IPG Autumn Conference 2018 in Malta

26-11-2018

After a spectacular spring conference in the Big Apple and lots of great memories joyful anticipation started to emerge by the end of the summer due to the upcoming IPG Autumn Conference 2018 in Malta in the 1^st week of October.

Malta, one of the smallest countries in Europe comprising three little islands called the jewels of the Mediterranean See located between Sicily and North Africa. Yet small but still prosperous with one of the highest population densities in the world, packed with 7,000 years of intriguing history leaving an extraordinary multicultural heritage with three UNESCO World Heritage Cultural sites and last but no least promising sunny weather, attractive beaches and a thriving nightlife. All these and more facts were diligently presented to us in advance in the conference brochure and generated the appetite of some 90 delegates to participate in the IPG Autumn Conference 2018 in Malta.

The conference was held at the Hilton Malta, a fabulous 5* hotel located in Portomaso in direct vicinity of Valetta, the country’s capital city.

Many delegates already arrived on Wednesday to enjoy the Mediterranean spirit and a wonderful dinner at the Gululu Restaurant in Portomaso. After a quick nap, IPG’s early birds golfers headed off to the Golf tournament in the daybreak of Thursday. Whereas the Tennis players commenced their sporting not much later others, including myself took the opportunity of a more extensive sleep and afterwards exploring the area or even the island. Dinner was held at the Blue Elephant Restaurant of the Hilton Malta where delegates, candidates, observers and spouses enjoyed the evening in an exuberant atmosphere.

Whereas the spouses program led them to a guided tour of The Three Cities, the conference officially commenced at 9.30 a.m. with the welcome address by Michael Scerri, which was followed, by a further address of the Malta Minister of Finance Mr. Edward Scicluna. The morning sessions continued with a presentation of the Chairman of Finance Malta outlining the economic strength and attractiveness of Malta for foreign investors. Afterwards a panel discussion moderated by EY Malta Head of Financial Services Advisory discussed the current expectations of “Moving towards a cashless society” with the opportunities and risks lying therein. A further panel discussion on the “Impact of information technology on the legal and accountancy professions in years to come” moderated by John Graham concluded the morning sessions which provided very interesting and highly valuable insights and information in areas also surrounding and impacting our professions.

The afternoon was reserved for a break out session in different working groups with the objective to develop potential approach of IPG for common IPG marketing materials for use with our clients. The brainstorming in small groups produced promising ideas in order to boost the overall appearance of IPG towards the public and potential business target groups in particular to a higher level. The conference sessions were concluded by a speed-networking event in order to intensify acquaintance between IPG members.

After a long but valuable day all participants were transferred to the Capu Crudo, an open air restaurant beautifully located below Valetta’s impressive protective walls directly at the city’s waterfront. The location created a pleasant and relaxing atmosphere while letting the day end with casual conversations.

The final day of the autumn conference started with the Annual General Meeting followed by the presentations by the candidates CKSS, Campos Galván Abogados, S.C. and Gardiner Koch Weisberg & Wrona and their unanimous admissions as new members of IPG.

After the lunch break delegates, observers and spouses were invited to take a guided tour to the beautiful city of Valetta, Capital of Malta and Capital of European Culture in 2018 where we discovered much of the great architecture and cultural heritage the main island has to offer and enjoyed the magnificent panorama from the gardens of Upper Barrakka.

The official conference ended with a dinner at the gorgeous Bacchus Restaurant in Medina the fascinating previous capital, also called “The silent city”.

Being back home and engaged in our businesses again we can look back to a perfectly organized autumn conference in Malta which gave us the opportunity to intensify old and develop new business relationships and appreciate the tremendous value IPG offers to all of us.

Looking forward to seeing you all in the IPG Spring Conference 2019 in Oslo.