Despite the economic doom and gloom, this year's annual CEE Quality Awards Gala will once again shine a little light on the Central & Eastern European property markets at the Warsaw Hilton Hotel on February 25, 2009.
Organized by CEE Insight Forum in association with the Financial Times, the awards highlighting the top real estate projects and performers in the region in 2008 will be presented at the sector's flagship event, attended by more than 500 leading regional and international real estate operators from 37 countries. The short lists for the awards are due to be announced at the end of January.
Anchor Poland Television presenter Monika Richardson has agreed to join CEE Insight Forum director Richard Hallward on stage to host the awards ceremony for the second year running.
The event has established a reputation for world class entertainment as well as world class business, with guest performances in recent years by Sister Sledge and Boney M. Staying with the "retro" theme, this year's highlight will be a show by legendary 80s/90s global chart toppers BANANARAMA.
With over a dozen global hits and 40 million worldwide record sales to their name including Robert De Niro's Waiting, Venus, Cruel Summer, Shy Boy and Really Saying Something, the group's founding members Sara Dallin & Keren Woodward have been there and done it, are still performing together, and are still at the top of their game.
They will be supported by local star performers, including Polish 2008 Mam Talent finalists Audio Feels, as well as perennial favourite Albert Kurowski and versatile jazz ensemble All Jazz.
Richard Hallward, Managing Director of CEE Insight Forum, said: "We're honoured that Monika Richardson has agreed to join us to host the ceremony again, she was very popular last year. And we're over the moon to be presenting Bananarama this year, lot of our audience including me grew up listening to them."
If the feast of entertainment appears to be flying in the face of the credit crunch, Hallward is cautiously bullish: "I don't think we're going over the top, most of this was planned, budgeted and sponsored before Lehman Brothers went down last year and the financial markets had a heart attack.
"With all the clouds on the horizon I think we owe it to our sponsors and everyone else to plough that back in properly, and keep the flag flying for the sector. Quality is even more important in a downturn than it is in an upturn, and that includes important sector events," he said.
Source: Imagine Events
