5,000 delegates, 13 hotels and 35,000 bed nights for Oriflame conference in Malta

The destination was awarded the event after a last-minute bid from Maltese DMC On Site Malta. The conference, being held between August 29 and September 4, will be the largest business event ever held on the island, with more than 5,000 delegates staying in 13 hotels in St Julians, Valletta and Attard. The event will be held at the Granaries Square in Floriana, which is known for hosting the Isle of MTV festivals. Oriflame hosts regular incentives to reward sales efforts. Its annual conference is held in a Mediterranean country each year, with previous destinations including Barcelona and Athens. On Site Malta director Paul Selis said: “Competitiveness in destination management is getting fiercer, especially because of the recession. Last year a representative of Oriflame Cosmetics asked On Site Malta to quote for the conference, and although we were late to bid, we thought that it was a good exercise to measure whether Malta is able to host such a conference.” Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism, Mario de Marco, said the appointment was a positive step after a tough 2009 for the industry, with the conference and incentive sector hit particularly hard. “This means up to 35,000 bed nights for Malta,” he said. “It is a boost to our tourism industry, in particular the conference and incentive segment.”