A night with the Stars

San Diego, California, welcomes ICSC delegates to the 33rd Annual MAXI Awards

It was all out glamour for the official reception held just before the MAXI Awards were handed out at the historic Spreckels Theatre in downtown San Diego. The beautifully restored theatre, which first opened its doors in 1912, was a perfect backdrop to the evening’s excitement.
Attendees entered the Spreckels along a red carpet, flanked by flags from around the world, while roving photographers captured the steady stream of entrances (to be unexpectedly shown on the stage’s big screen at the end of the show.) Once the red carpet excitement was behind them, showgoers enjoyed complimentary champagne and cocktails, while waiters roamed with trays of sushi and other finger foods. It was a quick last chance to chat amongst friends, calm nerves and wish the deserving MAXI finalists the very best of luck before taking a seat for the big MAXI show and its lineup of shopping centre marketing stars.
The lights in the Spreckels Theatre dimmed, MAXI Chair Eileen Connolly took the stage and the night’s fast-paced event was underway.
From the dramatic, exploding black binder on the theatre’s big screen to a Scottish pipe band’s march in unison, MAXI 2005 held the rapt attention of its excited audience.
European schemes did shine that evening. Three centres picked up MAXIs: CentrO (Germany), Field’s (Denmark) and Meadowhall (UK). Meanwhile, MAXI Merit recipients included: Arkadia (Poland), Brent Cross (UK), CentrO (it won two Merits), Il Castello (Italy), Parque Principado (Spain) and The Paisley Centre (UK).

Canadians Stand Out

Maple Leafs honour excellence in marketing, design and operations

Canada’s Maple Leaf Awards were recently celebrated at the end of the ICSC 2005 Canadian Convention, Deal Making and Trade Exposition in Toronto. The Maple Leaf Awards recognise excellence in the categories of design, operations and marketing.
Candidates were judged by shopping centre marketing professionals as well as individuals who are unconnected to the industry. All judges were chosen by the ICSC Canadian Shopping Centre Awards Committee.
This year, 90 entries were received in three different award categories: Marketing, Renovation or Expansion of an Existing Centre, Innovative Design and Construction of a New Centre, and Retail Store Design. Winners were designated in each of the categories based on the size of the centre.
Many deserving Maple Leaf winners and Merit winners went on to compete in the international MAXI Awards.