Joint bid for Ta' Qali convention centre

After months of tense discussions, Trade Fairs Corporation and the company Sign-It have submitted a joint application for a convention centre earmarked as part of the revised Ta' Qali action plan, sources said.

The application is in the name of the Malta Convention Centre Co. Ltd. Although further details remain to be sorted out next week, the agreement on the move has been met with a sigh of relief by parties on both sides, both of whom were contacted but who declined to comment.

Talks had temporarily broken down and for some months it looked at though it might be a fight to the death for the centre between the two, as experts concur that Malta cannot sustain two centres, the sources said.

The Trade Fair lease at Naxxar expires in August 2007 and the corporation has failed to find another suitable site.

Sign-It is planning to erect a tensioned fabric structure at Ta' Qali for the period allowed under the Ta' Qali plan, which could be used to ensure continuity of the fairs and exhibitions calendar until the convention centre is constructed, as well as to offer facilities for larger events currently not available in Malta.