2022 Middle East Consultant Awards to honor the best and brightest on 7 December
Nominations are now open and consultants have until 31 October to participate in the company or project categories; voting categories will open on 10 August and will close on 31 October
The 2022 Middle East Consultant Awards (MEC Awards) will take place on 7 December 2022, returning to the prestigious Ritz Carlton JBR in Dubai. The eight edition of the annual consultant focused event will once again honor the region’s top firms, individuals and projects.
25 awards will be up for grabs across a multitude of categories including: Architectural Company of the Year; Cost Consulting Company of the Year; Company of the Year; Dispute Resolution Champion of the Year; Gender & Ethical Employment Champion of the Year, and others. See all the categories here.
As before, there is no cost to submit nominations for the Middle East Consultant Awards and nominations must be made through the awards’ dedicated website.
Highlighting what he’s keen to achieve with the 2022 edition of the MEC Awards, Paul Godfrey, Head of Content at Middle East Consultant says, “Our primary objective is to highlight that consultants are the client’s ‘right hand’ – an invaluable source of strategic and operational skill and guidance. This is just as true for the smaller, boutique consultancy as it is for the global corporates – they each enable the transition between client aspirations and effective nation-building. We celebrate that role.”
With respect to how the eight edition of the annual awards event will differ from the previous edition, he comments, “There are several exciting changes this year impacting the categories. For the first time, we are introducing three ‘People’s Choice’ voting categories – Under 30 Champion of the Year; Women in Construction Professional of the Year; and Executive of the Year – we’re expecting a huge voting response. Then, we are introducing an all-new category, Health & Safety and Wellness Champion and we’ve also changed the Start-up of the Year category to Enterprise Business of the Year (up to five years old) – really widening the catchment demographic.”
Categories apart from those that fall under People’s Choice will, as in past years, require interested parties to submit nominations through the MEC Awards’ website. They will then be studied by an independent judging panel comprising industry veterans.
Asked about what companies should include in their nominations to catch the judges’ eyes, Godfrey states, “There are really three factors that entrants must follow to ensure a solid and effective nomination. Firstly, they must avoid hypothetical projects and focus on work that has been under way for at least six months. Then, they should include as many client testimonials as possible – these should each be stamped with the client’s company stamp. Thirdly, please attach as much descriptive information as possible – conceptual drawings, a narrative clearly outlining the purpose and context of the project; and photographs of work to date.”
Read about who made the shortlist at the 2021 Middle East Consultant Awards here, whilst the victorious few can be read about here.
Conversely, in terms of what companies should avoid doing so their nomination is not immediately disqualified, Godfrey remarks, “To avoid your nomination being rejected, there are several key protocols. Firstly, please don’t include an old project completed prior to one calendar year ago; don’t submit an incomplete project outline with only a few lines of explanation; and most importantly of all, truthfully describe the extent of the work you are responsible for – if you exaggerate, you can and will be found out.”
Nominations open today (1 August) and will close 31 October 2022. Nomination guidelines are on the MEC Awards website and can be read here. The reader voted categories will open on 10 August. More information about the awards event can be found here.
