The people’s champions

Eurobuild’s most glamorous event so far was carried off in some style. It involved more than just the clink of champagne glasses, a troupe of expertly-drilled waiters, fine wines, flickering candles and evening gowns. there was also much to celebrate during The Eurobuild Awards – the first prizes of their kind on the Polish real estate scene

On the evening of December 8th, winter had come early to Warsaw. It was snowing, the traffic in the city had ground to halt and it was even hard to order a taxi. But it soon became clear where all the drivers were headed for: the Hilton hotel, where you had to wait in a long queue just to get out of your car. However, the welcome was anything but wintry inside, where those arriving were greeted with a glass of sparkling wine, a string quartet and an air of expectation and festive celebration. All the most eminent names in Polish real estate had turned up for the event: developers, bankers, agents and lawyers – in all, over 500 people! And then dinner was served. A silent, disciplined unit of waiters served exquisite dishes to the guests while imperceptibly filling their glasses.
However, everybody was waiting for Grażyna Torbicka, the host of the evening, supported by the director of the Eurobuild Awards, Richard Stephens, to get the show underway. After the opening pleasantries, the two hosts proceeded to announce the names of the companies and projects that had been judged by experts and tenants to be the most outstanding on the Polish real estate market.
The winners of the tenants’ and experts’ awards took to the stage in turn to give thanks not to spouses, parents and producers, but to business partners and colleagues. The congratulations, the applause, the shaking of hands, and the presentations of the statuettes and souvenir photos – all the elements of a well-organised awards gala were in evidence.
Once the emotions had subsided, it was time for a bit of comic relief from all the hand clapping, as well-known Polish comedian Piotr Bałtroczyk took to the stage. But unfortunately the plan did not succeed. The excitement that had built up during the presentations so far seemed to spill over into ceaseless applause for the comic’s routine – as was clear when the laughing face of a lady sat at one of the tables nearest the stage appeared on the large screen after her handbag had been appropriated for the comedian’s routine.
After this interlude, the awards presentation and congratulations for the winners resumed. Only one had the privilege of speaking for more than one minute: David Mitzner, the founder and president of Apollo Rida and the winner of the Eurobuild Lifetime Achievement Award. It would be difficult to do justice to such a  long and exceptionally eventual life in a book, never mind in a short oration; but nevertheless we were still given an insight into the knowledge, experience and wisdom of Mr Mitzner in a speech that was interrupted several times by thunderous and heartfelt applause, before eventually being crowned with a standing ovation. Long after the applause had died down, guests were still lining up to offer Mr Mitzner their personal congratulations.
The final part of the official programme for the evening was an hour-long performance by Natasza Urbańska and her band from the Studio Buffo musical theatre. Through her considerable musical talents she was able to transport the guests from a Warsaw hotel in winter to Paris in the springtime for a romantic stroll, before taking us to breathe in the heady atmosphere of post-war New York, as well as to sample the rhythms of Latin America. While some sat at the tables might still have been debating the awards that had just been presented, there was no dispute over the mesmerising quality of  Natasza Urbańska’s singing and dancing. But on a December evening for most people it is somehow preferable to imagine  yourself dancing the samba in South America than sat at your work desk, even if it is located in Grunwaldzki Center – the best office building in Poland, according to tenants.
However, the show did not finish the evening. Even though the majority of the guests of the Eurobuild Awards Gala had been intending to show their faces at work the next day, few made any moves towards theexit, despite the fact that it was well past midnight. Some of the winners were still receiving congratulations from their partners and competitors (accompanied by toasts with Moët & Chanson champagne) into the small hours of the morning – and a number of the happiest ones even seemed unable to tear themselves away from the dance floor.