by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
When the Laurel Awards are held April 7, it will be a little of the old for the attendees. Chairwoman Amber King, marketing director for Richmond American Homes, has decided to take the annual real estate industry awards back to the Sawgrass Marriott for a sit-down dinner and awards presentation.
However, next year’s event will not only be formal, it’ll be a bit secretive. In addition to it being a black-tie formal affair, everyone attending will have the opportunity to wear a masquerade-like face covering, adding an element of the unknown to an evening that will feature food, music and, of course, real estate awards.
“We will be selling masks at an upcoming SMC (Sales and Marketing Council) meeting,” said King, who has been with Richmond since before it bought out Crawford Homes about two years ago.
King said the idea for a masquerade ball was a joint effort between herself and Portland Stuart, the sales and marketing director for the Northeast Florida Builders Association. A committee of five others will help King and Stuart organize the event, which they expect will attract 700-750 people from every facet of the real estate industry.
The past two Laurel Awards have been held at the Florida Theatre. King said the venue was great, but after talking to attendees and seeing how the event went, she decided a more formal event in a big ballroom would be better.
“With the theater-style seating, we found that many of the guests decided to leave early,” said King. “If you have a sit-down dinner, they tend to stay for the entire program. The feedback we got from the guests was they like the sit-down dinner better.”
These days King said she devotes just a few hours a week to the Laurel Awards. That will change as the new year rolls around.
“I will get a lot busier as it gets closer. About three months out I will definitely be busy with it,” said King, adding that her employer is fine with the amount of time she will eventually have to devote to the awards. “Richmond American Homes is highly supportive of the Laurels and the Builders Association.”