Inside Asian Gaming

INSIDE ASIAN GAMING DECEMBER 2017 74 “We need people to be diversified. When we talk about Macau being diversified, if the people themselves are not diversified, how does the city become diversified?” of these art works without having to go through a lot of hurdles. I know it because we have done it before. “So, together with the government, this has to be a serious endeavor. It starts with policies because certain regulations might need to be revised, then we have the facilities but we still need the know-how. “If we have an art fair in Macau with 100 stalls, how many people can we provide to supervise? We need to groom these people and we need to fast track it because normally it takes two to three generations. “When you go to Europe and you talk to the people who are supervising a high-quality art event or work in the art galleries, they are not just memorizing information – they take a keen interest. They are often art students pursuing their passion for the arts. Do we have that?No, we don’t. In fact the current systemdoes not quite encourage this kind of mindset, [but] we need people to be diversified. When we talk about Macau being diversified, if the people themselves are not diversified, how does the city become diversified?” Ho is well positioned to make such observations. Aside from her business acumen – she is Group Executive Chairman and Managing Director of Shun Tak, Chairman of Macau Tower & Entertainment Center, Vice-Chairman of the board of Macau International Airport Co and Non-Executive Director at Sing Tao News Corp Ltd among many other roles – the 54-year-old has long been recognized as a central figure in Macau’s burgeoning arts scene. It is, for example, under her direction that MGM Macau has walls and halls filled with fine art yet refrains from boasting of their presence, allowing guests to discover and appreciate of their own accord. For those specifically searching for visual stimulation, there FEATURE IN FOCUS is also the 5,000 square foot MGM Art Space – the only dedicated gallery space found in any of Macau’s integrated resorts. But gaining traction on a global scale has been far from simple, which is why Ho wants Macau to learn from its mistakes and stay one step ahead when it comes to eSports. “When we started to mention art a few years back, people were really looking bewildered and saying, ‘What for?’ The what for was whether a sustainable industry could be derived from this initiative,” she recounted. “Now at this juncture people believe that in fact art is heading in the right direction and now is the time we need to capture that opportunity. “If you look at Hong Kong, in the space of just five years they The Theater will be completely customizable and perfectly suited for eSports