During the Property Management Marketing Conference held on Wednesday, March 6th 2024, Savills Place hosted the second Property Management Marketing Awards.

The aim of the awards is 1) to acknowledge and honour the hard work and dedication of the marketing teams across the UK Savills-managed schemes (and even a couple of international destinations!) 2) to showcase how the marketing teams connect people with places on a daily basis.

Entries were impartially assessed by a panel of our Savills colleagues from a variety of sectors of the business. They evaluated submissions based on criteria such as impact, sustainability, innovation, and cost-effectiveness.

A massive congratulations to our six winners; continue reading to discover more about the outstanding initiatives and individuals within the business.

Category 1: Best On-Site Activation
Winner: Atria Watford - Shop to Unlock - The Grand Gift Giveaway

This campaign had a very clear objective; to increase retailer spend during the live period of the event. Customers had to spend £40 or over to qualify to play the game and win a prize. The customer would shop, show their receipts, pick up a hotel key and unlock a safe to reveal one prize from a retailer on-site.

The two day event was a major success and reached capacity over both days. Glowing reports were received from retailers, requesting that the event takes place again the following year. Surveys showed that 90% of retailers scored the event 8/10 or over.

Category 2: Best Environmental Sustainability Initiative
Winner: Stoke-on-Trent City Centre BID - Operation Sparkle

Operation Sparkle is a widespread Environmental Sustainability project fulfilled annually by Stoke-on-Trent City Centre BID, which benefits and supports an entire city centre. The initiative gained significant momentum, rallying local businesses, residents, and the community to actively engage in transformative tasks.

This collective effort not only significantly enhanced the city centre's aesthetic appeal but also received acclaim in the House of Commons, where local MP Jo Gideon acknowledged and championed the cause. During the spring clean weekend, 130 bags of rubbish were collected, and 63 instances of graffiti were removed by 42 participants.

Category 3: Best Partnership/Community Engagement
Winner: Princesshay - Let's Chalk About Mental Health

As part of Mental Health Awareness Week, the Princesshay team organized "Let’s Chalk About Mental Health," a poignant event aiming to emphasise the importance of communication and support. Local mental health services and organisations were invited to the centre. An 8m x 4m mural by an urban artist encouraged people to pause, chalk, and talk, surrounded by partner organisations providing support.

The event was met positively with people welcoming the opportunity to talk and participate. 27,808 people visited Princesshay during the event day, +12% vs 2022 and +26.7% vs the same day the previous week.

Category 4: Best Marketing Campaign
Winner: Princes Square - A Glasgow Icon

Princes Square celebrated its 35th anniversary in 2023. The team delivered an integrated marketing campaign across digital and offline touchpoints to mark this special milestone. Princes Square: A Glasgow Icon, a nostalgic documentary was created. It featured interviews from the original architect, tenants and visitors, all sharing memories and highlights of the site over the year.

Footfall for July, August, September was up 22.1%, 7.6% and 6.2% respectively against 2022, this activity put Princes Square front of mind with key audiences, setting up for a strong Q4.

Category 5: Rising Star
Winner: Rebecca Gomme - Eden Shopping Centre

Rebecca Is Marketing Manager for Eden Shopping Centre. In 2023 Bex made a bold decision to move away from the centre’s well-loved free Elf School Christmas event, which had been a staple in the centre’s events calendar for 8 years, to introduce a brand-new chargeable experience which aligned with the new brand’s eco values and story of ‘An experience less ordinary.’ 

The output was The Eco Elves Tree Cycle, in which 30 Christmas trees were returned. Results showed a +3% YOY footfall increase and +13% MOM.

Category 6: Special Recognition
Winner: MegaStores The Hague, Netherlands - Het Pasta Gilde/The Pasta Guild

In the Netherlands, 120,000 families are relying on food banks for support. MegaStores believes everyone should have access to essential needs like housing, water, heating, and food. Working alongside the shopping centre owner, as well as a partnership with a local entrepreneur with a nonprofit organisation, Het Pasta Gilde, was established. The approach involves selling premium pasta to those who can afford it and using the proceeds to provide free pasta to food bank recipients.

The ultimate objective was to provide all 120,000 food bank clients in the Netherlands with a high-quality pasta meal each week. 

We're looking forward to bringing back the awards in 2025!