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MY KIND OF TOWN: The Art of Urbanism

Monday 8 March 2010 House of Commons. Preliminary information and application form.

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Multiple IBP Journalism Award Winner Claer Barrett, writing for Investors Chronicle, demonstrated yet again her passion for the subject of her articles and received two top Awards at the IBP Awards presentations co-hosted with Resolution Property at the House of Commons.

Her writing in the Feature Writer of the Year category covered an array of highly topical subjects, and her style demonstrated a passion for the subject, Barrett is "an outstanding and deserving winner, her entries demonstrated a strong determination, she gets quickly to the point and fully covers all the angles," the judges enthused.

In the IBP Journalist of the Year Category the judges compare the winners of each individual Award, and are thus faced with the dilemma of comparing the excellent with the brilliant. "Although the articles covered a wide range of styles, content and publications they together illustrated the strength of architecture, property and construction journalism in today's media and the ingenuity and resources employed by the best writers in a sector which is more in the news, and warranting critical analysis, than it has been for many years? the judges said.

The judges praised Barrett's outstanding article on the pitfalls of buy-to-let. "Claer showed her depth of knowledge and understanding of the subject and has clearly made herself an expert," the judges commented. They praised her on the ground research and visits to seminars that provided her with the tools to write such a colourful and informative article. The judges were unanimous in declaring Claer the overall winner of the IBP 2009 Journalist of the Year Award.

Executive Board's Report 2009

As the Treasurer's Report clearly indicates IBP, in common with many companies and individuals, did not have a great year last year. Nevertheless we continue to provide members with the key events that set IBP apart from other organizations in our sector and encourage face-to-face dialogue between journalists and communicators.

During 2008/9 we continued to develop our partnership with The All Party Parliamentary Built Environment Group. In May 2008 we jointly hosted ‘The Housing Crisis, Speculation or Innovation’, chaired by Paul Finch with contributions from speakers representing both the private and public housing sector, including Sir Bob Kerslake (recently appointed chairman of the Homes and Communities Agency) and Sir Stuart Lipton. The lunch guest speaker was Paul Carter, Leader, Kent County Council.

Since then there have been two Housing Think Tank sessions, initiated by IBP, one in December 2008 hosted at the offices of the URS Corporation and in March 2009 hosted by the Built Environment Group at Portcullis House. The Think Tank initiative has been the driver to keep in touch with the three main political parties, on housing issues, and the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill [HL] currently progressing through the House.

The idea is that the Built Environment Group and IBP will co-host another Housing debate in the light of the Bill being adopted and the run-up to the next general election. Monday 15th February 2010 has been earmarked for this purpose.

The tenth annual IBP Journalists v PR’s cricket match, sponsored by stone experts Szerelmey, took place at Thames Ditton in June with the PR’s winning, for two consecutive years with a comfortable 18 runs. My thanks go to team captains, Dave Rogers (Construction News) and Andy Walker (ACE) while David Helsen continues to organise the whole day with his usual efficiency.

The first of the 2008 crop of Awards were presented by Patience Wheatcroft, former editor of The Sunday Telegraph, in June at the Annual Summer Dinner at the RAC Club with a reception hosted again by BDP.

Chairman of the judges Giles Barrie, editor of Property Week said “We saw a wide range of entries, from the typical contractor’s in- house journal to some innovative attempts from pr firms like TTA to engage in an interesting debate with their clients. However, the winner, Vinci plc’s Societe, has produced a useful, pocket-sized design and above all a focus on sustainability that speaks volumes for this sector of the contracting world.”

“The Award for subscription magazine of the year was incredibly close fought, with two recent winners at the Pan-Magazine Publishing Periodical Publishers Association Awards to the fore. First a highly commended went to PPA Editor’s Award Antony Oliver’s New Civil Engineer. However, our winner, for the second year running, was also the winner of the PPA monthly magazine of the year category Building Services Journal. The judges were unanimous in their praise of its bold critique of signature architecture and, of course, how it has made building services sexy through a huge emphasis on sustainability.” The CIOB’s international magazine, Icon, also picked up a highly commended for positioning a serious and informative magazine in only eighteen months.

Like the National, Regional and Website Awards the IBP Magazine Awards acknowledge and reward good journalism and particularly focus on the ‘best of the best’. Not an easy task for the judges,

In July, as part of the London Festival of Architecture, IBP organised a Meet the Editors’ Forum at the NLA Gallery (situated at The Building Centre). Under the chairmanship of City and Financial Journalist, Richard Northedge, a capacity audience came together to hear a panel of experts: Peter Bill (Estates Gazette), Denise Chevin (Building), Nick Edwards (Construction News), Michael Hammond (WAN), Allison Heller (Housebuilder), Ian Latham (Architecture Today) and Ruth Slavid (AJ Online) discuss the latest developments in their titles and parallel electronic media. A wide ranging discussion involving the audience followed a brief presentation from each of the speakers.

Last October the fourth season of the IBP Regional Journalism Awards, with Sir Howard Bernstein, CEO Manchester City Council, presenting the Awards, proved to be another resounding success, with entries up on last time while the audience, attending the Awards lunch at the Lowry Gallery in Manchester, was down on 2007, they were nevertheless enthusiastic supporters of the Awards.

Awards went to: The Financial Times, Crain’s Manchester Business, North West Business Insider, Property Week and Building.

The Annual National Journalism Awards continued to be well supported by journalists while sponsors proved difficult to attract to some of the categories. We also presented the IBP Website of the Year Award, for the third year, to recognized good journalism on the electronic media super highway – please see the Awards’08 Bulletin report on the Homepage for full results.

A capacity audience attended the dinner at Claridge’s with Liz Peace CBE, chief executive of the British Property Federation handing out the Awards.

Because of the world economic climate the planned launch of an International Journalist of the Year Award, at MIPIM, was postponed until the general situation improves.

Your executive board (see full listing attached) continues to oversee the events and ‘new’ initiatives that IBP takes forward on an annual basis – they should all be congratulated on the very positive way in which they work together and contribute to the meetings, after putting in a full days work and in a very difficult economic climate, that has effects for all of us.

Our President Denise Chevin, editor Building, takes us into IBP’s 40th Anniversary in 2009 when a series of events are planned in celebration – including AWARDS 40, the showcase for the latest crop of outstanding articles and magazines serving our sector. I hope that by highlighting these few examples of the IBP 2007/8 programme that I have given you some idea of the focus of the Organisation. Of course these and other IBP events are reported and archived on the website for your further interest. Do take a look.

IBP will only continue to function and be of use to us all if we are providing the things that interest us. Some of the partnerships I have outlined above clearly demonstrate that IBP can contribute to the wider on-going debates constantly taking place in our sector.

Gerald Bowey
Chief Executive - International Building Press

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