Malta’s reputation in its region has been transformed by the changes of the last few years. Its membership in the EU was symbolic of Malta’s maturity on the world stage. Its introduction of the euro is a development all existing and potential trading partners recognise as an indicator of a vibrant economy with veritable room for growth.

The entry into the eurozone is happening in parallel with a series of other developments that certify the quality of Malta’s economy and enhance the image of Malta’s brand abroad. The investments of global firms such as HSBC, De La Rue, Actavis, ST Microelectronics and Lufthansa Technik and their continued expansion of their Malta operations over the last few months are testimony to Malta’s credentials.

They demonstrate the reliability of Malta’s infrastructural set-up, the quality and flexibility of its English-speaking quick-to-learn workforce and the commitment of a business-friendly government.

The most recent and most substantial crowning testimony to this was the launch of SmartCity Malta, the first overseas foray of the world-renowned Dubai Internet City concept.

These developments are indicators. The real fact that they indicate is that the quality of life in Malta has improved substantially and new opportunities have been created that will continue to reap rewards for several years ahead. These investments generate high-end jobs right here in Malta. They pay well, increasing people’s disposable income and therefore their budget on expenditure. Consumers with more money in their pockets have higher expectations from the products and services they are provided with.

In simple terms, quality in itself generates an increased expectation for more quality.

Even now we no longer feel the same as we used to about certain things we might have accepted or lived with in the past. We become more aware of things that could be done better. Some examples are self-evident.

We become more conscious of the environment and the impact our lifestyles have on it. Certainly we can afford more and better cars, we can afford to air-condition our homes, and we can afford to purchase larger and more sophisticated electronic equipment for our home entertainment. We realise that all these also create the traffic jams and the pollution in the air we breathe. We realise that unclean air is the cause of newer, more widespread illnesses especially in children.

Speaking of health, we also expect more in the provision of health services. The record of Malta’s public health in terms of standard of medication is excellent. But now we expect more attention to detail, appearance and comfort.

We expect our roads to be smoother and safer. We want our public gardens to be better kept. We want the provision of services from private and public suppliers to be prompt, reliable, with value for money and adequate respect for our expectations as customers.

Quality begets quality. But it also draws focus on weaknesses that are the inevitable legacy from our past.

What is clear is that the culture of quality cannot be introduced by public policy alone. A government can regulate our impact on the environment and improve the quality of our hospital facilities. But it takes an entire community to adapt to a lifestyle that understands the needs of the environment it wants to live in.

This happens with the participation of the private sector whose sense of corporate social responsibility and financial and intellectual resources extend the sense of profit motivation to profit the entire community. The presence of multi-nationals in Malta introduces here their honed-in corporate CSR cultures. The example is shared with Maltese businesses that after all are at the heart of Malta’s sense of public spirit.

The next level of community participation is a wider sense of public conscience expressed through civil society and community organisations. Malta lacks no tradition of community spirit and voluntary work. These are manifested in the most sophisticated manner in our community religious traditions where thousands of people from all over the country participate as protagonists or spectators.

There is also a rapidly-growing sense of commitment in issues departing from a strict association of the agenda determined by the political community or industrial affairs. More people group in organisations to drive more the national discussion in areas they are sensitive to: again the environment is very prominent in this.

The Qualitex 2007 Exhibition and Conference will throw light on these changing dynamics in our country. It will look back at how far we have come and also take a moment to reflect at how the dynamics of our experience as a community are changing. The next steps ahead are determined by our expectations of today. And like the quality of our lives, our expectations for more grows too.

Tonio Casapinta is the Managing Director of Casapinta Design Group Ltd, co-organisers of Qualitex ’07 Exhibition together with the Malta Fairs and Convention Centre

The exhibition will be open today and tomorrow from 6pm to 9pm, and on Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 1pm and from 4pm to 9pm