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Those who were mentioned on the night were a real cross section of businesses – consultants, contractors, clients, manufacturers. But they all have something in common. They are innovators.

It's been said before that the building services sector is in a period of great change. "Adapt or die," said our new president Terry Wyatt. Real winners, and the leaders of our industry, won't just adapt, they will evolve. Clients are no longer happy with the basic equipment; with the standard way of doing things; with okay-standards. They want new thinking, 21st Century technology and a very different approach from the way things have been done in the past.

Services consultants often complain that they aren't taken seriously, or that they don't even get to talk to the client. Architects, it used to be said, held sway over clients who would behave like hypnotised rabbits, caught in the headlights of architectural glamour. This is now changing, with more services engineers in at the start of a job, and contractors holding more power.

So it's great news for engineers, as long as they can meet client expectations. Say what you will about our architectural colleagues, they know how to put on a good show for clients. Imagination, innovation, creativity. Stock-in-trade for the RIBA ponytails. CIBSE members have to be prepared to offer the same lateral thinking and problem solving.

Our Awards show just how good engineers can be when they let go of 'it's always been this way' thinking – and when clients encourage them to do so. Manufacturers too should be praised for their investment in research and development. The services industry should work as one to encourage innovation by being open-minded about new products, and being less afraid of different ways of working. With a bit more confidence in our own abilities, we can all be winners.