Luxury Expert: A Rewarding Invitation

I was recently invited to join the panel of judges for the inaugural South East Asia Property Awards, for which nominations are now open and an extravagant awards ceremony and dinner already planned in Singapore later this year. Needless to say I accepted the honour immediately, as in my opinion, the property market in the region has now reached a level where such accolades are well deserved.

Developers, architects and designers have for some time been building apartments, villas and holiday retreats across Asia that rival the best in the world. In cities like Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta and Bangkok, many of the quality residential offerings, particularly at the luxury end of the scale, now meet and even exceed the expectations of the most discerning of global High Net Worth Individuals. To recognise this achievement not only sends out a strong message to potential investors, but also encourages the industry’s best to push forward and reach ever greater heights in terms of quality and sophistication.

Last November, I was a VIP guest at the Thailand Property Awards ceremony, a glittering gala dinner held at the Grand Hyatt Erawan in Bangkok. I was joined by leading business and industry figures from the Kingdom and a few neighboring countries, who gathered to acknowledge their peers and celebrate their most notable successes. The day before the event I was also invited to sit on a panel discussion about the industry, which was focused and professional, addressing the interests and concerns of investors and developers. I participated in both the Luxury Property and Branded Property panels and very much enjoyed the lively, fruitful exchange of ideas and opinions.

During the trip to the Thai capital, I also met the judges and visited some of the developments shortlisted for awards. On seeing the properties for myself, I discovered an impressive array of features and innovations that clearly cemented their position as market leaders. The judging process for the Thailand Property Awards, now in their sixth year, is necessarily strict, and the panel is handpicked based on participants credentials and experience. They review all the nominations personally before submitting their short-list of up to five companies per award category, then meet to discuss and select the final candidates. A 3-5 person local team also visits each of the short-listed developments and conducts a face-to-face meeting with project senior executives, after which the judges meet privately to discuss the merits of each property.

The whole process is overseen by an independent committee to ensure the rules are followed to a tee and the highest levels of professionalism and integrity applied throughout. An equally stringent approach will be used for the South East Asian Property Awards and although this means I will be kept very busy for the coming months, as a luxury investor I am excited and intrigued by the challenge. I will also be joined on the panel by a distinguished team of fellow experts, including Nick Candy, the man behind One Hyde Park, which is considered by many to be the luxury development success story of the decade. I particularly look forward to comparing notes with such accomplished professionals.

Members of the film and music industry have long been graced with awards and accolades to recognise their accomplishments, and the concept has also been extended to sportsmen, fashionistas and business leaders. Global property players have only recently taken the stage at such ceremonies, but with South East Asia now leading the field in many respects, I believe the time has come to recognise and reward the region’s highest achievers.I look forward to participating in what promises to be a fascinating, enlightening and valuable endeavour.

About the Author:
Alex Shlaen is an economist and holds an Executive MBA from Kellogg School of Management and HKUST. He is the founder of Panache Management Pte Ltd which represents Aston Martin Interiors, Tonino Lamborghini Casa, Formitalia design lines in Asia.He is also a serial real estate investor. He writes as The Luxury Expert for Property Report South East Asia.