AN EVENING THAT HIGHLIGHTED OUR NETWORKS AND OUR TALENTS
There were more than 355 of you in the Grande Place at Complexe Desjardins on May 10 for the 15th BOMA Awards Gala, celebrating the dynamism of the Quebec real estate industry. What a lovely evening it was, and indeed what a pleasure to get together and take the time to catch up! Did you notice the friendly, relaxed and joyous nature of the event? It was fantastic.
Hosted once again by Alain Cadieux, the evening got underway with a rousing performance by the irreplaceable Grégory Charles, a veritable musical encyclopedia, who rose to the challenge of playing hits from past eras as one year after another was suggested by members of the audience. That energy and spirit set the tone for the evening.
It was also an opportunity to learn more about major projects by Desjardins Property Management, the presenting sponsor of the evening, in a presentation by Viviane Garneau, who was the honorary president of this year's gala. My sincere thanks for her contributions. We also had the honour of a private viewing of the water, sound and light show PRISMA, les couleurs de Montréal, an immersive experience presented free of charge until October as part of Montreal's 375th anniversary activities and a very impressive show.
My thanks to Émile Roux, general manager of the Société de développement social de Montréal, which supports and applauds the efforts of BOMA Quebec and its partners to implement projects to help combat homelessness.
All my congratulations to the 61 firms and building owners and managers who received BOMA BEST® certification during the course of the evening. You are a model to follow, and bravo for your commitment to energy and environmental performance.
The gala is a showcase for excellence in the real estate and property management industry. We salute the efforts of our peers to create high performance buildings that include sustainable workplaces and best environmental practices, buildings that provide users with an optimal experience and where teams excel, constantly innovating in order to provide the best possible service to their clientele.
Once again, we were very impressed by the quality of the BOMA Awards candidates, and I'd like to thank Claude Decary and the members of the jury who had the difficult task of choosing the finalists. Our industry is doing well and the professionals driving it forward are brilliant, as the finalists presented on May 10 so eloquently demonstrate.
To mark the 90 years of BOMA Quebec, a new trophy for the BOMA Awards was unveiled. This new symbol reflects our vitality, our passion and our strength as a force for innovation, a symbol that links heritage and modernity, and that unites us as professionals as well. If you were unable to attend that night, I invite you to look at a short video that conveys the spirit of this new trophy. (link)
My sincere congratulations to all the winners. Please refer to our press release about the Awards.
I would once again like to thank staff and the volunteers who made this magnificent evening possible, including Marie-Claude Lavoie and the members of the organizing committee, as well as our full-time staff who did a remarkable job as always. Thank you for being there.
Lastly, I wish to extend my sincere thanks to our faithful annual partners and our precious sponsors, for their support was crucial in making the event a resounding success.
I hope that the evening was as pleasant and inspiring for you as it was for me.
Now that the sun is at last with us, in closing I wish you all a magnificent start to the summer.
Mario Poirier
President