Demolition Awards entries exceed expectations
03 August 2009
Last Friday saw the closing date for the inaugural Demolition Awards, to be held as part of the first Demolition Summit in Amsterdam in November, although we will continue to accept entries received over the course of the next few days. A flurry of entries was received over the course of last week, with the response far exceeding initial expectations.
D&Ri editor Lindsay Gale said: "There is always a degree of uncertainty as to whether sufficient companies will be interested in making submissions for a new Awards event, with the event itself being very much an unknown quantity. And then there is the current difficult economic climate. While I nevertheless was confident that the event would be a success, the number of entries that have come from contractors from around the world has been truly gratifying and greatly exceeded our initial expectations."
Lindsay continued: "it is not just the number of entries that has been impressive, but also the highly complex and challenging nature of many of the specific projects that are now in the running for the awards. The entries clearly demonstrate the challenges that face the industry - technical, legislative and environmental - and the skills and capabilities contractors are displaying to overcome these challenges. I do not envy the judging panel. Selecting winners from among these entries is one challenge I would not relish."
The judges will come together to select the shortlists for each individual Award category in early September, with the resulting shortlists being posted to this website immediately after, as well as being published in the next issue of D&RI.
The programme for the conference being held in conjunction with the awards is now finalised (see www.demolitionsummit.com), with this and the Demolition Awards making up the Demolition Sunmmit 2009, which promises to be a major event for the industry. The response from the industry also clearly indicates that this annual event will become a leading gathering of the global demolition industry in years to come.