Curated participation
Delegates may be invited directly or express interest. Each request is reviewed against the expertise, experience or contribution needed for that project.
Back to the ForumHow do I participate?
26 November 2026
BRAIN Think Tanks
Don't just discuss the future. Help build it.
The Forum creates conversations. BRAIN turns selected conversations into projects — small, focused working sessions that bring together people with the knowledge, experience, influence or resources to move an idea forward. They are not conventional conference panels. Every Think Tank begins with an idea, but it should end with a clear call to action, identified partners and a pathway for follow-up after the Forum.
How do I participate?
Participation is curated and limited.
Come with experience. Bring ideas. Leave with a next step.
Focused work
Participants sit around the table to challenge the proposition, improve it and agree what should happen next.
Follow-through
MTF will follow up, establish working groups where appropriate and support the strongest initiatives throughout the year.
01
Beautiful Malta
From Beautiful Malta to a Beautiful Mediterranean
What if beauty became part of destination policy?
Building on the Malta Sabiħa vision, this Think Tank will identify tangible initiatives that improve the places residents and visitors experience every day — from public spaces, streetscapes and landscaping to art, sculpture, façades, lighting, accessibility and heritage. The objective is to select real projects that can be taken forward in Malta, identify who can deliver them and explore how the model could travel to other Mediterranean destinations.
Don't just talk about beautiful destinations. Identify what we can make beautiful next.
Who should join: Planning Authorities · Municipalities · Architects · Urban Designers · Artists · Accessibility Experts · Cultural Organisations · Tourism Authorities · Developers · Landscape Designers · Community Representatives
02
Link-Up Mediterranean
Recruit. Integrate. Develop. Retain.
Tourism needs international talent — successful mobility cannot end with an employment contract.
This session brings employers, governments, recruiters and educators together to develop a practical model covering the entire journey from selection and ethical recruitment to housing, integration, training, career progression and retention. It will identify partners and next steps for a practical Mediterranean workforce initiative.
Don't just recruit people. Create the conditions to retain them.
Who should join: Employers · HR Leaders · Governments · Recruiters · Hospitality Schools · Training Organisations · Mobility Specialists · Workforce Experts
03
AI-Powered Hotel Blueprint
Stop talking about AI. Build the blueprint.
What if hotel operations were redesigned around intelligent and responsible AI?
The Think Tank will map opportunities across revenue, finance, procurement, recruitment, training, rostering, energy, food waste, maintenance, operations and guest experience. The objective is a practical blueprint hospitality businesses can implement, with measurable outcomes, ethics, governance, cybersecurity, data protection and human oversight built in from the beginning.
People at the front. Intelligence built into the business.
Who should join: Hoteliers · Restaurateurs · AI & Technology Companies · Operations Leaders · HR · Finance · Revenue · Procurement · Cybersecurity · Universities · Legal & Data Specialists
04
MED READY
Build the network before you need it.
Destinations face many of the same risks — yet too often prepare separately.
MED READY brings tourism operators, destination authorities, engineers, security professionals, emergency services and resilience specialists together to shape a permanent Mediterranean preparedness network. It will share expertise, practical tools, training, business-continuity solutions and lessons learned, while creating connections that can be activated when destinations need them.
What one destination learns, the Mediterranean should not have to learn again.
Who should join: Hotels · Tourism Authorities · Destination Managers · Engineers · Operations & Security Leaders · Airports · Cruise Ports · Police · Civil Protection · Emergency Services · Insurers · Risk & Business Continuity Experts
05
Mediterranean Observer
One region. One window on its tourism story.
The Mediterranean's tourism story remains fragmented across countries and languages.
Mediterranean Observer will be developed as a dedicated tourism news and information portal, bringing investment, policy, routes, openings, research, innovation, people and ideas together. The Think Tank will shape its editorial model, contributor network, country correspondents, content partnerships and digital strategy.
Know what is happening. Across the Mediterranean.
Who should join: Tourism Media · Journalists · Tourism Authorities · Hospitality Associations · Destination Organisations · Universities · Communications Professionals · Content Creators · Technology Partners · Industry Leaders
06
Enjoy & Respect
Manage success before success manages the destination.
Tourism succeeds when visitors, businesses, government and communities have a fair relationship.
Beginning with Malta, this Think Tank examines how destinations maintain balance as tourism grows — including short-term rentals, capacity, zoning, visitor behaviour, noise, cleanliness, safety, public spaces, service standards and enforcement. It will develop Enjoy & Respect into a practical destination-management model that can inform other Mediterranean destinations.
Enjoy the destination. Respect the place people call home.
Who should join: Tourism Authorities · Hotels · STR Platforms & Operators · Property Representatives · Planning Authorities · Municipalities · Police · Destination Managers · Community Representatives · Researchers
07
MEDVEST
The Mediterranean investment opportunity platform
Find the place. Find the incentive. Find the opportunity.
MEDVEST will explore a digital Mediterranean tourism investment platform that brings destinations, opportunities, incentives and investors together. The Think Tank will define the data model, participating destinations, investment criteria, advisory network and pathway for positioning MTF as a trusted connector between Mediterranean opportunity and international capital.
One Mediterranean. A world of investment opportunity.
Who should join: Investors · Developers · Hotel Groups · Governments · Investment Agencies · Banks · Funds · Real Estate Professionals · Professional Services Firms · Destination Authorities · Entrepreneurs
08
STAR Journey
From measuring service to improving it.
STAR Journey combines training, independent assessment, mystery-guest evaluation and certification.
This Think Tank will explore an AI-powered service-excellence platform that turns assessments into intelligent reports, benchmarks performance, highlights weaknesses and generates clear recommendations. It will examine what should improve, how AI can make reporting more useful, and how HR, training and employee development can become more deeply integrated while creating an international certification and delivery model.
Don't just measure excellence. Create a roadmap to achieve it.
Who should join: Hotels · Restaurants · Hotel Groups · HR Leaders · General Managers · Training Organisations · Hospitality Schools · Certification Bodies · Technology & AI Companies · Tourism Authorities · Service-Quality Specialists · International Hospitality Partners
09
Mediterranean Olive Oil
Compete locally. Collaborate globally.
Few products tell the Mediterranean story as powerfully as olive oil.
This Think Tank will explore a Mediterranean olive-oil consortium and international marketing platform — preserving national and regional identities while building a stronger common presence. Producers, cooperatives, hospitality businesses, trade organisations and destinations will examine how shared knowledge, storytelling, marketing and market access can reach growth markets including the United States, China and India.
Can we sell the Mediterranean story better together than alone?
Who should join: Olive-Oil Producers · Cooperatives · Agricultural Organisations · Exporters · Chefs · Hotels & Restaurants · Retailers · Branding Specialists · Trade Organisations · Governments · International Buyers