Press
New approach, new layout for Malta Property Expo 2011
Timing and a highly targeted segmentation of the potential audience are among the new approaches that are to be utilised by Duplex Real Estate Branding for the third edition of the Malta Property Expo, being held from 17-20 March at the Malta Fairs and Convention Centre, Ta' Qali.
"Our ultimate aim is to attract a healthy balance of both foreign and especially local visitors to Malta Property Expo 2011," Duplex Real Estate Branding CEO Keith Pillow affirmed. In terms of timing, the dates of the fair were brought forward by a week so that it would coincide with the 19 March public holiday, which falls on a Saturday.
"Saturday is an ideal day for couples seeking their first property and young families with children to shop around for property and the related financing," Mr Pillow said. "From our market research, we realised that a lot of families are very busy on a Saturday, with their children's sports activities, ballet and other errands that need to be done, so Saturday being a public holiday they will have more time on their hands."
Visitors will benefit from the 'everything under one roof' advantage. If the young couples or first time buyers wish to shop around for financing, they can visit three banks at the fair and obtain quotations without having to face the hassle of making three appointments at separate locations.
"With our hurried pace of life in which both partners work, nowadays it is difficult to cram three meetings with different financial institutions on the same day, what with the hassle of parking and the heavy traffic we face everywhere," Mr Pillow said. "It is probably impossible to do all this on a Saturday morning, but at the Expo you can."
Saturday afternoon was also found to produce a lull in visitor numbers, so several activities and events are to be organised targeted at different specific audiences who will be attracted during those quiet times, according to David Grech, who heads Events Business Development at Duplex Real Estate Branding. "In this way, we will encourage more visitors to attend these special events," he added.
One set of activities will be targeted at the Businessto- Business segment of the market. "Duplex will be organising seminars throughout the Expo on behalf of the sub-sponsors in the theatre within the MFCC tent," Mr Grech explained.
"We will take care of the invitations, drawing on our comprehensive database of estate agents and developers, look after the catering and all the logistics. These will be scheduled for quiet times during the Expo and we will attract not only those who are exhibiting at the Expo but also those who are not."
Mr Pillow explained that this was the result of his company's better understanding of the types of audiences that needed to be targeted. "In Malta you cannot separate Business-to- Business from Business-to- Consumer events. Although events like the Expo have to target both market segments, we will be splitting our marketing effort to ensure that both segments are reached and that our exhibitors will get greater exposure and value for money," he said.
Another crowd puller will be a three-day Property Forum to which developers and estate agents will have an opportunity to meet nongovernmental organisations (NGOs), the authorities and representatives of various associations.
The aim of the Property Forum is not just to discuss problems, but to collaborate, brainstorm, and by the third day, thanks to professional facilitators, an economist, a marketer and an architect, all of whom will facilitate the discussions, to draw up a final position paper, with a vision for the real estate industry – a Master Plan for Malta.
"The current Master Plan for Malta and Gozo needs to be updated and brought in line with current realities. There needs to be clarity in direction so that everyone will know, for example, where the new tower blocks will be built, what areas should be restricted to bungalows, where our forests and green areas will be, and where development is heading in the new decade we are about to start," Mr Pillow said. The forum will attract a lot of interested parties, including students, architects, designers, developers, agents, MEPA and NGOs, who will be invited to collaborate, discuss and come up with a tangible plan, Mr Grech added.
In terms of foreign interest in Malta Property Expo 2011, Mr Grech said Duplex is working closely with Malta Enterprise and other bodies to ensure that visiting delegations from the Far East and Africa will time their stay in Malta to coincide with the event. "This will provide an added reason for these delegations to accept an invitation to visit Malta," he added.
Duplex are very excited about the new layout they have come up with for the Expo, which is unique. "The design was assembled in such a way that there is one long, wide corridor with stands on either side, with one way in and one way out," Mr Grech said.
"Every exhibitor, whether in the front of the venue, at the back, on the side or in the middle, will have the same exposure with passing of visitors to the Expo. Every person who visits the Expo will have the chance to see all the stands of all the companies."
Another feature is a large open space in the middle, the piazza that will be converted into a lounge for people to socialise, and some of the stands will be interactive, enabling visitors to enhance their experience.
The new layout and other information related to Malta Property Expo 2011 can be viewed at www.maltapropertyexpo.com
