116 Meetings & Conventions


says Singapore is the No 1. “Singapore is an international hub, easy to access. The accommodation is plentiful. And the food is great,” he says. To make Macau a contender against


the two big players, the authorities need to raise their game, says Mr Wong. “I will recommend the government to play a more active role,” he says. “Right now, the government is being


passive. What it does mostly is promo- tion. They can offer reasonably low rents or even waive them to create business opportunities in entertainment. Labour costs are also expensive.”


It’s playtime The Venetian Macao is already high- lighting its full range of offerings in an effort to promote its MICE busi- ness abroad. “We are changing the way meetings and company incentives in the Asia-Pacifi c are organised,” says Wolf- ram Diener, vice-president of conven-


tions and exhibitions for the Venetian Macao. He stresses the need for entertain-


ment to make the stay of MICE visitors more enjoyable. Mr Diener says many groups coming to Macau are incentive groups, so the organisers emphasise the entertainment options. Incentives are es- sentially motivational, and fun is regard- ed as an important motivation. The Venetian recently released its


new entertainment and meeting pack- ages for groups of 20 or more,


incor-


porating entertainment, dining options and leisure facilities. “Our aim is to use entertainment to turn ordinary meet- ings into unforgettable events,” says the vice-president of sales for The Venetian, Brendon Elliot. The idea seems to be working. The


Venetian’s MICE revenue in the fi rst half of the year was 42 percent higher than a year before. Mr Diener says there is no sign of a slowdown this year or next.


Let’s dance The Grand Hyatt Macau in the City of Dreams complex is also vigorously chasing MICE business. General man- ager Paul Kwok says it takes more than convention rooms to make Macau at- tractive. “The 400 years of Portuguese co-


lonial history and heritage and the fu- sion with Chinese culture make today’s Macau an experience found nowhere else in the region,” he says. The diversions Macau offers - in-


cluding shows, heritage tours, sports facilities and nature - enhance this ex- perience, he says. Like the Venetian, the Grand Hy-


att is trying to boost the synergies be- tween its MICE business and entertain- ment facilities. “We have been working very closely with City of Dreams for synergistic promotions for the open- ing of ‘The House of Dancing Water’ show and we will continue to do so,” he says. He believes the MICE business in


Macau has potential. “The introduction of a greater diversity in entertainment and lifestyle options has Macau ideally placed for continued success, and the attraction as a MICE destination is set to grow exponentially,” Mr Kwok says.


Diversify or perish Secretary for Economy and Finance Francis Tam Pak Yuen is less optimis- tic. He says the local MICE industry seems to be on the rise but faces further obstacles to development. “In recent years, the government of


Macau has been vigorously promoting the MICE industry and other service sectors so as to moderately diversify the economic structure of the economy of Macau,” Mr Tam says. The government recently created a


committee for the development of the convention and exhibition industry. At its fi rst meeting, last month, it was an- nounced that the Economic Services Bureau would take the lead and cen- tralise anything MICE-related. The industry appears to be expand-


ing swiftly. In the fi rst half of the year, 809 MICE events were held in Macau, 11 percent more than last year. The av- erage duration of the events – which is critical to boosting tourism receipts – rose by 0.2 day to 2.2 days, and the number of participants rose by 7 per- cent to 224,301 attendees.


OCTOBER 2010


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