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malta
destination focus
treasure
island
It may be small but when
it comes to events, Malta
punches way above its
weight.
Steven Short
reports
from the 122-square mile
country in the Med
PHOTOs cOurTesy OF ec meeTings, allicance grOuP & THe visiT malTa media library. FOr deTails On PHOTOgraPHers, see viewingmalTa.cOm
For free advice on venues & events call 020 7840 6299
www.squaremeal.co.uk
venues&events
103
malta
desination focus
‘150 years OF briTisH rule Have, OF
cOurse, leFT THeir mark buT THe
weaTHer is anyTHing buT englisH’
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GETTING THERE
Air Malta (0845 601 1407) flies from both London Heathrow
and Gatwick twice daily, from Manchester once daily and from
Birmingham twice weekly. EasyJet, Ryan Air and BMI also serve Malta
from most major UK airports.
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venues&events
For free advice on venues & events call 020 7840 6299
www.squaremeal.co.uk
malta
destination focus
4
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5 FILM
220 EPC SSO
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trategically placed midway between
europe and africa, malta has been
settled since 5,200bc, with Phoenicians,
greeks, romans and brits all paying extended
visits before independence was declared in
1964. To this day the island remains famed for
its warm hospitality, with its firm hold on the
tourism industry being particularly strong in
the business travel market. Petite but punchy,
it serves up a particularly impressive range
of venues and accommodation. as one local
hotelier puts it: ‘we’re small but we’ve got a
lot to say for ourselves!’
not only is malta easy to reach – with daily
direct and connecting flights from all over
europe – it has the kind of infrastructure you
would expect from a much larger destination.
The island regularly hosts conferences for
thousands (indeed, it’s set to host 5,000
delegates from a leading cosmetics company
this august) but its compact size means getting
around is simple. you won’t have to spend
more than 30 minutes in a car or minibus to get
anywhere on the island.
The 150 years of british rule have, of course,
also left their mark. english is still the official
language alongside maltese and is spoken
everywhere; uk guests will also appreciate
the three-pin plug sockets, left-hand traffic and
classic red phone boxes.
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Ghadira Bay;
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EC Meetings, cabana night;
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Dining on the salt pans;
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MCC Valletta
WARMER CLIMES
The weather, by contrast, is anything but
english. mild in winter, hot in summer and
pleasantly balmy during the shoulder months of
april-June and september-november, malta is
also blessed with rain that tends to fall in brief
bursts, interspersed with sunshine. venues and
hotels make the most of this climate by offering
lots of flexible outside space, from poolside
decks to rooftop patios, and water-based
teambuilding activities like diving, snorkelling
and kayaking. should the weather take a turn
for the worse, indoor options are usually
factored in automatically.
unsurprisingly, evening cruises are a popular
activity. many hotels have private jetties and
can arrange on-board check-in so groups
can bypass reception and head straight from
the yacht to their rooms. The island lights up
beautifully as darkness falls and, on a clear night,
you can even see sicily twinkling in the distance.
malta’s picturesque capital, valletta, is a
unescO world Heritage site with inviting
narrow streets full of low-rise houses with
orange, beige and yellow limestone walls and
ornate windows and overhanging balconies. it
was largely built by st John following the 1565
Ottoman empire invasion, at which time no
one was allowed to construct private outside
space, so municipal gardens were created all
over town to ensure people had access to fresh
air. The best of these are the upper barrakka
gardens, which (council licence permitting)
can now be used to host cocktail parties
against the backdrop of views across the deep
natural harbour and ‘Three cities’ of vittoriosa,
cospicua and senglea.
The city is also home to st John’s co-
cathedral, a deceptively humble >>
For free advice on venues & events call 020 7840 6299
www.squaremeal.co.uk
venues&events
105
desination focus
malta
‘PalazzO ParisiO Feels
like a mOre OrnaTe
versiOn OF lOndOn’s
Ham HOuse’
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structure with lavish interiors
and an art collection including
works by the renowned
italian artist mattia Preti: a
must for culture vultures
on their downtime but by
no means the only church
you’ll encounter on malta.
There are almost 400 places
of worship on the island – a
constant reminder that the
catholic faith is strong here –
but don’t go expecting a pious
mentality. mediterraneans
love a party and hardly a week goes by in
summer without a town celebrating its ‘Festa’
(local feast). in February, it’s pretty much
carnival time all over the island.
EnTERTAInMEnT VALuE
Those looking to venture beyond their hotel
will find plenty of restaurants both in valletta
and the resort towns of st Julian’s and Paceville,
where bars and clubs stay open well into the
wee small hours.
malta also serves up excellent event space.
For a glam reception or gala dinner, check
out Palazzo Parisio in naxxar (tel: 00356 21
412461). This sumptuous grand old palace, with
its marble staircases, enormous chandeliers,
gilding and stucco work, feels like a more ornate
version of london’s Ham House. its not-to-
be-missed ballroom is a shrine to maximalism,
seating 130 diners in stunning surrounds, and
two beautifully tended gardens combine to offer
stand-up reception space for up to 1,000. no
wonder the place is such a staple on malta’s
top-end society wedding circuit.
Palazzo Parisio – one of many on the island
offering services like these – can also host high
tea for up to 120 guests and it’s possible to
have events inaugurated by the baroness of the
family that owns the palace.
don’t be fooled by the name of the
mediterranean conference centre in valletta
(tel: 00356 21 243840), which is actually much
more than a meeting venue. Formerly the
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sacra infermeria, it was built by the Order of
st John in 1574 and remains one of the island’s
most iconic buildings. Today, the erstwhile
hospital (Florence nightingale sent patients
here) is considered by many to be one of the
finest venues in the mediterranean.
alongside a modern 1,400-capacity
auditorium, the mcc serves up two stunning
medieval reception spaces. its 155m long
sacra infermeria hall – with original brick walls
and beamed ceiling – works best for stand-up
events, while the subterranean vaulted stone
la valette Hall makes an atmospheric dinner
venue. both hold between 900 and 1,500
guests and organisers can make the most of the
historic setting by requesting flaming torches,
entertainment from knights in shining armour
and waiting staff in period costume.
another meeting space that shouldn’t be
overlooked for evening events is the malta
Fairs and convention centre (tel: 00356 21
410371). sure, it will require some dressing,
and its location in a disused military field may
not be sexy, but the huge permanent marquee
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Palazzo Parisio;
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Alliance Group teambuilding;
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Mediterranean Conference Centre;
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fireworks over Grand Harbour, Valletta
structure can accommodate just about any
event you can think of. with a capacity of
22,000, the popular exhibition venue also hosts
concerts (Tom Jones and andrea bocelli have
both played here) and can be adapted to host
gala dinners for up to 4,000 guests. >>
DESTINATION: MANAGED
Malta’s leading Destination Management
Companies are quality assured through a voluntary
certification scheme. Each year, they have to
reapply for accreditation through the Maltese
Tourist Authority, which regularly interviews their
clients as part of the process. This annual vetting
produces some of the most innovative and reliable
DMCs an organiser could hope to work with. For an
up-to-date list of accredited companies, contact
the Malta Tourist office (tel: 020 8877 6998).
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venues&events
For free advice on venues & events call 020 7840 6299
www.squaremeal.co.uk

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