“It’s a time to sit back and celebrate the successes of the past year,” says Donna Moore, executive officer of the Canadian Home Builders’ Association — Calgary Region (CHBA - CR, formerly the CRHBA). “With 1,700 people at the event, it is a very important event for everyone. We certainly believe that it is the event of the year for the Canadian Home Builders’ Associaton — Calgary Region.”

Since 1986 the awards have grown to 59 categories with around 600 entries each year. In the beginning, says Doug Whitney, second vice-president of the CHBA — CR and chair of the SAM Awards committee, as well as director of sales at Albi Homes, the awards focused on recognizing excellence in sales.  They soon evolved to include architecture with awards given for specific rooms in the home, such as best ensuite and best kitchen, as well as awards for companies, including best developer.

Today, awards fall into categories including Grand SAM Awards (such as builder of the year), Advertising and Marketing Awards (best brochure, best billboard), Multi-Family Awards, New Home Awards (each split into price ranges), Renovator Awards and Sales Achievement Awards, among others. Future awards will include BuiltGreenTM categories.

Specific awards are adjusted annually to reflect market changes. The SAM Awards committee even utilizes a formula in order to account for price changes between the beginning of the year and the end.
Each year, winners from the previous year are celebrated. On April 19, 2008, the 2007 SAM Awards Gala was held at the Telus Convention Centre.

Beginning in 2007, the SAM Awards committee began a concentrated effort to increase the visibility of the awards to the public. In 2007 and 2008, the committee published a magazine about the awards to be distributed among members of the CHBA – CR and the public. They also had banners made for the finalists and winners of each award to hang in their showrooms, offices and sales centres. All winners may use the SAM Awards logo in their marketing materials.

Moore and Whitney agree the awards add value to the industry and contribute to the “credibility statement” of a builderds and other service providers. Moore points out that consumers are especially aware of the awards in the spring, now that they are held a time of year when the marketing is especially concentrated.

All members of the CHBA — CR are eligible to enter, and Whitney relates that most years’ entries hover around the 600 mark. All these entries over 59 award categories require hundreds of judges working over a period of months to determine finalists, then winners. Judges from throughout the industry are divided, according to expertise, into groups of five or six; each group may look at 70 or 80 entries in about five or six categories.

“We put a tremendous amount of effort into trying to create a level playing field in which any entry, large or small can compete,” says Whitney. “We try to make it meaningful and representative. You can’t win strictly by the volume of what you can enter.”

The evening itself is “the event of the year for the Association,” says Deep Shergill, CHBA — CR president for the current year, and president of Prominent Homes.

The gala event, which this year featured a budget of $60,000, included a live orchestra, formal dinner, awards ceremony and dance with a live band. Brett Butt, star of Corner Gas was the emcee of this year’s awards, and local politicians and the media made their annual appearances as well.

Other regions of the CHBA, as well as the CHBA at the federal level, have their own SAM Awards, and the provincial level presents its annual Awards of Excellence. These separate awards feature different categories appropriate for the specific region.
Whitney explains that the Calgary Region awards represent one of the biggest SAM events in the country, as well as one of the largest events of the year at the Telus Convention Centre.
The awards hold meaning for the industry and the public alike.

“I believe that the fact that these awards are presented by the industry, judged by the industry, by their peers—that makes the awards significant to those that participate,” says Moore.  NL