Demolition Award entries exceed expectations

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 D&Ri 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 was nevertheless 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, including our very own John Woodward, to select the shortlists for each individual Award category in early September, with the resulting shortlists being posted to The Demolition Summit website immediately after, as well as being published in the next issue of D&RI.

The large number of entries is fantastic news to hear, but unfortunately that will make my job of helping choose the shortlist that much more difficult. Still, I like a challenge and am really looking forward to the Demolition Summit.