The MTV fiesta on the granaries last Thursday evening was a resounding success, not only for the record numbers it drew but also for the excitement it generated among revellers of all ages.
This party activity, known specifically for the young teenage crowd it attracts, had all Malta on the move. Malta really moved its body and realised the incredible potential it has to attract musical events of this nature. The organisation, sound and lighting were perfect and a set a standard for future events that can establish our country as a musical destination capable of expanding its tourist numbers. This newspaper, with its declared interests in the entertainment industry, welcomes whole-heartedly the explosion of musical events taking place in our country.
The event should lead to a number of reflections among the authorities, of the great opportunity that is looking us square in the face. Entertainment can bring substantial growth to our tourist figures. It also has widespread spin-offs for Maltese suppliers. This July the private sector, helped by government sponsorships, has seen Malta establish a very busy musical events calendar. For our size and population, Malta may possibly have been one of the busiest European musical centres this July. This achievement owes much to the foresight and commitment of Culture Minister Francis Zammit Dimech, who seems to have finally persuaded his cabinet colleagues that this is a niche which deserves to be nurtured as it can lead to substantial tourism growth.
It is also appropriate to salute those private promoters who are risking substantial sums of money to bring the biggest musical names to our country.
On Thursday night, Malta was alive with excitement. The general atmosphere and behaviour of the crowd was amazing. As a consequence, these and similar activities are to be encouraged. Needless to say, without the financial pumping by government, such an event would have been unsustainable. It is clearly a one-off memorable event. An organisational standard has been set.
Hopefully, government has finally realised the potential and should now reflect on the need to upgrade and update all legislation relating to the entertainment world. It should start off by accepting the fact, as evidenced by last Thursday’s event, that entertainment is not simply drugs, excessive alcohol consumption and loutish behaviour. This prejudice, so prevalent in our political class, needs to be erased from their minds once and for all. It does little to enhance the sector and to put a strong legal foundation on entertainment activities. If further investment and risk taking is to take place, certain legislative changes need to be introduced. Government is right to insist that underage persons should not enter nightclubs or drink alcohol. All such legislation and enforcement is laudable.
Hopefully, this MTV event has set the benchmark for how events are to be handled professionally from a sound, lighting and organisational point of view, which will serve as a model to future events. But technical issues are not the only ones in the entertainment arena.
Organisers and promoters must also understand that there can be no further room for the old laissez-faire attitude of “safety last”. Entertainment must be carried out to the highest levels of safety. This includes ensuring that the promoters of events are fully conscious of the responsibility which they carry when hosting large number of patrons on their premises. It also places a burden on government to ensure that enforcement is regularly carried out to avoid unnecessary calamities.
One issue that is crying out to be addressed is that of bouncers at places of entertainment. Ideally, this new wave of high profile events should also bring about a culture change whereby security in clubs and at large-scale events is provided by people who have (at the very least) been screened for criminal records and can be trusted to perform their duties with full respect for patrons.
Finally, while the organisers of Thursday’s concert deserve a pat on the back for a job well done, it must be said that more can be done to promote events of this calibre as a means of attracting tourists to the country. It is not enough to embark on a last-minute frenzy of advertising aimed at attracting local crowds, as well as those foreigners already present in Malta. Seeing as we are capable of getting the biggest names in the international music and entertainment industry, it should not be unduly difficult to advertise forthcoming musical events on overseas media. Indeed, this is one area where government may wish to consider investing more instead of less. After all, if such events do not “brand Malta” in a positive sense, it is difficult to imagine what will.