Oktoberfest kicks off with family-friendly format

Grant Bowie (center)

Oktoberfest is back in Macau for the eighth consecutive year, this time with a family-friendly day-time schedule. Hosted by MGM Macau, the 11-day celebration of German culture and entertainment kicked off yesterday at the resort’s The Vista II.
The resort is keen to bring the festivity to locals and tourists; the event will be held until October 23. A spokesperson for MGM Macau revealed that all tables are fully booked until the end of the celebration.
Commenting on the event, Consul General of Germany in Hong Kong, Nikolaus Graf Lambsdorff gave assurances that the celebration is similar to “stepping into the streets of Munich, in the comfort of Macau.”
He also praised the event organizers for providing residents with an ‘authentic’ German experience.
CEO of MGM China Grant Bowie said yesterday during the opening ceremony that there has been continuous growth in the popularity of Oktoberfest in Macau, year after year.
As the resort is hosting a family-friendly day-time Oktoberfest, guests are invited to a Bavarian entertainment brunch on October 22 from 11 a.m. until mid-afternoon.
Bavarian beer maids in dirndl are also serving one of the six official Munich Oktoberfest beers, Spaten, along with other alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
Offering traditional décor, carnival houses, game booths, German cuisine, and folk music and dance performances, this year’s MGM Oktoberfest features performances by Högl Fun Band, who has been performing at the event for the past seven years and has also composed the theme song for this year’s event, “Nei Hou, Macau!”

MGM to focus on mass market despite GGR growth

Speaking on the sidelines of the event, MGM China CEO and executive director Grant Bowie told the press that MGM’s future Cotai property will be retail, dining and entertainment oriented, as part of its diversification strategy.
“As I’ve said before, we understand that as part of diversification […] we need to focus more on the mass market. It’s where the people would likely come, they’d be looking for other things rather than just gambling,” he explained.
Bowie did not specify exactly when the MGM Cotai property would open, due to the complexity of ongoing construction work.  When asked whether the second quarter of 2017 was a sure date, he said, “I can say for sure that we will open.”
The CEO concluded by saying that MGM would continue to focus on attracting the mass market, in the face of an increase in the region’s gross gaming revenue last month.
“We believe that the way we want to develop is correct and we will continue doing that. If things change, then also we’ll be pragmatic and might take opportunities as they occur,” he told the press. LV