Final inspections of Londoner Arena in the pipeline as company eyes entertainment boost
Sands China Ltd. (SCL) revealed that Hong Kong pop divo Jacky Cheung will debut his new concert tour at the Venetian Macao on June 9.
Wilfred Wong, president and executive director of SCL, released the news at the private luncheon held by the British Chamber of Commerce in Macao, minutes before the official press conference of the concert tour at the Parisian Macao.
Wong took the concert tour as an example highlighting SCL’s efforts in resuming normal operations in Macau, as well as in diversifying tourism options and the local economy.
The executive added that it will very likely be the first time a world star is debuting a world tour at the Cotai Arena in Macau.
On the other hand, Wong also disclosed that a new arena, the 6,000-seat Londoner Arena, has already been constructed. Final inspections are in the pipeline and it is expected to be opened soon.
With several shows already staged after the lifting of travel restrictions, Wong emphasized that the company is trying to return to the show frequency before the Covid-19 pandemic, which was one major show per week.
Although more shows are to be staged at SCL properties, there is a problem with the availability of hotel rooms, Wong pointed out.
Despite the city having overtaken London as having the most densely-situated five-star hotels, the city still does not have enough rooms to accommodate show and MICE-attendees. Wong said that Las Vegas has 150,000 rooms and Singapore 60,000, in contrast to 40,000 in Macau.
Macau’s lack of rooms will not be able to accommodate large-scale events that attract tens of thousands of spectators, but cooperation with Hengqin will be able to resolve that, Wong assured.
Questions regarding workforce capacity was also raised at the event, in response to which Wong highlighted that the main target is to raise frequency of non-gambling events, such as shows and MICE.
Shortages of workforce may occur, he admitted, but “we can provide training to people so as to cultivate them, so that they will be able to take up positions in these events,” Wong assured, emphasizing his confidence in the market.
On how to avoid competitors “stealing” SCL’s developmental ideas, Wong stressed that SCL is always open to inter-corporate cooperation. For example, he said, certain concessionaires may find inviting certain attractive performers too unaffordable, in which case SCL would be happy to run collaborative campaigns in order to bring them to Macau.
