Entering Your Building Into TOBY

The Outstanding Building of the Year (TOBY®) Awards are the most prestigious and comprehensive recognition programs in the commercial real estate industry. They honor excellence in building management, rewarding teams that demonstrate outstanding performance in all aspects of operations and tenant service.

The competition progresses through three levels—local, regional, and international—beginning at the BOMA local association level.

Recognizing that not all entrants may be able to commit to the time requirements of the BOMA International TOBY® competition, our association created a pre-qualifying program known as the TOBY Choice Awards. This initiative allows property management teams to experience the benefits of competition, including education, peer review, and professional development, in a more accessible format.

The TOBY Choice Awards follow criteria closely aligned with the standards established by BOMA International. A team of industry professionals evaluates each building during a site inspection and presentation that reviews all facets of operations—Life Safety, Security, Risk Management, Training and Education, Energy, Environmental Sustainability, Tenant Relations, and Community Involvement. The BOMA 360 designation and written narratives are not required at this level.

Winners of the TOBY Choice Awards are announced at the annual awards gala. Properties that meet the qualifications for the BOMA International competition may advance through the local, regional, and ultimately, international levels.

For more information about the process, please contact Marty Busekrus.

Why Enter?

Property managers consistently cite the following benefits of participating in the TOBY® Awards:

• A structured, systematic review of building operations
• Valuable peer feedback and scoring from industry experts
• Constructive commentary that supports ongoing improvement
• The ability to benchmark performance year over year

Buildings compete in categories that align with their type and size, ensuring fair comparison among similar properties.

What to expect during competition

There is no doubt the TOBY® Awards Gala is a night to remember. However, a lot happens before we celebrate the hard work that goes into running award-worthy buildings. Of course, it all starts with our property management teams and their buildings.

While preparing your building to be judged for competition, teams of volunteer judges are assembled and trained.

Judging teams are made up of 3 or more property managers and service providers. A Property Manager always leads the team. Each team member is screened for potential conflicts of interest before judging categories are assigned. Each team member must judge all buildings within a category for their scoring to count.

Each team leader will contact the property manager entrants to schedule a convenient building tour in late August or early September. During the site visit, each team member independently rates your building in various building management areas. Judging Co-Chairs collect all score sheets and record each building category's scoring and rankings to determine the winner. The winners are closely held until the announcement at the TOBY® Awards Gala.

Entering the TOBY® Awards doesn't have to be a chore, and we're here to help make the process seamless. These are great networking opportunities, and you will learn how to prepare for judging to gain an edge at our TOBY® Prep events.