Imagine the experience of visiting 206 countries and logging more than 275,000 miles in just 365 days. Three young people are in the midst of the world’s most ambitious travel adventure – Coca-Cola’s Expedition 206 – and they are on their way to Malta as part of the record-setting journey.
Following a worldwide online vote to determine the Expedition 206 team, the three winners – Tony Martin, 30, a Washington, D.C., native now teaching kindergarten in Munich; Kelly Ferris, 23, a university student from Brussels; and Antonio Santiago, 24, a university student from Mexico City – set off on an attempt to visit 206 countries and territories where Coca-Cola is sold throughout 2010 on a mission to find out what makes people happy.
The team is bringing Coca-Cola’s “Open Happiness” campaign to life as they visit people from different cultures, document their experiences and share stories of happiness and optimism with the world. People can follow the entire trip in real-time on www.Expedition206.com and a variety of social networking sites, including Facebook (http://facebook.com/cocacola), YouTube (http://youtube.com/expedition206), Twitter (http://twitter.com/x206), Flickr (http://flickr.com/e206) and a blog at http://expedition206.typepad.com.
Malta will be in the spotlight between 9 and 10 September as the unprecedented global expedition makes a stop in Malta. During their visit the team will visit Mdina for traditional Maltese cheese cakes (Pastizzi), Hagar Qim to see the World Heritage Site and one of the most ancient religious sites in the world. They will also enjoy a gondola cruise around the three cities, tour the highlights of Valletta, including St John’s Cathedral, The Grand Master’s Palace and Barakka Gardens and have a traditional Maltese lunch in the Capital City.
The team will be greeted by members of the Marketing Team at The General Soft Drinks Company Ltd (authorised bottlers of Coca-Cola in Malta) and Human Resources
manager, Stephen Bonnici.
To end the festivities, Tony, Kelly and Antonio will exchange a specially designed Coca-Cola bottle, symbolising the sharing of happiness with people from different countries. The “happiness ambassadors” will present a bottle they received in their most recent destination and, in return, they will receive a bottle designed by Wilfred Camilleri, Graphics and Design Executive at the General Soft Drinks Company Ltd. The bottle’s design depicts our Maltese Heritage with the use of a unique sleeve made of traditional Maltese Lace. The team will present Malta’s bottle to representatives from Georgia, continuing the chain throughout all 206 stops on the world tour. At the end of the expedition, all 206 of these one-of-a-kind bottles will be displayed in a special collection at the World of Coca-Cola museum in Atlanta.
Martin Agius, Sales and Marketing manager says “This is a great initiative by the Coca-Cola Company and we are pleased to welcome Tony, Kelly and Antonio to our country. There is a lot to see and do in Malta, however, since the team is here for less than 24 hours we will give them a small taste of our tradition, heritage and leisure activities, which we hope will result in a unique, special experience for them here in Malta”
As the team travels the globe throughout 2010, fans can follow along every step of the way on www.Expedition206.com.