5 reasons to host an event in the Maldives
First of all, it’s beautiful... We can stop at this point, but we want to talk about the advantages of the Maldives in the context of MICE. During the press tour we visited four islands and together with Visit Maldives we rethought our approach to organizing events. We share these insights with our readers.
REASON 1. THE CONCEPT OF “ONE ISLAND - ONE RESORT”
There are not many places on earth where one hotel occupies the entire island. The Maldives includes more than 1,190 islands, only 200 of them are inhabited, while several dozen — selected on each atoll — are resorts. This is a lot, so the choice is wide: it depends on the goals of the trip organizer and financial capabilities. The main thing is to find your island.
Why is “one island — one resort” good? When going on corporate travel (especially with a serious budget), participants expect something exclusive. If the entire island in the Indian Ocean “belongs” to you, it is definitely exclusive. But even if you live next to other tourists, the “one island, one resort” concept gives you a feeling of surprising detachment from the big world. You are surrounded by the azure waters of the ocean, everything you need is within walking distance. There is no hurry for you. There is no transport here. You can dissolve in nature from morning to evening. Well-trained staff will provide your group with a real paradise life. When choosing an island resort, you need to
determine for yourself what size it should be: tiny, where your group will have absolute privacy, or large enough, because your
people love activities and entertainment.
Next, you need to decide on the nutrition formula: if your participants prefer All Inclusive, it is not cheap in the Maldives, but you can seriously save on alcohol, which is important, considering that it is prohibited to transport alcoholic beverages to this country. The Maldives is located on coral reefs, so the vast majority of tourists go to the islands to snorkel or dive into the depths. If this activity is important to your group, check to see if the hotel has its own reef. However, if you like the island, but it doesn’t have a reef, don’t worry: your host will organize an exciting boat trip with a dive into the wonderful underwater world especially for your group.
And another important aspect for choosing “your” island is how long are you willing to take to get to it?
REASON 2. CONVENIENT LOGISTICS
The Maldives is a visa-free country for tourists from most countries. From a logistics point of view, the Maldives is the largest hub; you can fly here quite comfortably from almost anywhere in the world, which is especially convenient for groups with an international composition. So you've arrived at Male — Velana International Airport — what's next? The nearest islands can be reached by speedboats. This will take from 15 minutes to an hour. For longer distances you will need to use seaplanes or local airlines.
Note that a short flight over the islands (from 45 minutes to an hour and a half) will give you unforgettable impressions and photographs of extraordinary beauty. If the group is large, we recommend considering islands in the immediate vicinity with a quick transfer, also because some of them have a large territory and various MICE opportunities are provided on them.
REASON 3. RELAX / RETREAT / RESTART
Even if you have never been to the Maldives, you will probably use the word “paradise” when describing it. Accommodation on the islands is ideally designed for relaxation. Villas and bungalows are adjacent to each other, but at the same time, the effect of complete privacy is achieved inside your home and on its territory. If you live in an overwater villa, the sound of the incoming wave will lull you to sleep and give you peace.
As a rule, the famous Maldivian SPA is located at a distance and most of the services for the guest will be provided in privacy in the open air.
Every day in the Maldives can begin with a yoga class and meditation, and your group can also be offered a special detox menu that will help restore the body’s strength. Along with you on this trip, you can invite a specialist in spiritual practices who will work with each member of your team and conduct collective classes.
Down with on-line! The Maldives gives you the opportunity to “fall out of time,” restore strength, completely switch gears and, if necessary, make a restart.
REASON 4. ORIGINAL SOLUTIONS FOR THE BUSINESS PART
The paradise Maldives is a great location for your conferences, business meetings, exhibitions, various events and, of course, incentive trips. The Maldives boasts classic convention centers with quality technical facilities, but the archipelago is looking to redefine MICE events by inviting business travelers to move beyond the convention halls. Small meetings can be held on scenic boats, strategy sessions can be set up right on the beach, large-scale conferences can be enjoyed on private islands, where everything will be thought out in terms of comfort and safety.
REASON 5. INCENTIVE IDEAS
In addition to an impeccable beach holiday, the Maldives can delight you with a variety of formats of an unforgettable experience, and this is what incentive trips are usually designed for. Focus on your group!
A mini-cruise with diving and spa services, exciting fishing, a day on a desert island, a variety of cooking classes in a stunning natural setting, a palm leaf origami course and other activities related to the local culture (for example, lessons in picking coconuts on a palm tree).
The most memorable part of an incentive trip is the themed parties: in a local restaurant, or on the beach, or over the water, or on a yacht, or on a desert island... and even underwater.
SHERATON MALDIVES FULL MOON RESORT & SPA 5*
Let us immediately note the main advantages of this resort for hosting corporate groups. First of all, the location. Due to its proximity to the airport, the transfer will be as fast and comfortable as possible. The second advantage is the size of the island: the coastline here is very long, there is a lot of space for walking, etc. The third advantage is nature. The island is of natural origin and therefore the unique Maldivian nature is presented here, which is carefully protected. Fourthly, the big island has a wide variety of restaurants and outlets. Sheraton Maldives Full Moon has conference facilities that can be booked also for stays on other islands. The total area of Jalsaa's dedicated event space is 1,500 sq.m.
VILLA PARK (EX. SUN ISLAND RESORT & SPA 5*)
The award-winning Villa Park Sun Island Resort is set to open fully renovated in 2023 and is located on one of the largest islands in the Maldives at 1,600 meters in length. It can be reached in 17 minutes by domestic flight from Velana International Airport. The resort offers not only privacy in the serene atmosphere of the bioreserve, but also a wide range of opportunities for active recreation. And a real gastronomic adventure is ready for guests - the ZERO restaurant in the tropical forest, in the treetops. The chef will help you select ingredients from a variety of produce grown right on the island.
SAII LAGOON MALDIVES 5*
The resort seems to have been designed specifically for MICE. Located in Emboodhu Lagoon, just 15 minutes by speedboat from the international airport, it is part of the upscale Curio Collection by Hilton hotel brand. The hotel is connected by a pedestrian bridge to CROSSROADS Maldives and its marina. Guests can enjoy water sports, a PADI diving center or the Marine Discovery Center. CROSSROADS Event Hall is a multifunctional venue with an area of 463 sq. m. meters with high ceilings and three conference rooms, ideal for meetings or seminars for up to 300 people. PS about sustainable development. It is important to note that while staying at the Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort & Spa, we learned about the coral reef restoration program with Reefscaper. Our team threaded the corals onto a special frame and lowered it into the water during a guided underwater excursion.
It is noteworthy that the dynamics of coral growth can be monitored both online (using photo reports) and offline.
No one is left behind here, as each new frame comes with its own name, number and certificate. We dedicated ours, with the name Russian MICE Industry, to our industry, wishing it, like corals, continuous dynamic development.
