David Darmanin The Naxxar Trade Fair is due to restart on 24 June, the chairman of the newly formed company TFEA Ltd, Paul Abela, has told MaltaToday.
The company bears the same acronym of the Trade Fairs Exhibitors Association, and its directors are the six entrepreneurs who also make up the committee of the exhibitors’ association.
The association was formerly a partner of the Malta Trade Fairs Corporation (MTFC), which grouped the Chamber of SMEs (GRTU), the Chamber of Commerce and the Federation of Industry, the Malta Arts Society and government, for the organisation of the annual trade fair in Naxxar.
The trade fair moved to the Malta Fairs and Conventions Centre multipurpose tent in Ta’ Qali in 2007, when the Corporation partnered up with Sign It director Reuben Caruana, to form a new company to organise the new trade fair.
In May 2009 however, directors representing the Corporation resigned from the MFCC board.
In the aftermath, TFEA Ltd was formed to seek new venues for the organisation of another trade fair. MFCC still intends to organise its annual fair in Ta’ Qali.
The exhibitors association itself also has a multi-million euro fund, accumulated through the years by its members for the organisation of the Naxxar trade fair. Asked to confirm whether the money will be used by the new private company, director Paul Abela said: “The committee of the association has always used the money in the best interest of its members, and that is exactly what will keep on happening.”
Last week however, MFCC director Reuben Caruana lodged a report with the police over alleged irregularities by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority on the re-use of the former Naxxar trade fair grounds for the TFEA trade fair.
MEPA claims that no permit is required to operate the Naxxar trade fair grounds for their original purpose. But questions abound on the interpretation of MEPA’s own Central Local Plan, which states that in the event that the trade fair ceases to operate in Naxxar, either through closure or relocation of this land use elsewhere, MEPA will not permit the continued use of the site for the trade fair.
Paul Abela claims MEPA has “clearly outlined the parameters” for the reopening of the Naxxar trade fair. Referring to Caruana’s police report, Abela said “one has to see whether the police will proceed, because quite honestly, I do not know on what grounds they can investigate MEPA.”
But TFEA is also facing opposition from the Naxxar local council on the return of the trade to the town. Abela said a meeting has now been set with mayor Maria Fatima Deguara: “We expect to positively discuss issues that will result in the benefit of Naxxar. I am sure that after the meeting, relations with the council will become stronger than ever before.”
Asked about the feasibility of two, large-scale trade fairs, Abela says that the space at Naxxar was already double that provided by the MFCC in Ta’ Qali. “In those days exhibitors counted 300, whereas now there are no more than 200 spaces available. Over the years, exhibitors decided to opt out – partly because of lack of space but also because of the costs involved. So many exhibitors are now left without a venue.”
Abela justified the introduction of a second trade fair by claiming that demand has increased over the years. “Businesses now have diverse options to raise awareness – this does not only apply to fairs. Take media for instance. There are many more newspapers, TV stations and radios nowadays, but they have all survived because commerce has increased. With regard to fairs, when there was less business in the past, there were still different venues that were used as fair grounds – the Mediterranean Conference Centre for instance.”
Abela also said that TFEA Ltd has plans to organise a variety of events, not just fairs, in Naxxar. “We can diversify into cultural or artistic events for example,” he said, while eliminating the possibility of “organising discos” at the venue. He also doesn’t exclude the possibility of renting the space as an electoral counting hall.
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