Most professionals know they should be networking. Most also find it awkward. A room full of people exchanging business cards without a reason to actually talk is useful to no one. SOHO TALKS takes a different approach: a curated event series built around a topic, a speaker, and an open discussion format that gives everyone a genuine reason to be in the room.
SOHO TALKS is held regularly at SOHO Malta, designed for business owners, entrepreneurs, freelancers, and professionals who want to expand their knowledge and build meaningful connections within Malta’s business community. It is not a mixer. It is a structured evening with a speaker, a conversation, and a community of people who are all building something.
The format
Each edition of SOHO TALKS follows the same structure: an expert speaker presents on a topic relevant to the SOHO audience, followed by an open, interactive Q&A session. The Q&A is not a formality. It is the centrepiece of the event, where the conversation adapts to what the room actually wants to know.
The format works because it removes the pressure of cold networking. When everyone in the room has just listened to the same talk, you already have something to discuss. You know what the person next to you found interesting. You can ask a follow-up question. The topic creates the context that pure networking events lack.
SOHO TALKS events are typically held in the evening at SOHO The Strand in Gzira, SOHO’s flagship location in central Malta. The venue itself contributes to the format: a professional space that does not feel like a conference room, with the kind of atmosphere that makes conversation easier than it would be in a formal meeting setting.
What one edition looks like
One past edition, “The Science of Happiness”, gives a good sense of what SOHO TALKS delivers. The speaker was Kelly Anne Zerafa, founder of Beatrix Psychology and a warranted counsellor with degrees from the University of Malta and the University of the Cumberlands in the USA.
The talk covered emotions, gratitude, guilt, sadness, happiness, and the scientific research behind what actually makes people flourish. It included practical tools for everyday life. The Q&A that followed drew in questions from across the room and ran well beyond the scheduled time.
What made it valuable was not the presentation format. It was the combination of a practitioner who works with these questions daily and an audience of business owners and professionals who are directly affected by them. The conversation went in directions a prepared agenda would never have reached.
That is the standard SOHO TALKS aims for with every edition: a speaker who knows their subject and an audience with enough curiosity and professional context to push the conversation somewhere genuinely useful.
Topics the series covers
SOHO TALKS does not limit itself to a single category. The series draws from wherever its audience’s professional lives intersect: business growth, leadership, personal development, wellbeing, industry trends, entrepreneurship, finance, and more. The selection reflects what the SOHO community is actually working through at any given time.
Speakers are practitioners, founders, and subject-matter experts. They are not hired presenters delivering keynote-style talks. They are people who work in the area they discuss, share what they have learned, and then stay for the conversation.
This means the quality of each edition depends as much on who is in the room as who is at the front. A SOHO TALKS audience is not passive. It is full of people who have real skin in the game on the topics being discussed.
Who attends
SOHO TALKS is designed for and attended by:
- Business owners and entrepreneurs who want to stay sharp, learn from peers, and connect with professionals in Malta across sectors
- Freelancers and self-employed professionals who want the kind of peer exposure that working alone rarely provides
- Startup founders and small team leaders building companies in Malta, for whom every relevant connection has potential
- Remote workers and digital nomads based in Malta who want to be part of a professional community, not just a coworking space
- Professionals from established companies who attend for personal and professional development outside of their own organisational context
The mix is intentional. SOHO TALKS draws value from the diversity of its audience. A freelance designer, a compliance officer, a startup founder, and an iGaming executive in the same conversation will produce something that a sector-specific event would not.
Why structured networking works better than informal
Networking is consistently cited as one of the top reasons professionals choose coworking over home working. The ability to be around other people who are building things, solving problems, and operating businesses is a genuine draw.
But informal proximity does not automatically produce useful connections. Two people sitting at adjacent desks for a year can still not know each other’s work. The conditions for a real conversation need to be created deliberately.
SOHO TALKS creates those conditions. The shared topic is the starting point. The Q&A is where the real exchange happens. The post-event conversation is where relationships actually form. Each edition follows the same arc, and the arc works.
For professionals who find unstructured networking events uncomfortable or unproductive, SOHO TALKS provides a different entry point. You come for the talk. The networking follows naturally.
SOHO TALKS within the broader community
SOHO TALKS is one part of SOHO’s wider community programming. Beyond the talks, the SOHO community includes social events, wellness activities, and the informal daily interactions that come from sharing a building with a hundred other professionals.
The SOHO gym is included with coworking and private office memberships. The locations host social events throughout the year. There is a sauna. There are members’ dogs. The community is not something SOHO adds to the office space — it is built into how the spaces are designed and run.
SOHO TALKS sits at the professional end of that programming. It is the part that is specifically about learning and connection in a business context, rather than general socialising. For many members, it is one of the most valuable things that comes with their membership, precisely because it would be difficult to replicate on their own.
How to attend
SOHO members receive invitations to SOHO TALKS automatically. If you hold a Dedicated Desk, Private Office, or any SOHO membership, upcoming events are part of your package and communicated directly through your membership.
Non-members can find upcoming SOHO TALKS events through the SOHO Community page. Some editions are open to guests and prospective members. Check the community page for current event listings and registration details.
If you want consistent access to SOHO TALKS and the broader community programming, the Dedicated Desk membership (from €325/month) includes full community access alongside a fixed workspace, meeting room hours, and gym membership. The Private Office (from €600/month) includes the same community access for teams who also need their own space.
Frequently asked questions
How often does SOHO TALKS happen?
SOHO TALKS runs regularly throughout the year at SOHO Malta. Specific upcoming dates and event details are posted on the SOHO Community page.
Who can attend SOHO TALKS?
All SOHO members are automatically invited. Non-members can check the community page for upcoming events that are open to guests. Some editions have limited capacity, so registration in advance is recommended.
What topics does SOHO TALKS cover?
Topics range across business growth, leadership, personal development, wellbeing, entrepreneurship, and industry trends. Past editions have included talks on the science of happiness, business strategy, and professional resilience. Topics are chosen based on what is most relevant to the SOHO audience at a given time.
Is SOHO TALKS free for members?
Yes. SOHO TALKS is part of SOHO’s community programming and is included with all memberships. There is no additional charge for members to attend. Non-member attendance may vary by edition — check the community page for details.