and TV presenter Hubert Urbański were there to greet the guests seated in the banquet hall, where not only were they to experience culinary sensations, but would also be dazzled by the current sensations of the world of real estate. The scale of the event has been growing: this year the jury included 201 experts who selected the best of 199 entries in the Eurobuild Awards. However, it was not only the jury members who had the opportunity to select the winners. The audience was also given the chance to have its voice heard chose the Museum of the History of Polish Jews, designed by Rainer Mahlamäki, as the Architectural Design of the Year, while the award for the Outstanding Business Achievement of the Year went to the PLN 904 mln financing of the Warsaw Spire project. Incidentally the building, which is a project owned by Ghelamco Poland, is being developed right next to the Hilton Warsaw Hotel on ul. Grzybowska. There was also a special prize awarded by Eurobuild. The Lifetime Achievement Award went to Eugene Golub, the founder and president of the board of Golub & Company and a partner in Golub GetHouse. Czarek Jarząbek, the president of Golub GetHouse, collected the award on his behalf.
The Eurobuild Awards gala not only consists of the official ceremony (i.e. the announcement of winners of the individual categories) but also top quality entertainment. The gala participants were entertained by a performance by a cappella group Audiofeels, who sang international hits in the beatbox style. This year we also decided to test the acting abilities that lie dormant within our editorial team. Some of the characters from a short film we showed about Eurobuild bore an uncanny resemblance to some of the people present in the room. The businessmen, who gathered for the event, also showed sensitivity to the needs of the less fortunate. During this year’s event, for the third time money was raised for the ‘Mam Marzenie’ [I Have a Dream] foundation. Actress Małgorzata Kożuchowska, the ambassador of the foundation, was present to help raise funds for sick children and to auction an enormous bottle of Tenuta Collazzi wine, which had been kindly donated by wine connoisseur Robert Mielżyński. Emotions intensified as the bidding reached PLN 20,000 (the amount raised in last year’s auction). But when it went on to more than PLN 30,000, PLN 40,000 and then PLN 50,000, gasps of disbelief could be heard in the room. The two winners of the bidding ultimately paid PLN 60,000 for the wine. We are very grateful for the generosity of the buyers, who wish to remain anonymous. The PLN 60,000 from the auction was not the final amount to be paid into the foundation’s account. Thanks to the generosity of the guests, a total of PLN 70,430 was raised at the gala. We hope that people will also open their hearts in 2014, a hope that is fuelled by the fact that after the bidding some of those present predicted that we would reach PLN 100,000 next year. So we will take you at your word! The official part of the event was closed with a performance by Yaka Band, but the music, dancing and congratulations for the winners continued long into the night. The greatest event of the year as usual ended at dawn in the Axis Bar. And what about us? We are already thinking about next December and how to host an even better, more interesting and unique event. We are sure that this year will also be extraordinary and that is why today we would like to invite you to the Eurobuild Awards 2014.