Valletta As The Venue For Your Teambuilding Event

Teambuilding Activity Valletta Choosing the right venue and team building activity for conference meeting delegates has always been a challenging feat for any meeting organizer as a successful outcome has to be achieved at all costs. Whenever I am asked for advice in selecting activities and locations there are several key factors that I keep in mind, primarily:

1. Will the group be having free time for sightseeing?
2. What type of teambuilding activity would be best to recommend?
3. Importantly, will they be visiting the capital city of Malta, Valletta during their stay ?
4. How can I facilitate that, especially if the company is looking to maintain costs low at all times?

It is a fact that, capital cities 'per se' are a pull factor in the selection process of any destination. Positive perception images of a destination product are based on the cultural and unique attributes of its capital city. The uniqueness of London, Paris, Vienna, Rome, Athens, Madrid to name but a few capitals, is their distinctive element of uniqueness that is evidenced in their architectural heritage, history, cuisine, climate, language, people and shopping. Most of all it is the overall experience these destinations can offer to conference meeting delegates that act as a 'pull factor' to visit and enjoy the local experience.

Other key factors in the selection process of a venue are its security and price-value. In a world where current monetary recessions have downsized the spending power of many corporate companies, price-value is top of the list on any meeting organizer's selection criteria.

Why Valletta is ideal for conference venue team building activities.

Let us now have a closer look at Valletta's location, size, climate, architecture and history to see why it possesses all those essential qualities that will make it an ideal venue for teambuilding activities.

Location:

Found on the south eastern part of Malta and approximately 15 minutes away from Luqa airport, and equally close to Sliema and St. Julian's, the Valletta peninsula has two natural harbours, Marsamxett and Grand Harbour. It is therefore easily accessible to reach from any of the leading hotels. Conference meeting delegates can be taken to the main entrance and proceed on foot to Valletta's main streets which are pedestrianised throughout the greater part of the day.

Size:

Valletta is approximately one kilometre long from its entry point (Main Gate) to the furthermost tip (Fort St. Elmo), which directly overlooks Grand Harbour.

Climate

Blessed with a warm Mediterranean climate Valletta enjoys mild, but not chilly, winters. Average high temperatures range from around 15 °C (59 °F) in January to about 30 °C (86 °F) in August, while average low temperatures range from around 10 °C (50 °F) in January to 22 °C (72 °F) in August.

Architecture

Built in 1566 on a grid iron plan featuring 14 streets by 12 the city is outlined by an enceinte of majestic yet elegant bastions overlooking two main harbours, Marsamxetto and Grand Harbour. Valletta's steep streets run long and narrow throughout the entire length and breadth of the city giving it a distinct character. In fact standing right in the very centre of Valletta, one could actually catch a glimpse of the Mediterranean sea both from the western and eastern side of the fortifications.

The various piazza's, as they present themselves, offer a pleasant surprise as they are nestled around amazing architecture ranging from the early 16^th century onwards. Built during the rule of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, also known as Knights of Malta, the city is essentially Baroque in character, with evidence of Mannerist, neo-C lassical and modern architecture in selected areas. Although World War II left major scars on the city, Valletta deservedly serves as the island's principal cultural centre and its unique collection of baroque churches, presidential palaces and museums attract visitors from around the world. The city of Valletta was officially recognised as a World heritage Site by UNESCO in 1980. Typical architectural features of Valletta are its many closed wooden balconies and decorated street corners.

Named after Grandmaster Jean Parisot de la Valette, the official name given by the Order of Saint John was Humilissima Civitas Valletta - The Most Humble of Valletta, or Città Umilissima in Italian. The bastions, curtains and ravelins along with the beauty of its many Baroque palaces, gardens and churches prompted the ruling houses of Europe to give the city its nickname Superbissima - 'Most Proud'. Moreover, when Benjamin Disraeli, future British Prime Minister, visited the city in 1830, he described it as "a city of palaces built by gentlemen for gentlemen". For the local residents the capital is simply referred to as "il-Belt", which means The City.

The advantages of Valletta as a venue for teambuilding activities

Valletta and its history lend themselves in a splendid way to teambuilding activities such as treasure hunts, riddle solving quests and sailing regattas because :

1. The whole overall length of Valletta is approximately 1 kilometre from The Main Gate to its furthermost tip at Fort St. Elmo. This makes it very manageable on foot.
2. The city has a grid iron plan and as such is neatly laid out. Main streets are pedestrianised.
3. It is replete with historic buildings that either have recently been restored or are still in the restoration process. These include Upper and Lower Barrakka Gardens, Castille Square and Auberge de Castille, St. John's Co-Cathedral, the Grandmaster's Palace as well as Palace Square.
4. Awesome panoramic views from both the upper and lower barrakka gardens of Grand Harbour. On the other hand, Hastings Gardens offer panoramic views of Marsamxetto Harbour.
5. Teambuilding activities are seen as a fun way of getting people involved in the local history as an alternative to a guided tour where, people are expected to walk around diligently listening to their guide.
6. Both Grand Harbour and Marsamxetto Harbour as ideal for sailing regattas and can take an unlimited number of boats.
7. It is considered as being good value for money as the activity does not require any expensive props or museum tickets.

The disadvantages of organizing teambuilding events in Valletta are few and mainly consist of the following:

Making sure that there are no cerimonial government activities during your requested dates
Similarly that there will not be any public demonstrations of any sort during your activity.

It is equally important to work closely with a trusted teambuilding activity supplier who will make sure to verify and confirm that none of the above will interfere with your teambuilding activity dates.

Business Meetings Malta, www.businessmeetingsmalta.com can assist you by sourcing out the right people and companies that will be happy to guide you to your perfect teambuilding event and leave your delegates feeling truly "local".