Before dinner the guests were entertained by Gerald Ratner, whose story of the rise and fall and rise again of a retail brand was both uplifting and inspiring.

Then it was on to the main event, with 15 individual awards up for grabs. This year the SCEPTRE Awards attracted a record entry, which made life difficult for the panel of industry experts who judged 11 of the categories.

Entries for the SCEPTRE Awards have doubled over the past two years, underlining the fact that they have become the benchmark for excellence across the shopping centre sector. The main awards are validated by a mystery shopping exercise, which highlighted some real examples of dedicated management teams working hard to bring out the best in their shopping centres.

Once the awards had been distributed the real celebrations began, with guests dancing late into the night, enjoying the casino, or just mingling to congratulate the winners and commiserate with those who came close.

Promotion Space Group is the principal sponsor of the SCEPTRE Awards and the wine on the guest's tables was sponsored by Calendar Club.

Lifetime Achievement Award

Capital Shopping Centres managing director Kay Chaldecott presents the SCEPTRE Lifetime Achievement Award to Chapman Taylor's praiseworthy Nigel Woolner.

This year's winner of the SCEPTRE Lifetime Achievement Award is one of the UK's leading retail architects who has been responsible for major retail-led urban regeneration projects throughout the UK and mainland Europe.

Over more than three decades he was responsible for schemes from Eldon Square in Newcastle and The Ridings in Wakefield, which pioneered new concepts in the use of levels, sloping malls and pedestrian flow. Subsequent award-winning schemes included Coppergate York and Bolton Market Place.

At the same time he chaired the jury for the BCSC Gold Awards with great distinction for many years. And there's more to our winner than just architecture. Reflecting his deep love of the arts he is chairman of the Estates Committee at the Royal College of Music and a fellow of the Society of Architect Artists.

Woolner said he was "truly honoured to receive this prestigious award". He acknowledged the many clients and consultants in the industry that he has had the great pleasure of working with to shape the future of retail-led development in our towns and cities.

Environmental Management Initiative of the Year

Brian Saunders of Futur presents the SCEPTRE Award for the Environmental Management Initiative of the Year to Teresa Gottschalk from The Meadows in Chelmsford.

Recycling is part of the environmental armoury of most shopping centres, but The Meadows in Chelmsford, owned by Lend Lease, has gone further than any other towards 100 per cent recycling.

It has become the first shopping centre in the UK to introduce a Big Hanna accellerated composter, which allows it to divert all its food waste from landfill. The machine heats all the food waste to 65 degrees to kill off any bacteria, and over six to eight weeks reduces it in volume by up to 90 per cent. The resulting compost is used on the landscaped areas around The Meadows. The cost of the machine - some £26,000 - was financed by the cleaning contractor and, because it has reduced the cost of waste removal from the site, it is effectively self-financing. In addition, because fewer waste trucks have to visit the Meadows, fewer emissions are generated, further lowering the centre's carbon footprint. When fully functional, the machine will help The Meadows break the 90 per cent recycling barrier.

This could not have been achieved without a management team that is passionate about the environment.

Shopping Centre Marketing Manager of the Year

Caroline Gamester from LDJ Design and Display (left) presents the SCEPTRE Award for Shopping Centre Marketing Manager of the Year to Jude Leitch from The Gate in Newcastle.

The Gate is a 205,000-sq ft entertainment complex in Newcastle city centre made up of 17 individual venues. During 2007/08 it has faced a number of new challenges: the Eldon Square shopping centre opposite is being developed; the national smoking ban has hit all leisure venues; and Newcastle United failed to qualify for Europe. On a match day, 35,000 supporters visit The Gate.

Marketing manager Jude Leitch's answer was to commission response to identify two major lifestyle groups who make up 84 per cent of The Gate's audience and who could be persuaded to visit more often. This data was then used to develop campaigns and select media to achieve 'cut-through' in a very competitive market.

The campaign used unbranded cartoons based on various venues in the centre, and a loyalty card was introduced. As a result, and in spite of the challenges facing the centre, footfall rose by 9 per cent to 5.9 million.

Visitor frequency was up from 32pa to 41pa, and dwell time rose from 2.2 to 2.6 hours, showing a massive return on the £101,000 spent on the campaign.

Town Centre Regeneration Team of the Year

Paul Birkett from Retailfusion presents the SCEPTRE Award for the Town Centre Regeneration Team of the Year to David Wyles (left) from Kirkleees Council.

