EC Meetings wins major award, unveils new identity

EC Meetings, the destination management company, has won a prestigious international award, rubbing shoulders with major brands like Hilton, British Airways, and Emirates at a glittering ceremony in London on March 5.

A record 80,000 conference delegates visited the island last year

The company won Bronze in the ‘Best Destination Management Company’ category at the M&IT industry awards 2012, organised by Meetings and Incentive Travel magazine and voted for by professional conference organisers.

The nod comes just as EC Meetings unveils a new identity designed to project the company’s consistent objective to be cutting edge and innovative. Later this month, it will move into new premises in St Julian’s as it gears for growth after several months of consolidation, managing director Mark Gatt told The Times Business.

Launched in 2001 by Mr Gatt and Gabby Larsson, EC Meetings set out to organise conference and incentive events for major international firms with a key differentiator – creative, exciting programmes designed to etch Malta in delegates’ memory.

Initially established with EC, the Malta-based international language group from which it detached in 2005, EC Meetings has gone on to organise events and large-scale meetings for the likes of Porsche, Novartis and McKinsey, with delegate numbers ranging from 10 to 1,500.

“Gabby and I fused our different backgrounds in hospitality to set up the company after we saw a lack of originality in the events that were being organised in Malta,” Mr Gatt explained. “From the outset, we refused to cut corners. Admittedly, the first year was tough but despite September 11, we continued to market to professional conference organisers – the agents which go between DMCs and the end clients – all over Europe. Most of our clients are based in the UK and Germany. We now organise an average 60 events a year in Malta.”

Mr Gatt attributes EC Meetings’ success to the ideas generated by a dynamic team of nine – including two part-timers – and a track record for high standards. The business has grown consistently over the years as PCOs recommend EC Meetings for its capabilities in handling complex logistical challenges, exceeding the expectations of the most exigent clients, and its partnership with reliable local and international suppliers and service providers.

Two of its greatest challenges included the international launch of the Porsche Cayman concept on Comino in 2005. Around 200 top distributors descended on the island for the spectacular event, complete with walls of water and simulated earthquake. Mr Gatt said distributors later rated the Comino event above the international launch of the Porsche Cayenne which was staged on the lower plateaux of Mount Kilimanjaro.

The team has also developed an aptitude for improvisation to overcome bizarre situations, such as the arrival of a boatload of immigrants hours before an evening event at Golden Bay, and the mooring of an enormous oil tanker just off Villa Bighi that blocked the Valletta skyline views the delegates had been promised. Both events involved several hundred participants.

“We are in the business of pulling out all the stops and we take going the extra mile very seriously,” Mr Gatt added. “In reality, we sell Malta first, then ourselves. Malta is a strange animal in this niche market. In a downturn, organisations tend to rule out long-haul destinations and Malta is generally perceived to be good value for money. We compete very well with major destinations like Barcelona, Lisbon, and Rome. Airline connectivity is a key factor, of course.”

According to a Malta Tourism Authority report on 2011 MICE business in Malta released in February, a record 80,000 conference delegates visited the island last year after an increase of 10,000 over 2010. More than 48 per cent were flown in by Air Malta.

The largest niche in Malta’s tourism industry – serviced by more than 60 DMCs – is credited with accommodating the most ‘valuable’ visitor. Conference delegates, according to the report, stayed an average 3.3 nights on the island, with an average spend of €723. Regular tourists stayed an average 8.3 nights, leaving behind around €872 a head.

The report found 61 per cent of local DMCs sharing a positive outlook for 2012, with most expecting growth. Two in five, however, are predicting a similar or worse performance this year. Globally, growth in international tourism is expected to continue although at reduced momentum.

Mr Gatt said EC Meetings is among the more optimistic in the industry. He describes business so far this year as “good”, and is confident the year will prove to be positive.

The award and the rebranding will undoubtedly add shine to EC Meetings’ pitch at international trade events and through online marketing.

Meanwhile, the company is looking to establish a presence on the continent through an overseas branch, and evolve into a service supplier through part-ownership of partners. There are also plans to expand the team.