FESTIVAL Place has been shortlisted for four prestigious industry Sceptre Awards.

The Sceptre Awards put the spotlight on the country’s best management teams, retailers and suppliers as it celebrates and rewards excellence in the shopping industry.

Festival Place in Basingstoke is vying for awards in the Christmas, Diversity and Inclusion, Manager of the Year, and Marketing Manager of the Year categories.

The shopping centre’s proud support of the We Support Deaf Awareness Campaign has seen it shortlisted in the Diversity and Inclusion Scheme of the Year category.

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The centre has provided free training for nearly 80 retailers on how to better communicate with the deaf and hard-of-hearing communities, and all participating stores are displaying signs to demonstrate staff awareness to customers.

In the Christmas category, Festival Place stood out for its Christmas Together, More Festive Than Ever campaign, which ran over six weeks.

As well as stunning decorations, a Santa’s grotto, festive workshops and roaming musical theatre acts, the centre supported Basingstoke Foodbank and Besom in Basingstoke’s Christmas Hamper Project, which saw 800 festive food hampers made and delivered to families in need across the area.

Events and community manager Sian Fisher has been nominated for Marketing Manager of the Year.

Sian joined Festival Place in 2017, bringing with her great communication skills and creative thinking.

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Centre director Neil Churchill has also been shortlisted in the Manager of the Year category, which looks for positive involvement with the local community, great initiatives to boost post-lockdown footfall, and successful relationships with tenants and stakeholders.

He said: “To be shortlisted for an amazing four categories in these prestigious awards is testament to the hard work of all those involved.

“The Sceptre Awards recognise the best practice and the best people in the shopping centre industry, so this is a huge achievement for us.”

Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on Wednesday, November 16, at the Hilton London Bankside.