The regeneration of Huddersfield has resulted in significant improvements in the town's performance in recent years. The Town Centre Partnership Company has over 180 paying members and won the ATCM's partnership of the year award in 2008. Its approach recognises that there needs to be a balance between the health of the retail sector and other town centre uses including commercial, leisure, higher education and residential.

Huddersfield has seen major investment by Kirklees Council - thanks in large part to the efforts of Councillor Ken Simms - by the regional development agency and by the private sector. In addition, a £10m investment in the public realm has dramatically changed public perceptions of the town. Since 1996, footfall has grown by 20 per cent with a 5 per cent increase between 2006 and 2007.

As a result of this strong economic performance and improved perceptions, Huddersfield is now attracting further investment in projects like the new Tesco store and Queensgate revival, a retail-led development incorporating a new library, art gallery and market hall.

Shopping Centre Developer of the Year

Richard Chadwick from Europa (right) presents the SCEPTRE Award for Shopping Centre Developer of the Year to Denis Carruthers and Martina Sloan of Westfield.

Westfield and Hermes opened 2007's largest shopping centre development, Westfield Derby, in October 2007. The £340m scheme has transformed the city centre with two new anchor stores - Marks & Spencer and Debenhams - and more than 150 stores.

The project doubled the size of the former Eagle Centre, offering retailers large well-configured units with double-height shopfronts, previously unavailable in the city. As a result Westfield was 100 per cent let and trading on opening day.

Another key feature of Westfield Derby is its reinvention of the food court. The Eat Gallery offers shoppers a wide selection of freshly-prepared meals from some of the UK's leading catering operators.

In 2008 Westfield is even more ambitious, with the 1 million-sq ft Westfield London due to open this autumn. And on the other side of the capital work is beginning on Stratford City, a 2 million-sq ft retail and leisure destination that will form the gateway to the 2012 Olympic Park. With unrivalled public transport links the two schemes promise to transform the retail landscape in London.

Shopping Centre Managing Agent of the Year

Shopping Centre publishing director John Lewis (right) presents the SCEPTRE Award for Managing Agent of the Year to Martin Wallace from Savills.

Savills' specialist national shopping centre management team manages over 50 centres from its offices in London, as well as Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester, Leeds, Edinburgh and Glasgow. Instructions include The Brewery in Romford, the St Enoch centre in Glasgow and the Triangle, Manchester.

And Savills is continiung to win new contracts: only last month it was appointed on a two-year contract to manage O&H Properties' Podium shopping centre in Bath.

The Podium, located in the heart of the city centre, totals 100,000 sq ft and comprises 25 retail units as well as a food court over two floors.

Savills' approach is based on building relationships with its clients' tenants. The company re-gears leases, improves tenant mix, suggests income generation, re-branding and marketing ideas, refurbishment and development opportunities, and engages in sales and acquisitions.

"Ultimately it's all about delivering what clients want," says Wallace, "and our asset managers act as individual account managers to their clients, ensuring the highest standard of service at all times.

"Many clients also want to use other services and the client account manger acts as link to these, such as agency, rating and investment."

Security Team of the Year

Shopping Centre editor Graham Parker (centre) presents the SCEPTRE Award for Security Team of the Year to David Pollock and Terry Atkinson from the Europa Team at the MetroCentre, Gateshead.

An exemplary team of control room staff, a specialist Retail Crime Unit and mall officers from Europa Support Services work alongside Northumbria Police and other organisations to ensure that the MetroCentre is one of the safest places to shop in the UK. The whole team receives intensive training, including health and safety, customer service, forensic awareness, surveillance, first aid and defibrillator use.

The 'plain clothes' Retail Crime Unit works closely with police and retailers and has achieved a 50 per cent reduction in retail crime while maintaining a 95 per cent detection rate. Last year the unit saw 383 arrests, 135 civil recovery claims and the recovery of £52,373 of stolen property.

David Hopper, security manager at Debenhams, said: "The ongoing strong partnership between the security team and Debenhams has reduced losses and consistently keeps them low."

Northumbria Police Inspector Paul Bentley said: "There's no doubt that our partnership with Europa at the MetroCentre has resulted in huge reductions in crime in all categories. Partnerships like this are the way forward for shopping centres."

