Dubai Land Department (DLD) and Awards International announced the launch of the third edition of the Gulf Real Estate Awards (GREA) 2019 following the success of the two previous editions. The announcement was made during a press conference that was held yesterday at DLD’s head office, where all regional real estate companies were invited to participate in this regional competition.

The press conference was attended by HE Sultan Butti bin Mejren, Director General of DLD; Hend Al Marri, CEO of the Dubai Real Estate Institute (DREI); and Mark Hammil, Managing Director of Awards International, the organisers of GREA.

When announcing the launch of the third GREA, HE Sultan Butti bin Mejren, Director General of DLD, stressed that GREA follows the directives of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to encourage innovation and appreciate innovators, and is in line with DLD’s vision to position Dubai as the world’s premier real estate destination and a byword for innovation, trust, and happiness.

Bin Mejren added: “The main objective of this award is to highlight the achievements of real estate companies and their efforts and contributions that assist in further developing the sector, especially as they have a significant impact on Dubai’s real estate market, and provide a bright picture of the outstanding projects being implemented in different cities in our region. GREA encourages best innovative practices among all real estate professionals, including developers, brokers, contractors, consultants and engineers, as well as among facilities management and legal companies.”

The award organisers also aim to enhance transparency and outstanding professional performance between real estate companies, the society, and investors, as well as enhance Dubai’s position on global competitiveness indicators. The award contributes to the launch of positive competition between real estate companies and motivates them to offer the best for the benefit of the real estate sector.

Hend Al Marri, CEO of DREI, commented: “We are pleased to announce the newest edition of GREA. The awards programme consistently presents great projects and informs the general public about the achievements of real estate companies, their efforts, and contributions to the advancement of the sector by providing everything that is new and better. This year’s edition will certainly reveal unprecedented innovations deserving of proper recognition.”

Al Marri stressed that DLD aims to spread awareness about the culture of excellence and quality, highlight and provide greater transparency and professionalism on the performance of various real estate companies for the community and the investor, strengthen Dubai’s position in global competitiveness indicators, and encourage competitive real estate companies to offer new and better services. She affirmed that GREA is a platform for presenting future visions of urban communities by honouring design leaders and thought leaders in leading real estate projects.

Al Marri added: “We are eager to expand GREA to other capitals such as Abu Dhabi and Riyadh over the next few years. This year’s edition is comprised of 25 categories, including 3 new categories: SME and Youth in Real Estate, Supporting EXPO 2020, and Best Technology in Real Estate. With these new categories, the number of jury members will increase to 60. Since the announcement of the third edition of the award, we have received 108 nominations, and we expect to receive additional nominations before the entry deadline.”

Mark Hammil, Managing Director of Awards International, said: “We are pleased with our existing partnership with DLD and DREI that allows us to work in unison for excellence and innovation at the regional level. The two previous editions of GREA witnessed a high degree of competition in light of the several high-quality nominations. We are confident that next year’s edition will enhance the cumulative successes of this award.

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, especially Dubai.

DLD set a time-table for the third edition, with the deadline for final submissions falling on 16 January 2019. The judging panel will announce the finalists on 23 January 2019, where the awards ceremony will be held on 27 March 2019.

DREI reached an agreement with Awards International in conjunction with Cityscape Global 2016 to launch the awards programme, which targets all companies operating in the real estate sector in the region.