Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1297549
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 11 OCTOBER 2020 13 COMMERCIAL THE Concept Stadium has marked its 10th year since its foundation. Coming a long way in just a dec- ade, from its early days when the company was founded by CEO Jonathan Dalli and the late Jon- athan Chetcuti, to a fully-fledged team of commercial creatives. The team spans across the differ- ent marketing disciplines, from creative strategy & communica- tion; to branding & design; digital marketing; web design & devel- opment; social media and PR. Success has been attributed to the boutique-style that the found- ers have ingrained into the com- pany culture and that today still governs all client relations. Jona- than Dalli explains that customer retention has been high due to the strong personal relationships the team work hard to consist- ently nurture, and that these are based on values of mutual trust and respect, delivery and perfor- mance-based approach. When asked about the big- gest challenge the company has had to face, Jonathan Dalli said that whilst many would talk about COVID-19 and the busi- ness challenges it brought, and whilst the Concept Stadium team showed great strength working through the pandemic; that was nothing in comparison to the passing of their much loved COO and Co-Founder Jonathan Chet- cuti during the same period. "As COVID-19 broke, we battled the challenges of working remotely, and ensuring the continued sus- tainability of the agency, but we also did the unimaginable – we grieved together, we gave each other strength, and we pledged to continue the legacy of the Con- cept Stadium for the love and ad- miration we all had for our dear Jonathan C.." The Concept Stadium has earned itself a track record of managing local and international brands across a variety of above- the-line and below-the-line acti- vations, whilst attaining the ISO 9001 certification. On the CSR front, the agency has worked on a number of efforts during the last 10 years, with the recent in- itiative being its assistance to Hospice Malta with an extended marketing service, and annual campaigns built on the compa- ny's core competencies. The Concept Stadium marks its 10th anniversary '€100 Government vouchers injected much-needed boost of consumption into the economy - Malta Chamber of Commerce DESPITE the challenges brought about by the pandemic, instilling a sense of optimism and certain- ty was the government's priority. This was delivered through an economic regeneration plan which solidly safe- guarded jobs and businesses, launched in June by Prime Minister Robert Abela. In its last report, credit agency S & P Global said that without this comprehensive fiscal response, Malta's GDP would have fallen consider- ably lower, unemployment would have surged faster, and solvent businesses would be forced to liquidate, eroding the economy's productive base, perhaps permanently. Briefly, the report describes a parallel scenario wherein a robust economic regenera- tion plan was not implement- ed and underlines the disaster this would have fomented on our country. An integral part of the plan was undoubtedly the issuance of the government vouchers which besides injecting the economy with some €65mil- lion, including the generation of a massive multiplier effect, it managed to keep businesses afloat and instilled a sense of continuity in the population. The Voucher Scheme man- aged to not only prop some 5,500 businesses and self-em- ployed during this time but also offered a semblance of normality to the general pop- ulation after weeks of anxiety. This was precisely the idea behind this measure, which was launched with a two- pronged aim, which not only instilled trust and confidence in people but also rebooted the economy. The success of the Voucher Scheme has been reaffirmed by several social partners. The Malta Chamber of Commerce said the COVID voucher scheme had proven extremely useful and effective for businesses throughout the summer months, as it inject- ed a much-needed boost and encouragement of consump- tion into the economy during these trying times. "We need to celebrate what has worked very well in our country during these past months and the voucher scheme system has clearly shown that such proposals are worthy of extension, ad- aptation and focus to ensure the highest form of effective- ness in our economy and the well-being of our society," the Chamber said. Given that the pandemic has not abated, the regeneration of the economy remains an ongoing process, with par- ticular sectors still requiring intense support. To this effect Economy Min- ister Silvio Schembri said the Government would continue to focus on the implementa- tion of tangible measures that affect everyone in a positive way. "We shall never cease to ef- fectively and without delay, extend our absolute support wherever and whenever need- ed," he said. "The wellbeing of our econ- omy and even more impor- tantly, that of our citizens, remains of paramount impor- tance regardless of the un- folding situation." Discussions between the Ministry and the relevant so- cial partners have been pro- gressing with the aim to fur- ther improve and enhance such a measure, which will ultimately benefit consumers and businesses alike. Economy Minister Silvio Schembri