Customer Services Team of the Year

Mike Green, CEO of him! (right) presents the SCEPTRE Award for Customer Services Team of the Year to Marc Burchett and Geoff Jones from Westfield's Royal Victoria Place in Tunbridge Wells.

At Westfield's Royal Victoria Place all team members are trained to provide the highest standards of customer care and always go the extra mile when assisting customers.

The management team actively encourages a 'one team' approach to servicing the needs of customers and retailers, and this enables all team members to take responsibility for their individual roles as well as encouraging them to contribute towards improving standards across the centre.

The centre also operates an 'Exceeders' scheme that offers rewards for team members who clearly demonstrate high standards of service and implement positive initiatives to improve the customer experience.

And this is clearly paying off. Westfield carries out monthly audits and mystery shops of the customer service standards in all 119 of its shopping centres across the world, and Royal Victoria Place was ranked as the number one centre in 2007 in the UK. It then went one better and was ranked as the number one Westfield centre worldwide.

Brand Promotion of the Year

John Lewis presents the SCEPTRE Award for Brand Promotion of the Year to Binder Tohani of Westfield's Castlecourt shopping centre for its 'Orange County Chopper Road Show'.

In February 2008 the Official Orange County Chopper European Store brought the TV show experience to Westfield's Castlecourt in Belfast. The visit was part of a national tour booked by promotions agency A Basic Box.

The promotion offered the complete Orange County Choppers experience and a full range of merchandise including T-shirts, work shirts, gifts and DVDs as well as exclusive promotions and appearances.

At the heart of the event were three of the original bikes from the TV show which drew fans from across Northern Ireland, and over 2,000 queued up to take pictures of them.

The promotion was a great success, allowing the brand to be exposed to fans of the hit Sky TV series, and it allowed Castlecourt to offer a different kind of event, catering to a market segment not normally reached by shopping centre promotions.

"The event generated fantastic public interest with over 2,000 fans queuing to take pictures," said Tohani. "We saw an increased number of customer enquiries both during the weekend and subsequently."

So successful was the event that the client has already asked to book a repeat visit for August 2008.

Short Term Merchant of the Year

Julia Langkraehr from Retail Profile presents the SCEPTRE Award for Short Term Merchant of the Year to Andy White from Hair Extensions by Xtras.

Xtras sells a selection of full head wigs, hair extensions and accessories. The products can be purchased off-the-shelf or made-to-order and are available in human hair or a synthetic substitute.

Having identified this niche market, the company has achieved its success through the methods it has chosen to manage its units, its selling techniques and the ways in which the wide product range is merchandised.

"Our ethos from the beginning has been that although we are selling from an RMU, we would not compromise on either the quality of the product or the standard of customer service," said White.

Xtras also offers a bespoke service that provides every customer with a unique and personal experience. A standard hairpiece can be cut, stitched to clips and be ready to collect within just 30 minutes.

Customers can have the hairpiece attached while they are at the RMU, and many people are so delighted that they ask for 'before and after' photos.

Underlying this is an extremely professional approach to retailing. Staff training at Xtras is periodically updated and monitored, and the corporate clothing and packaging both add to the corporate ethos.

Young Achiever of the Year

Graham Parker presents the Sceptre Young Achiever of the Year to Annarose Hearsum from Land Securities' Gunwharf Quays In Portsmouth.

Annarose is the tenant liaison executive at the shopping centre, and is responsible for driving the successful performance of over 100 tenants.

She manages the innovative 'Striving for Excellence' scheme, which gives tenants the skills, confidence and incentives to ensure that the customer experience is always a positive and memorable one.

Through the scheme, Annarose has been able to have an influence over the retail stock offer, merchandising, internal customer services initiatives and communications, which collectively have all increased the performance of Gunwharf Quays and its tenants. Annarose has evolved the scheme, retaining a remarkable 100 per cent buy-in from the centre's tenants every year. As a result of this success, other Land Securities centres have now adopted the programme.

Annarose actively micromanages poorly performing tenants and has a great track record in improving performance. Exit poll research among shoppers shows 90 per cent customer satisfaction at Gunwharf, alongside a 91 per cent conversion rate.

And a recent survey of retailers showed that 96 per cent would recommend Land Securities as a landlord, with Annarose specifically recommended by tenants for understanding their business needs.

