As members of the Costa del Sol Tourism Board, we get to enjoy many perks. One of our favourites is the fam trips. What is a fam trip? A fam or familiarisation trip is an activity organised to get to know suppliers and visit places where later you could take your customers.
In Meridional Events, we are proud to say that we meet each supplier and provider personally, visit them, get to know their venues/products or activities and ensure they are the best fit for our customers. Sometimes we already know them but still enjoy having a catch-up or see their latest renovations. Sometimes we visit places that have not opened yet, we get to experience activities first-hand as we truly believe that there is no better way to do things than “hands-on”.
On Thursday the 16th, we had the opportunity to enjoy one of those long, full of activities and fun days. Thoroughly organised by Turismo y Planificación Costa del Sol with our colleagues Susana Porras and Carmen Arjona as tour leaders.
We can only thank them for the amount of energy, passion and time they have devoted to prepare it. We learnt a lot, exchanged some views over the current market trends, ate, drunk, cooked, visited many places and even built a car -sort of-!
The day started by visiting a historical building that has been fully refurbished and reconverted into a 4* hotel. Luxury in a classical environment located in the heart of Malaga. We had our first coffee of the day together, introduced each other and soon started our next adventure.
Given how important Social Corporate Responsibility is becoming, we had to explore one of the many options Málaga has on offer. In this case, we could combine team building with helping those in need. For about two hours, we wore our chef hats and aprons. We worked together to prepare food for 80 people at risk of exclusion. We also learnt the ins and outs of these companies that are so helpful for people with not many opportunities.
Done with our cooking duties, we visited a remote farm where we saw the many possibilities it offers to organise events, such as product presentations in a quiet and discreet spot, also ideal for horse lovers. Now it was time for another team-building activity. We had to build a car with a few bits and pieces and then sell it to the rest of the groups. Although only one of the three groups succeeded in presenting something decent, we all had plenty of fun working together, which was the main aim of this activity -just see the featured image at the top of the post!.
Time for lunch! After so much hard work, we had earned our lunch. We had it in one of those palace houses that are so well maintained and beautifully decorated that you just do not want to leave. An ideal venue for Gala dinners in Malaga, or for business meetings as it offers plenty of spaces.
Back to the city centre, we had the opportunity to make a very unusual visit, a brand new hotel that is not yet opened to the public as it is still under renovation. It overlooks the whole port and main shopping areas, leaving you breathtaking with such views from their rooftop terrace infinity pool.
The day went on, but the group had to split. Some went for a boat ride and were lucky enough to be visited by many families of dolphins! The rest of us went on a tuk-tuk ride to visit some unknown bits of Malaga, yet as beautiful and interesting. We learnt a bit more about its history and culture.
Last but not least, we finished the day in an iconic building that has recently converted into a 5* star hotel with inspiring views over the entire city. With plenty of outdoor space in between legendary ruins, ideal for a cocktail at sunset, as we had, unforgettable!
Although the day was very long, we enjoyed every minute and we are looking forward to meeting again for another fam trip!
