Our History

Since the 1980’s, the Solal Awards have built a huge level of kudos within the destination marketing industry, thanks largely to the rigorous judging by leading industry experts. The awards are named after French developer Jean-Louis Solal who is credited with bring North-American-style shopping malls to Europe. 

Solal developed more than a dozen shopping centres across France, Belgium and Spain, from Parly 2 in Paris in 1969 through to Diagonal Mar in Barcelona in 2001. He avoided the ‘cookie-cutter’ approach and was known for his innovations in design, tenant mix and what we now know as brand experience. He was one of the first to see the importance of retail marketing as a means to help drive spend and asset value. This resulted in him lending his name to the now coveted marketing awards scheme. It has evolved and thrived ever since – a fitting tribute to his impact on the industry.