Retailer of the Year

Graham Parker presents the SCEPTRE Retailer of the Year Award to Keith McCombie of the John Lewis Partnership. Britain's biggest workers'co-op also happens to be the shopping centre developers' anchor of choice.

The John Lewis Partnership's 69,000 partners own the leading UK retail businesses, Waitrose, John Lewis and Greenbee. The vision of its founder, John Spedan Lewis, of a successful business powered by its people and its principles defines this unique company today. The profits and benefits created by its success are shared by all the partners.

During the current development boom John Lewis is opening more than one new store a year, with the latest being 250,000-sq ft giants at Liverpool One and at Grand Arcade in Cambridge. Both of these saw older stores relocating into brand-new premises as part of major urban regeneration schemes.

And on 4 September 2008, John Lewis opens in Leicester. The 220,000-sq ft Leicester department store will be the principal anchor store for Hammerson's Highcross Leicester project which will more than double the size of the former Shires shopping centre.

And in the next few years other new John Lewis stores are planned for Cardiff, Portsmouth, Oxford, Stratford, Leeds and Preston, with potential sites also identified in Crawley and at Sprucefield in Northern Ireland. The Sheffield store will also be relocated.

Centre Manager of the Year - up to 200,000 sq ft

Alpine Selection's chairman Ian Flanagan OBE (right) presents the SCEPTRE Award for Centre Manager of the Year at a centre up to 200,000 sq ft to Paul Haynes from Regent Place in Leamington Spa.

How many shopping centre managers paint their own site, manufacture their own advertising trailer, water their own plants, shoot their own photography, compact their own cardboard and act as receptionist and concierge, all because of budget constraints?

For Paul Haynes, establishing the 50,000-sq ft Regent Court has been the ultimate test in multi-tasking because the team consists of just him as general manager with one contract security officer and one part-time cleaner.

Two years ago Regent Court was no more than a new residential street with 125 mainly unsold apartments located above the empty retail units, with just three shops let. Yet today the retail side is now 92 per cent let and 132 flats have been sold, leaving just four retail voids and three unsold flats.

Despite the severe service charge restrictions, Paul even managed to reduce next year's service charge by 2.6 per cent after renegotiating the security, cleaning and Christmas decoration contracts.

Centre Manager of the Year - 450,000 sq ft and above

Don Nugent from Dundrum in Dublin won the SCEPTRE Award for Centre Manager of the Year at a centre bigger than 450,001 sq ft. He was unwell on the night but the award was accepted on his behalf from Promotion Space CEO Steve Hughes by Jayne O'Keeffe.

Don has a background in department store management as well as an earlier spell as a shopping centre manager. He was appointed centre director of Dundrum in 2003, and the centre opened in March 2005. In the three years since it has consistently exceeded footfall targets with over 16 million visitors in 2007. In that year average spend increased by 30 per cent with total revenues for 2007 increasing by 17 per cent to e700m. Dwell time grew by 12 per cent. Dundrum opened with full occupancy and only six units have changed hands since, five as a result of franchise issues. When units do become vacant the policy has been to improve the offer by bringing in stronger brands.

Despite the complexity of the centre, Don spends 50 per cent of his working week talking to store and area managers in order to keep abreast of trends in stores and in each of the retail categories. He then uses this information to help focus the centre's marketing most effectively.

Centre Manager of the Year - 200,001 to 450,000 sq ft

Francois deFreitas from Photo-Me International presents the SCEPTRE Award for Centre Manager of the Year at a centre between 200,001 and 450,000 sq ft to Louise Evans from REALM's Clarks Village in Street, Somerset.

Louise has been the manager of the 235,000- sq ft Clarks Village for three years, having served as deputy centre manager for the previous four years.

In addition to the anchor tenants, Louise makes sure she visits the 10 top-performing and the 10 bottom-performing stores each week, as well as visiting every other store at the centre at least once a month.

She also works extremely hard to promote the Retail Support Programme, which includes a highly successful partnership with Skillsmart and North Devon College, and has now seen 90 employees complete their Level 2 and 3 NVQ programmes.

A marketing campaign launched by Louise in 2007 was also highly successful. At no extra cost to the centre, she organised five promotions in conjunction with ITV West and the Mid Somerset Newspaper Group, which generated over £200,000 of PR value.

Her operations manager Bill Godwin said: "Louise is REALM's most highly regarded centre manager. She is respected by colleagues and retail partners alike for her commercial drive and unwavering passion."

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