A painting company has had to remind customers it is not a conference organiser after getting caught up in the country-wide anger over traffic gridlock linked to an event.

Before iGaming conference SiGMA was a twinkle in organisor Eman Pulis' eye, there was Sigma Coatings, a company that has been operating in Malta since the 1960s.

"Believe it or not we had a couple of people saying they wouldn't use our paints again because of this conference," its Managing Director Patrick Tabone told Times of Malta. 

While the threats were taken in jest, Tabone decided to join in, with a social media post distancing himself from the event. 

“For all of you stuck in traffic, we hope you get there soon," the post said on Wednesday.

"From Sigma Coatings (we do paints, not conferences!)”

Frustrated commuters across Malta reported gridlock and hours-long delays as the SiGMA conference was again held in its Marsa venue despite similar traffic problems last year.  

Around 30,000 people attended the event, which had been hosted for years at Ta' Qali but was moved to its new venue last year.

Motorists expressed their frustration on social media, while Transport Minister Chris Bonett said he too was stuck in traffic and admitted to parliament that Marsa was "sensitive to traffic". 

Tabone said not all the confusion was bad, pointing to one joke he saw online: “Mort nixtri landa żebgħa u tal-ħanut qalli, ‘isma minni u ixtra Sigma, għax b’passata waħda tagħlaq nofs Malta!’” (I went to purchase some paint and the shop owner told me ‘listen to me and buy Sigma, because with one coat you close (close off the job) all of Malta!”)

“We saw a few other posts joking about the paint and traffic, and one person said they won’t buy our paint anymore because of the link to the name,” Tabone said. 

“We then decided to try and put a little smile on the face of the people stuck in traffic, and it seemed to have worked.”