What exactly are the SOLAL Awards?

The SOLAL Marketing Awards is a competition for the shopping centre market and broadly defined mixed-use projects in Europe.

The competition is named after French developer Jean-Louis SOLAL, who is credited with introducing North American-style shopping centres to Europe. SOLAL developed several shopping centres in France, Belgium, and Spain. He avoided a template-based approach and was known for his innovations in design, tenant selection, and what we now call brand experience. He was one of the first to recognise marketing as a means to enhance asset value.

Today, the SOLAL Awards are often regarded as the Oscars of marketing in our sector, as they honour the best in recognition of innovation, excellence, and effective marketing results. Moreover, it is a high-class and objective competition due to the high standard of entries, impartial evaluation, and selection of winners by an international jury, ensuring complete transparency in the judging process.

What is the purpose of the competition and the SOLAL Awards?

Our primary goal is to reward excellence, innovation, creativity, and effectiveness in “place marketing.” But it’s about more than just handing out trophies. A key objective is to inspire marketing managers and showcase best practices in the industry. At a time when marketing budgets are under pressure and everyone is fighting to survive, the ability to learn from the best is becoming increasingly important.

We know that marketing managers sometimes operate in isolation or within a limited circle of colleagues. The awards offer a vast pool of ideas and inspiration from which marketing teams can learn and apply independently.

Additionally, these awards serve as recognition for the work of marketing managers, whose efforts often go unappreciated daily.

How has the competition changed in recent years?

The SOLAL Awards were initially part of the global ICSC awards program. When ICSC withdrew from Europe, the awards were temporarily suspended. However, several dedicated volunteers involved in the competition felt the need to bring them back.

Then the pandemic hit, and the competition was put on hold for obvious reasons. However, people continuously told us how much they missed the opportunity to shine and learn from other marketers in the industry. At the end of the pandemic, we organised an online awards ceremony, which was very well received by the community. Building on this success, in the summer of 2025, we are returning with a full-scale marketing conference and live awards gala. We also anticipate that the SOLAL Awards will once again become a permanent fixture in the annual calendar of major events in shopping centre and mixed-use marketing.

Industry-specific awards competitions often face scepticism regarding their objectivity. How do you avoid this issue?

We are aware that some other awards are not as rigorous in their evaluation as the SOLAL Awards. We are proud to maintain the highest assessment standards. We have about 25 jurors from around the world who are experts in their respective fields. They have earned their reputations and wish to protect them, ensuring that the judging process is solid and fair.

There are strict criteria by which jurors evaluate entries. Each submission is reviewed by at least five jurors, with the highest and lowest scores discarded, and the average of the remaining scores considered. No juror knows which submissions they will evaluate in advance. The system assigns applications randomly. Applications are judged based on a defined scheme that ensures consistency in evaluation criteria. A fundamental rule is that jurors must have no relationship with the submission. Thanks to this system, the evaluations are reliable and credible.

What about concerns that only large shopping centres have a chance to win?

One significant advantage of the competition is that there can be more than one winner in each category. Unlike the Oscars, where there is only one big winner, our awards allow multiple winners if several submissions exceed a certain threshold – or none if none meet the standard. This approach eliminates concerns that large-budget centres will always have the advantage.

In fact, in previous years, smaller centres with limited budgets have won the most awards. Innovation is the most crucial factor. If people think creatively and spend a small budget effectively, it works in their favour.

This year, the Gala and conference will be held in Warsaw. What influenced the decision to choose Poland’s capital?

Yes, we selected Warsaw as the ideal location for this year’s gala for several reasons. Warsaw is easily accessible, with excellent air connections and relatively affordable hotels. It also boasts several outstanding venues—not just shopping centres. Warsaw is also globally recognised for its innovations in placemaking and the integration of retail and entertainment.

You mentioned the educational aspect. How can marketing managers benefit from attending the Warsaw event?

The awards gala promises to be a fantastic event and winning a SOLAL Award can be the crowning achievement of someone’s career.

But throughout the day, the conference program will feature an exciting lineup of speakers discussing the hottest trends in the industry—from the impact of artificial intelligence on shopping centres and mixed-use developments to how platforms like TikTok and Roblox can be effectively used by marketing teams, as well as how data-driven initiatives can transform marketing strategies.

We are grateful to our sponsor, the European Shopping Places Trust (ESPT), for supporting us in this endeavour.

It seems that, particularly for marketers, networking is just as important?

Absolutely. This is a key element of the SOLAL Awards. Since the pandemic, people have lost opportunities to meet industry peers working under different conditions and share knowledge and best practices from all over Europe.

For people like me and others involved in planning and running the competition, networking with colleagues from different countries has been instrumental in our careers. It has helped us break thought patterns, open our minds to new ideas, and develop professionally. We now have an entire generation of marketers who have missed out on this crucial element. We firmly believe that such meetings are highly beneficial, which is why we decided to revive them.

What is your personal motivation for being involved in the SOLAL Awards?

I’m not alone. The SOLAL Awards would not be possible without a dedicated team committed to reviving this competition. We are all volunteers with other jobs, but we have all built our careers in this industry and feel a moral responsibility and deep desire to give something back to the next generation. That doesn’t mean we’re about to retire (laughs). Not at all! But we firmly believe that exchanging experiences, learning best practices, and building relationships will benefit everyone.

We have established a non-profit organisation to continue the legacy of Jean-Louis SOLAL and provide marketers with the opportunity to be recognised and celebrated for their innovation and hard work.