On Tuesday 8th November, 120 building Pioneers gathered at Victoria House, Bloomsbury Square, London, to take part in the final
of the 2016 Premier Guarantee Excellence Awards.
As our guests descended on ‘Mission HQ’ they were greeted by a feast of futuristic canapes, drinks and entertainment, with our Space Cadets and Intergalactic Girls on hand to rev up our Pioneers for their mission. After much merriment, it was time for our guests to walk down the runway and strap into their seats to complete their mission.
After the starters had been polished off - vacuum packed salad paysanne, with dehydrated bacon strips, and a beaker (of course) of truffle dressing – it was time to meet the host, and who better to steady the ship for the day than a man with vast experience of surviving and thriving in the future… Red Dwarf’s Robert Llewelyn.
Following an intro speech by Gary Devaney, our chairman and CEO, we were on to the first set of awards, introduced by Jacki Goodman, Joint Managing Director, which included the Single Unit Development of the Year (Under £2M) (Blue Bay Properties), Single Unit Development of the year (Over £2M) (Shorelines Building Projects Ltd), Small Development of the Year (Finc Homes Ltd), Medium Development of the Year (Palady Homes) and Large Development of the Year (Springfield Properties PLC).
With the first set of awards over, our guests were treated to a main meal of fillet steak, chips and a hazelnut dipped carrot with red wine jus and garlic and wasabi dip – it was truly ‘out of this world’ (… sorry).
After mains, the Mission HQ turned suddenly fell into darkness and was taken over by a mob of… dancers. The Dance Mob wowed the crowd with their moves and LED suits in a mesmerising performance.
Once order was restored, it was time for the second set of awards, presented by Joint Managing Director James Bush, including Social Housing Development of the Year (Seagrave Developments), Multi-storey Development of the Year (Berkeley Homes (North East London)), Refurbishment/Conversion of the Year (P J Livesey Holdings Ltd), Apartment Scheme of the Year (Berkeley Homes (Three Valleys)) and Commercial Development of the Year (Hollybrook Ltd).
Dessert followed, and our guests were treated to opulent jewelled mango yoghurt and pistachio kulfi hidden under a white sugar sheet, finished with a spoonful of liquid nitrogen mint granite (…quite the mouthful).
Once guests had demolished their desserts, Gary Devaney was back up on stage to announce the winners of the final awards of the day, which went to Victor Grant at Springfield Properties for Site Manager of the Yearand Berkeley Group for Developer of the Year.
The Dance Mob then stormed back on to the stage for another perfect performance, before one final message from Mission Control informed our Pioneers that they had proven themselves to be more than worthy Builders of the Future and had completed their mission.
Here’s what our guests had to say…
“Fully met expectations, stylish, unusual in a good way and well run.”
“Far exceeded any expectations - with the creativity of the theme, and the execution of it in all elements of food, hospitality, entertainment, even the host was a star from Red Dwarf, so very apt for the theme (plus very witty). The dancing was amazing, and the food was spectacular. We enjoyed every minute.”
“The whole day surpassed our highest expectations - it was a beautifully orchestrated and organised event, in fact I'd go so far as to say seamless...you made it look effortless! Everything was perfect - the theme and all entertainments organised were very good fun and enjoyable and entertaining. The host was hilarious and a joy. The food was literally out of this world (so inventive, creative - and most of all delicious!) The space girls who walked around chatting to people were helpful, funny and got conversations going and put everyone at ease and in a great mood. The staff were attentive and helpful. Honestly, it was a fabulous day out. Thank you, Premier Guarantee, for a wonderful day out, and for recognising our work as developers!”
“We had a great day and everything was executed very well, the management of the awards was done very very well. Thank you for a great day”
“Your event was fantastically slick and well organised. A true testament to all involved in its planning and execution - well done!”
Click here to view the Excellence Awards 2016 highlights video!