Corporation assured of help to buy fair grounds

The Malta Trade Fairs Corporation expects to finalise the purchase of the land it occupies at Naxxar before October this year.

The corporation has been trying to buy the land, which it currently leases, for a number of years. The lease expires in a few years.

The fair grounds have a footprint of about 70 tumoli, of which 50 tumoli belong to Scicluna estates and the rest to the corporation.

Corporation president Ian Mizzi said in an interview that the corporation could not invest in the area until it owned the land.

The government had always indicated it would assist the corporation in the purchase of the site, as it wanted to develop the concept of fairs in Malta aware that this was beneficial to both the people and the economy.

The corporation had recently received written confirmation from the government that it would be given assistance, related to tax and other exemptions.

Now that the corporation had this commitment, it would be embarking on negotiations with the landlord and the sale should be finalised before October.

In the interim, the corporation had drawn up contingency plans in case there were problems related to the sale and it had considered other venues where fairs could be held.

Corporation general manager Joseph Zammit said that once the corporation owned the land, it would be able to get on with its planned development.

Most of the land, Mr Zammit pointed out, was currently only used for 15 days a year.

Two years ago, the corporation commissioned a report from German consultants who were asked to highlight strategies the corporation could adopt if Malta joined the EU. Now that Malta knew exactly where it was going, the study was more valid.

It gave clear indications of what should be done, what developments there should be on the land and what the market wanted. It also dealt with how Malta's fair calendar could be integrated with that of other fairs abroad.

Mr Mizzi said that the role Malta would play in the EU would also determine how the fair expanded its activities.

"If the government uses Malta as a bridge between European and North African countries, the corporation can also play a part."

Countries from several areas in the world had already expressed their wish to participate in the international fair with a view to expanding their business in Europe.

The corporation is this year holding 18 fairs at the Naxxar grounds - 17 specialised ones and the international fair.

Half the Maltese population, Mr Mizzi said, visited the annual International Trade Fair and this fair continued to grow in popularity.

Asked about the corporation holding business to business fairs, Mr Mizzi said the corporation was considering workshops when it came to business to business contacts rather than static fairs.

The organisation of such events was more complex, including good flight arrangements, connections and accommodation. This was not easy and required the cooperation of Air Malta, which did not always find it viable to organise certain flights.

Other plans included expanding the concept of certain specialised fairs to a regional level. One such fair could be Green Week, which would be of interest to the whole Mediterranean region. However, the corporation's core business would always remain business to consumer. The corporation wanted to specialise for the domestic consumer.

"Consumers are now more sophisticated and want to see and buy things which make sense. Going to a fair is no longer considered an outing. Fairs as an outing are a dying market," Mr Mizzi said.

Mr Mizzi pointed out that businessmen taking part in fairs were not after exclusivity, as they believed competition generated business: in a fair people could compare products and prices easily. Asked how the corporation viewed the competition being presented by other fair organisers, Mr Mizzi said that competition had always been there and this was good and important.

"It keeps us efficient. We welcome competition. However, one has to ensure that it is fair competition and original."

All fairs at Naxxar are organised by the corporation except for Amitex (the Air Malta fair) and the Book Fair.

The corporation is made up of representatives of the Federation of Industry, the Chamber of Commerce, the Association of General Retailers and Traders, the Malta Society of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, the Trade Fair Exhibitors' Association and the government.

Although the fair is a corporation, it is managed by Fairs and Exhibitions Ltd, a commercial company wholly owned by the corporation. Its profits are reinvested.