Sands China holds second matching session for SMEs

Golden Fok, managing director of Tai Fung Hotel Accessories Sourcing (second from left)

Sands China recently hosted its second invitational matching session for local SME suppliers at The Venetian Macao, which was targeted on hotel operation supplies and equipment.

In support of its F.I.T. programme (Financial Support, Invitational Matching, and Training and Development), these invitational matching sessions provide a platform for local SME suppliers to present and demonstrate their products and services to potential users and buyers at Sands China properties.

The goal was to enhance communication between vendors and users, and to improve the procurement success rate.

Sixteen local SME suppliers were directly connected with approximately 200 buyers and users from Sands China departments, including recreation, food and beverage, hotel operations, facilities, and housekeeping.

In addition, members of the Macau Hotel Association were invited to attend, as were representatives from the procurement team of Marina Bay Sands in Singapore and the procurement teams of Macau’s other resort operators – in a bid to foster more business opportunities for local SMEs and more direct communication and exchange within the industry.

Participating in the event, Chan Ka Seng, manager of S. Long Trading noted that the matching session provides an opportunity for SMEs to showcase their products to potential buyers.

Chan said that the company mainly exports their products to the U.S. and Japan and has only recently developed the market in Macau.

“For SMEs in Macau, there is less opportunity to contact multinational companies. It’s hard to find the channel to directly go through the procurement department in a hotel,” he said.

Chan hopes that more gaming operators can also hold similar matching sessions in the future to allow SMEs to grow and expand their network.

Meanwhile, another participant, Golden Fok, managing director of Tai Fung Hotel Accessories Sourcing Co., noted that such events would allow them to communicate with their end-users, avoiding any mismatch of expectation.

“There are still challenges for local SMEs but it’s good that gaming operators are actively providing different platforms for them to get into the right channel,” said Fok. 

The F.I.T. programme’s first invitational matching session was held during the program’s launch in April, and focused on food and beverages. Sands China purchased nearly 160 products from local SMEs participating in that session, totalling over MOP2.1 million. Future invitational matching sessions will target other specific areas, such as furniture and lighting. LV