Here’s an absolute last second reminder of a certain important deadline: the last call for Purple Apple Mentors is Friday, February 3rd. If you’re reading this on release, that’s tomorrow. Yikes.

If you’re planning to enter the BCSC Purple Apple Marketing Awards this year, you can’t go wrong with signing up. The mentors have all completed a two year term as a Purple Apple judge, so they have the inside scoop on what makes a submission great.

Of course, to take advantage, you need to have your submission ready to go. If you’ve got that ready, just email a word document version of it to Purple Apple Mentors with the subject “Purple Apple Submission Mentor” and they’ll get in touch.

If you’re not quite to that point yet, there are plenty of resources that can give you a leg up. You can check out the video presentations on the Purple Apple site once you’ve registered, read the top tips blog, and follow those involved on Twitter. Your entry is sure to impress if you take advantage of all that assistance.

A brief note for our Scottish readers this week: if you don’t want to miss your chance to book a seat at the BCSC Scotland Annual Dinner, you really ought to get on it – over half the tickets sold in the first week they were on sale.

It’s sure to be a lovely night, a meal attended by senior-level decision makers and a host of service providers from throughout the industry. As the BCSC says, “the evening offers the best in Scottish hospitality and gives you the chance to entertain clients or simply meet old friends and colleagues.”

So mark your calendars for March 21, and get ready to visit The Mansfield Traquair in Edinburgh. The gathering is open to members and non-members alike. Tickets are £100 + VAT for individuals, or £1000 + VAT for a full table of 10. After dinner, Alan Rough will speak.

Sound good? Reserve your place right here.

Ready to learn? BCSC has your back with its brand new Retail Property Master Class Programme, designed in partnership with Sir John Cass Business School.

This is a management-focused program, not a marketing one. But we know there are a few of you out there that are spending a lot of time thinking about these topics. It’s 8 full days of classes that will help you develop your knowledge and skills in the industry.

BCSC aims to set a new industry standard of excellence delivered through these courses. They’re split into three groupings, and participants can choose courses from any of them:

• Diagnosing and Creating Investment Potential: Appraising the investment potential of a shopping centre and understanding how a commercially viable and integrated shopping centre can be developed.
• Understanding and Managing the Shopping Centre Experience: Practical insights into challenges of centre management from retailer and customer perspectives.
• Driving Shopping Centre Performance: Creating sustainable performance and using a suite of performance metrics to provide deep insights into how ongoing centre performance can be optimised.

The classes are open to members and non-members alike. Interested? There’s a lot more information to be found right here.

Last week we gave you the heads up about the upcoming University of Shopping Centers, organized by the International Council of Shopping Centers. But if you’re across the pond, you might be more interested in the British Council of Shopping Centres’ Shopping Centre Management Diploma at the College of Estate Management. Courses start very soon, so if you’re interested, take a look.

The benefits of the course are substantial. Participants will develop business skills and gain a wider understanding of shopping center management, building on personal and practical experience.

The Diploma has been updated this year, now with modules on retailing, marketing, lease management, refurbishment and more. There are also opportunities available for folks who already have the credentials and just want to update with new modules.

It’s the start of a new year and the beginning of convention and awards season, so get your new calendars out and add a few dates.

Most urgently, this Friday is the deadline if you want to attend the NRF 101st Annual Convention & Expo and pay a reduced rate. After that you’ll be paying full door prices. These discounts apply to members and non-members alike, so don’t hold off.

Next up is February 17, the closing date for all entries for the BCSC 2012 Purple Apple Marketing Awards. Entries are open and presentations and mentoring opportunities are coming right up, so better get started (and if you feel like you’re experiencing deja vu, it’s because we mentioned this in our last newsletter – but so many of you were swamped with Christmas that we wanted to give you a reminder.)

Rounding out the rest of winter, the ICSC is offering its University of Shopping Centers once again on the campus of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania March 5 to 7. If you’re ready to improve your credentials and pick up some new skills, this is the place to be.