Commercial property blog

By Roger Southam

Winter is upon us and it seems to bring a never ending series of awards dinners. 

For all industries they give a measure of who is at the peak of their game and for the entertainment industry it provides a relatively cheap source for extra entertainment programmes!

Well, having just picked up the Best London Property Management Company of the Year Award at the inaugural Property Management Awards, hosted by the independent publication for the flat sector, News On The Block; the feelings pretty good!

Chainbow also managed to get two finalists in the Porter of the Year Award.  Only fair to give a name check for Red Houjabi, who is based at The Water Garden in Canada Water and also for Anthony Coker who works at Oppidan Apartment in West Hampstead.

Congratulations Red and Anthony!

Winning an award is always a great achievement and for Chainbow it shows the industry we do practice what we preach – fantastic service, two-way communication and open, honest reporting.

I like to think we set a high standard in an industry that is known for poor service. Winning this award is a nod in the right direction for us.

It is great that there is finally an award ceremony for the property management industry to aspire to.  Let us just hope it leads to the industry standards rising.

By Giles Barrie

Apologies for not blogging on Friday afternoon – I was celebrating with my team.

I took a rare, impromptu half day after one of the best days in the journalism calendar the Periodicals Training Council Awards, where the best young business and consumer magazine journalists are honoured.

The reason for the visit to The Anchor at Bankside?

Our own Occupiers Correspondent Hardeep Sandher was not only named New Business Features Journalist of the Year, but also New Journalist of the Year overall.

This is an amazing feat, given that Hardeep was up against the best young talent from BBC magazines, Elle, Wallpaper*, Shortlist, The Times magazine, Company, New Scientist and our own sister title `Building’.

I was also with Jenny Rigby, our highly talented news correspondent, who was Highly Commended in both the New News Journalist and the New Features Journalist categories.

So forgive me, because Hardeep, Jenny, Lucy, Shep and I were otherwise engaged before I tottered off home to Mrs Barrie and the kids at 6.30pm.

Normal service will be resumed this week.

By Iain O'Neil

yay!

Today propertyweek.com is celebrating another award nomination – this time Best Website in the IBP Awards 2008.

That follows our recent nomination in the BSME awars for best business website.

It shows we are heading in the right direction – although we know there is a long way to go.

In fact unlike most journeys this one has no end – that’s got to be the thing about the web.

You can keep driving forward but you will never get to the edge because the edge keeps moving.

Every week i hear about or come across some new software – or hardware – which is showing yet another potential direction the web could take.  I love it.

The constant excitement.

My favourite of recent times has to be Qik.com if you have a compatible mobile phone you can stream live video from your phone to the web – that’s right.

Not from the web to your phone like everyone is tryiong to do but the other way. You can be out on the street and see something exciting happening and you can broadcast live video from where you are standing to the www

it’s amazing – although so far all i’ve managed to record is some footage of my football injury (broken nose), and a few shots of my desk at work – oh and one of me after a few beers in my kitchen trying to impress mates in the living room who were watching the live broadcast…of my kitchen.

Surely i will shoot that elusive money-making video footage soon.

anyone got any other great new uses for the web – or just great new websites?

By Iain O'Neil

Comedian Sean Lock with some of the winners - i had to shoot fro the back of the room

Okay, so it took me a while to edit – largely because i’ve never had any Premier Elements training – but the video from last Thursday’s IAS Awards is on the site.

You can see it here 

I’m actually almost proud of it – although there is no doubt a lot of room for improvement and one day i will be acutely embarrassed by it, no doubt – but i think considering i had one camera, one mic, no editing training and a day job to do – it ain’t half bad.

We normally pay thousands of pounds to have these post-event videos produced – admittedly more professionally – but i think with a little editing training and some more equipment i could do a passable job.

And that is the great thing abou the web – it’s ideal for people who like ‘having a go’.

What do you reckon?  Be kind….please.