Intercontinental Malta recently hosted the autumn ‘Meetings and Incentives Forum’ (M&I Forum), which was attended by 300 international meeting industry professionals.
The first Meeting and Incentive Forum took place in London in 2006 with the aim of discussing fresh approaches to business marketing. The forums are trade events for destinations to showcase their offerings. This year, Malta joined other destinations including Vienna, Dubai, Amsterdam and Prague in hosting one of the forums.
Martin van Kan, area general manager Malta, said: “We were very excited to show the fantastic new products recently launched at Intercontinental Malta. Our wonderful islands are perfectly suited to host meeting and incentive groups of all sizes, and we are sure this forum will bring together worldwide suppliers and planners, all of whom will open up new business opportunities and give attendees total confidence in our destination.”
A wide range of suppliers were represented at each event – including hotels, conference centres and destination management companies. In addition to the forum workshops, team-building activities, dinners and cocktail receptions there were further networking opportunities for the suppliers to interact with the 300 buyers in attendance.
The event gave guests at the forum the opportunity to experience Intercontinental Malta’s newly launched luxury suites, Club Intercontinental lounge as well as one of the largest unrestricted plenary room in the Mediterranean, the Intercontinental Arena Conference Centre.
GO Fibre-To-The-Home now available in Gżira, Ta’ Xbiex
GO’s roll-out of nationwide Fibre-To-The-Home continued over the summer with an additional 5,000 plus homes passed in Gzira and Ta’ Xbiex. More than 25,000 households in different localities have been passed, delivering the next generation of internet services to Maltese homes.
GO Fibre is the only service in Malta that delivers a real, superfast fibre optic connection directly into customers’ homes. GO Fibre offers seamless connectivity across multiple users and devices and the opportunity to download movies, music and files at speeds of up to 500Mbps and more.
Kurt Camilleri, chief commercial officer at GO, said: “Thousands of GO customers have already been enjoying the vastly improved speeds and data capacity of a real, superfast fibre connection. Superfast internet opens up a new world of opportunities in home entertainment, delivering the ultimate home TV and gaming experience, changing our lives for the better.”
Hyundai reaches milestone of 10 million cars sold in the US
Hyundai has reached a monumental milestone by selling 10 million vehicles in the US. Having started in 1986 with a single nameplate, reaching 10 million sales is a significant achievement that showcases the success of Hyundai Motor’s continually expanding line-up.
“The United States has been a key region of focus for nearly three decades, and this landmark achievement comes after years of accelerated growth and the strategic rollout of our product line,” said Derrick Hatami, vice president of national sales, Hyundai Motor America.
“Today serves as a testament to the design, quality and value of Hyundai’s product portfolio. The American car market continues to be on the rise, with more than 17 million new car sales expected in 2015. Hyundai Motor is well positioned for continued growth in this market, offering consumers a variety of vehicles that meet their needs.”
Banif Bank features Mcast photography students’ work
Banif Bank has continued to provide opportunities and exposure to Mcast students studying location photography by featuring their works on a mural recently installed on the terrace at the Bank’s headquarters.
Mcast photography students were commissioned a life case to capture the spirit of the localities in which the Bank has a branch. The project aimed to bridge the gap between education and industry by simulating a real situation in which the Bank, acting as a client, requested work from students within specific timeframes, formats and in line with brand guidelines. Through the life case, the students were able to obtain vital experience and insights into the industry and client requirements.
Taking it a step further, Banif provides students with invaluable exposure by promoting their work in different media. In the past, works by Mcast photography and fine art students have been featured on the Bank’s agenda, calendar, around branches and through exhibitions. The results of the latest location photography life case is displayed permanently in a vibrant and creative mural that spans the length of the terrace at Banif’s head office. The students were invited to visit and take some photos to commemorate the installation of the mural.
Bodog founder at iGaming event
Calvin AyreCalvin Ayre, the Canadian entrepreneur and founder of the Bodog entertainment brand will participate in the panel discussion ‘Century of Gaming’ on November 17 at the Malta iGaming Seminar, which is to be held at the Corinthia Hotel in St Julian’s.
Mr Ayre grew Bodog into one of the global gambling industry’s most recognised and trusted brands, earning him a spot on the cover of Forbes’ 2006 Billionaires issue. He ceased his active role in Bodog’s gambling operations years ago but has maintained a presence in the business through CalvinAyre.com, which was launched in 2009 and has become a high-profile source for gambling industry news.
The ‘Century of Gaming’ panel discussion will also include other iGaming veterans such as Paris Smith, current CEO of Pinnacle Sports, Mark Blandford, founder of Sportingbet plc, Pontus Lindwall, current CEO of Betsson AB, Franz Wohlfahrt, the retired CEO of Novamatic Group and Sue Schneider from Egaming Brokerage who will be moderating the discussion.
Emirates unveils strategy for its transformation
Emirates Group, comprising the global businesses of Emirates airline and Dnata, the air services provider, unveiled its plans to undertake an enterprise-wide transformation initiative aimed at placing data at the heart of the organisation, reinventing business processes using smart technology and underpinning decisions with big data and real-time analytics. The goal is to transform Emirates and Dnata into the leading customer-centric, technology enabled travel experience enterprises.
This enterprise-wide transformation strategy will see benefits cascade every area of business from customer experience, to commercial, to several back-office functions.
In order to execute on this transformation, the Emirates Group is establishing a centralised Enterprise Change Management team that will be headed by a seasoned senior executive with the mandate, resources and funding to drive this long-term strategic change across the organisation.