Inside Asian Gaming

Names in games: Grant Bowie When New Zealand-born Grant Bowie, President and General Manager of Wynn Macau, arrived to take up his post in Macau inAugust 2003, the economic boom following the end ofthe regional outbreak ofsevere acute respiratory syndrome wasjust beginning. The year before, the local government had ended Stanley Hos 40-year monopoly on casinos, and Wynn was one of the three new operators granted con­ cessions under the new licensing scheme. Since then, Uynn b ega n construction ofits mega-resort, competitor Sands opened itsfirst Ma­ cau property, construction began on the Venetian, MGM Grand, and other casino resorts on the Cotai Strip, and the local economy felt the reverberations. A tourism explosion will bring some 20 million visitors to Macau this year, as compared to 12 million in 2003, real estate values have skyrocketed, infla­ tion is looming, and labor is becoming scarce. Even before Wynn Macau opens the doors to its $705 million 600-hotel room mega-resort with I 00,000 square feet of gambling space next year, the company is facing some big challenges as well as opportunities. Inside Asian Gaming spoke with Grant Bowie to find out how he plans to tackle both, and found lessons from Macau that could apply to the entire region. Have his ideas changed since he first took up his post? Yes and no. "The Sands has reinforced a lot of our views. I'm sure the Sands people themselves have learned a few things since they have opened. People are looking for something better. The market for some­ thing better exists," he begins. Earlier he had told interviewers, "We're going to have to learn our les­ sons, and develop our approaches and understanding of the nature of the evo­ lutionary processes of the consumer. We are very rapidly moving from a demand economy to a supply economy. Because when we open, if not slightly before us and certainly after us, there is going to be a significant introduction of other quality gaming resorts." The "wow" factor Nowadays, he says, "People are al­ ready developing expectations about Wynn Macau. It's easy to understand what we're about," he observes, "Mr. 26 Inside Asian Gaming September 2005 l (Steve) Wynn would say it's about cre­ ating a sense of humanity. He's put his 'wow' factor out on the street." That "wow" factor is what his cus­ tomers will be paying for, with Wynn Macau positioning itself in the high end of the market. "The overall profit­ ability requires that we see that value increases," Mr. Bowie explains, add­ ing, "Customers expect more quality. Everybody in the segment can expect to see rates rise." "The industry is not working together. There is a level of sus­ picion. The foreign US compa­ nies versus the locals. The time is getting close when people will feel more comfortable, though. " He sees a segment of the market that is looking for that higher quality of ex­ perience in Macau, and will pay for it. Wynn Macau will emphasise consist­ ency, he predicts, "Every time a guest visits, he can expect the same experi- ence." Whether or not customers from the Mainland, who make up some 65 per­ cent of total visitor arrivals, will pay