Eleven FELTOM member schools were among nineteen English language schools from Malta that recently participated in one of the world’s largest international language travel fairs. ICEF Berlin is a must-attend event for all education travel and international student recruitment professionals. It is one of the main events on the calendar of the language learning industry worldwide.

This year’s ICEF Berlin Fair was the largest yet. Educators from 451 schools and 32 work and travel providers met with a record 860 agents from 92 countries. Malta was among the 33 countries that was represented by a high percentage of the local ELT industry. Twenty five representatives from many of the most established English Language schools in Malta were able to meet selected agents at pre-scheduled meetings.

The fair gave schools an opportunity to increase student recruitment through direct contact with agents. A substantial percentage of students coming to Malta do so by contacting agents in their own country. These agents are able to find the most suitable courses and accommodation for their clients. It is a chance for educators to explain more about the product they offer and to sell Malta. Access to such a broad international audience, allows Maltese language schools to create a more diverse and sustainable student nationality mix in their schools. The ELT industry is key to introducing international diversity to the Maltese tourism sector. English language schools are keen to offer their services in non-traditional tourist markets.

International workshops such as ICEF Berlin are also important for schools because they allow representatives a chance to assess the quality of the carefully screened agents. Establishing new contacts through face-to-face contact enables schools to be more discerning in their choice of agents. While school representatives make new contacts, they also maintain and nurture existing contacts and bring them up-to-date with any new courses or services they may be offering.