With submissions opening on 1 July, today REA Group announced the first 12 judges and judging criteria for the inaugural Annual REA Excellence Awards (AREAs).
The first judges to be announced come from the media, property, data, technology and not-for-profit sectors, and according to REA Group, are some of the most respected and experienced in their professions.
The judges announced today are:
Andrew Winter, real estate expert & host of the LifeStyle Channelโs Selling Houses Australia
Chris Gray, CEO, Your Empire; leading investment property expert and media commentator
Danni Addison, CEO, Urban Development Institute of Australia, Victoria
David Spriggs, CEO, Infoxchange
Dick Karlsson, Co-Founder and Chief Sales & Marketing Officer, Diakrit
Dr Heather Holst, Deputy CEO, Launch Housing
Greg Dickason, EGM Real Estate & Partnerships, CoreLogic RP Data
Paul Fisher, CEO, UnLtd
Greg Troughton, CEO, Real Estate Institute of South Australia
Steven Persson, CEO, The Big Issue
Tim Burrowes, Editor, Mumbrella
Tim McKibbin, CEO, Real Estate Institute of New South Wales
Commenting on the judging panel, REA Group CEO Tracey Fellows said: โWeโre thrilled to have such a diverse mix of expert judges on board for the AREAs.
โWeโve created the AREAs to help recognise and celebrate people doing amazing things in property and media, so itโs only fitting that we have the best experts involved as judges.
As the 28 October event in Melbourne draws near, one of the first judges appointed, real estate expert, host of the LifeStyle Channelโs Selling Houses Australia and News Corp columnist Andrew Winter, had some tips for those who were thinking of entering the AREAs: โWhat Iโll be looking for are submissions that clearly tell a story โ a beginning (what was the situation), a middle (what did the person or business do) and an end (what was the impact). If you follow that format youโll be on the right track. Also, the more creative the submissions, the better! Entertain me and Iโll be on your side,โ Winter said.
Winter went on to say that he was looking forward to reviewing the property industryโs best examples of service and marketing excellence.
“To be an agent today and survive is a huge challenge, we have a constantly evolving marketing environment and whilst embracing the continual flow of the next ‘must do’ still I’m pleased to say the real winners are agents remembering this is a totally people driven industry where outstanding service and human referrals are still vital,” Winter said.
Visit www.theareas.com.au for more information.