Inside Asian Gaming

INSIDE ASIAN GAMING | November 2013 26 T his month, the arena at The Venetian Macao will host performances by Taiwan’s “God of Pop Music” Harlem Yu, international R&B sensation Alicia Keys and Korea’s leading boy band Super Junior, as well as one of the most hotly anticipated boxing matches of the year between Manny Pacquiao and Brandon Rios. Sands China is the unquestionable leader among Macau’s casino operators in bringing big-name entertainment spectacles to the city. According to The Venetian Macao Assistant Vice President of Entertainment Nuno Lopes, the company’s mission is to continue increasing the diversity of its offer, from the staple Chinese pop shows to extreme stunt performances. Inside Asian Gaming spoke to Mr Lopes about Sands China’s mission to develop the entertainment market in Macau and the effect that’s having on the city’s visitor demographic. IAG : You’ve come a long way from having to give away tickets to major international concerts at the arena to selling out two Rihanna shows. What’s changed? Mr Lopes: Definitely the market has matured. It still has a long way to go, but there is a major change from those days to where we are now. And there is also a really big effort by all entities in Macau to promote Macau more as a leisure destination, whereas the old perception was that it was all about gaming. Now you see huge markets like India, for instance, where visitors come as families. Even the mainland Chinese, now you see a lot of Insights Running the Gamut The Venetian Macao’s entertainment department aims to offer something for everyone, from teeny boppers to fight fans people also coming with their families. Ten years ago you would see more males travelling alone or with groups of friends but not actually bringing their families over because there wasn’t that much offer at the time. Now you also see them coming with their families, their wives, their kids, even their parents. So absolutely there is a difference. Of course there are still people traveling alone, and there are still people focused on gaming, but it has changed. It has broadened. What is the value of bringing family visitors? Isn’t it better for casino operators just to bring gamblers? Not for Sands China. We believe that the concept of an integrated resort is to offer visitors all you can. You have to offer them a lot so they can have longer stays and enjoy their time here. It’s very important that people see Macau as a tourist destination in which gaming is also included. And you see big shows coming and a lot of attractions that are happening here. Do you have any formula for measuring the indirect benefits generated by your concerts and other entertainment offerings? We do, although we don’t track people on property so we can’t associate people coming for the concerts with their other activities. But obviously we can evaluate what happens in our properties when we do have a concert versus when we do not. And if you look at our restaurants, our retail at the mall, hotel occupancy, of course you see significant increases in those. Assistant Vice President of Entertainment Nuno Lopes