PropertyGuru Myanmar Property Awards in partnership with Shwe Property shifts to digital, announces new date

Online broadcast on 26 November to put shortlisted companies front and centre before global audience, including consumers and agents

The PropertyGuru Myanmar Property Awards in partnership with Shwe Property will now be broadcast online as a virtual gala event and awards ceremony on Thursday, 26 November.

Harnessing the collective platforms of PropertyGuru, Southeast Asia’s leading property technology company, and Shwe Property, the number one real estate portal in Myanmar, the historic virtual celebrations will be broadcast on AsiaPropertyAwards.com and partner channels including YouTube and Facebook.

The event is expected to draw consumers and agents for the first time as Myanmar’s biggest night for real estate shifts from an exclusive black-tie gala dinner to inclusive virtual celebrations with full, “front-row” access for viewers on multiple online platforms.

More: PropertyGuru Myanmar Property Awards 2020 in partnership with Shwe Property reveals final shortlist of nominees

Filmed in a closed set with health and safety front-of-mind, the digital broadcast will extend the market reach of the nearly 15 shortlisted companies to a truly global audience. Viewers can cheer on their favourite companies as they compete for top accolades, including seven Developer titles and titles such as Best Luxury Condo Development and Best Heritage Renovated Property.

In the build-up to the year’s most awaited celebration of the Myanmar real estate industry, we talk to Justin Sway, chief executive officer of Shwe Property, and get his insights, hopes and dreams for the emerging economy’s property sector.

How successful has the nominations drive been so far for this year’s awards? 

We have received quite a number of nominations, which shows a strong demand in the Myanmar real estate market. Despite Covid-19, the need for marketing both locally and internationally post-pandemic remains strong. We’re glad to be partnering with PropertyGuru to make these awards the biggest ever in the country.

Describe for us the quality of entrants this year. What does it say about Myanmar’s real estate sector?  

The quality has been superb. It’s really great to see some of the biggest and diverse developers thinking strategically about future real estate sales opportunities in 2021.

How does the PropertyGuru Myanmar Property Awards in partnership with Shwe Property maximise visibility for real estate players in the country? 

With the number one property portal in Myanmar and the number one property portal in Southeast Asia, the combined marketing reach is unprecedented. It offers developers a reach never seen before in the market. It offers great visibility and reach to a vast audience of property seekers both locally and internationally which will result in maximised sales for those customers.

What value will Shwe Property bring to winners and entrants of the awards? To real estate agents? 

Shwe Property has the largest online and digital reach in Myanmar. This combined with our 100 full-time employees, we are able to offer developers and agents an end-to-end sales and marketing solution to attract the most active buyers and property seekers in the market.

This year, the PropertyGuru Myanmar Property Awards in partnership with Shwe Property is shifting to a virtual format. What makes it advantageous over a physical gathering, besides the obvious safeguards against the pandemic? 

We’re very excited about a virtual Myanmar Property Awards this year, not just because of Covid-19. It is due to the combined massive digital reach that both Shwe Property and PropertyGuru can showcase those developers right throughout all of Myanmar and Southeast Asia – broadcast both live and recurring over the next three to six months. The benefits to developers will be even greater than ever before, but the lasting impacts to the Myanmar real estate market across the country and throughout Southeast Asia will be extraordinary.

During Shwe Property’s journey to the top of the market, what have you learned about Myanmar property seekers and how can developers take advantage of it? 

We’re delighted to be the number one property portal using advanced proptech to understand the behaviour of property seekers, what they’re searching for, and where they’re looking so that we can provide the best user experience possible.  This also allows us to work with developers to deliver cutting-edge sales and marketing solutions to help sell more of their properties on their behalf. We’ve been extremely lucky to work with the majority of the best developers in the market and having them choose us as their exclusive and primary partner for property transaction sales.

More: PropertyGuru Myanmar Property Awards in partnership with Shwe Property announces first virtual gala event

You were instrumental in Shwe Property’s success story: transforming it from a small startup into one of the most important property portals in Southeast Asia. What lessons can you impart to small property players hoping to break through the market?

It’s been an amazing journey so far, and Myanmar is a really tough market, not because of the competition, but due to the complexity of the ecosystem in the way developers, agents and property seekers interact. We’re fortunate to be the pioneer but also the number one property player that has almost 10 years of on-the-ground real estate experience to offer our developers.  For other portals, being open-minded and innovative and having versatility, speed and execution are everything, and you need very deep pockets and funding to last the distance.

You were known for your great work in the fields of online talent acquisition and job recruitment. How, in your opinion, will the awards help low-income property seekers find the home of their dreams?  

Shwe Property and JobNet are powerful online forces in the Myanmar market. With a growing economy and entry of more international funding, companies, banks, telcos, insurance companies, etcetera, there is a rapidly emerging middle class of job seekers earning more disposable income than ever before.  Combining this with the introduction of home loans only two years ago by most of the top banks, the property market, particularly the affordable segment, is booming, especially due to the availability of finance and higher-income earners in that sector. The PropertyGuru Myanmar Property Awards in partnership with Shwe Property will recognise the finest developers to showcase their projects to world-class standards, and this is exactly what property seekers are looking for when finding their dream home.