Malta as an event destination!
As a member of the HBAA Agency Engagement Committee, our Operations Director Daniel Sweet felt privileged to join the recent round table forum and 2-night familiarisation trip to Malta. Although it was a briefer visit to Malta than he would ever recommend, it was nonetheless extremely educational and worthwhile.
Hear all about Dan’s trip here…
The contrast of a disappointing summer in England (so far), compared with Malta’s steady temperatures in the late 20s was a welcome treat! People familiar with Malta will not be surprised at this, given that it has an average of 300 days of sunshine each year! The consistently favourable climate is just one of Malta’s attributes that make it a great location for business events!
One of the aims for the trip was to hold a meaningful round table discussion on the simple topic of booking business events abroad. For this we brought together a spectrum of HBAA agent members along with the addition of an expert panel made up of the Malta Convention Bureau, a well-respected Maltese DMC and a Malta hotel’s General Manager. This made for a lively and interesting discussion on the topic of establishing best practice in this area, which is in-line with one of the HBAA’s core strategic objectives. All agents came away with greater insight and some tangible takeaways to present to their businesses.
Through the rest of our time in Malta, we were treated to a flavour of what the island has to offer. We took in the stunning St John’s Cathedral, with its mind-blowing interior and the priceless Caravaggio. Looking back at the island from a small boat shows just beautiful the architecture is and how steeped in history it is. A particular highlight from the trip was the brainchild of two Maltese curators of historic buildings who have devised an experience called ‘Taste History’. We were treated to a brief tour of the Inquisitors Palace to set the scene, before heading to the grand dining room for a sumptuous lunch. The difference was that every dish and course had historic significance and storytelling. Wines, recipes and ingredients (authentic to the history of the very palace where we sat to eat) created a real-life emersion in history and a sensory indulgence that was simply fantastic.
Malta is well connected for flights and has a business ethic and understanding like that of the UK. This is a destination we will recommend to our clients wholeheartedly and look forward to the next opportunity to create a Maltese Event to remember!
