Passenger traffic to and from Malta International Airport (for perspective, keep in mind that this is an archipelago of three islands with one airport, so whomever comes down, for the most part, goes back up) has increased from 4,290,304 in 2014, to 6,808,177 in 2018.
In graphic language that equals a helluva lot of sunscreen, rental cars, cheap beer, full-English breakfasts and souvenir-grade fedoras. Too much if you ask me, for a main island of just over 300 square kilometres in size and a three-island-total population approaching a half a million.
If you know where to go, or have the quintessential Maltese Islands guide, Nick Ripard, there are still some incredibly breathtaking unspoiled walks and vistas, but they’re not where your typical meetings, events, convention and incentives organizers, or the DMCs (destination management companies) that serve them, send their delegates.
I was tasked by the creative director of a new, Maltese-Italian DMC to edit their in-house content drafts and create new website content covering everything from:
- Meeting and Conference locations like the Hilton Malta Conference Centre, the Mediterranean Conference Centre, The Saluting Battery, Vilhena Palace, Fort St. Elmo, and the Malta Maritime Museum;
- Incentive Concepts from Group Yacht Charters, Sea Kayaking Tours, Wine Tasting and Jeep Safari Tours, to Private Walking, Cultural & Theme Tours;
- bespoke delegate gatherings like Malta Gastronomy Encounters, Photography Tours, Scuba Diving, Trekking, and,
- a VIP DMC menu of convention services that ranged from Visa Coordination, Accommodation and Dining, Transport Logistics, Conference and Excursions Organisation, Audio-Visual, Technical, Design and Marketing.
And an “About” page
I chose to profile this DMC’s “About” page here because, although it’s not soul-stirring prose, I think it distinguished this company as having an off-island, continental-European cultural understanding, and satisfied (since this DMC was brand-spanking new and had zero clients) as many pre-sales-call or online-chat-session hesitations as possible.
About the DMC
Of all the questions you need to ask yourself and your Destination Management Company (DMC) on the road to a successful meeting, conference or exhibition in Malta, there are a few important ones you should get answers to first:
- How well does this company understand the country, culture, industry and environment that my people are coming from? Does it have a global perspective?
- Is the team at this M.I.C.E. (Meetings. Incentives. Conventions. Events.) organisation well versed in local values and venues, guides, logistics, creativity, GTD (Getting Things Done), and does it always have my back and a Plan B when things don’t go to Plan A?
- Is this DMC well-funded, honest, trustworthy, insured and bonded?
- We’ll give you straight, knowledgeable answers.
- We’ll deliver your proposal promptly, and,
- you can be confident that our international team will execute your event with first-world efficiency and old-school dependability.
We’re a tightly-knit crew of born-and-bred locals and loving-it-here expats. We’re well-heeled, well-travelled, well-read, and, well, nice people.
Sources
- Malta International Airport passenger traffic statistics source.
- The feature photo for this post was taken at a Malta Heritage museum and cave site that I think is underrated; Għar Dalam in Birżebbuġa, but then I think it’s pretty cool to live on an island that was once home to walkable-on-a-leash-sized elephants.