Sands China’s mega shopping event draws 110,000 visitors, offering free business platform for local SMEs and Sands retailers

The city’s signature shopping event, the Sands Shopping Carnival, saw 110,000 visitors flock to The Venetian Macao as Sands China hosted its annual fair for avid shoppers.

Organised by Sands China Ltd. and co-organised by the Macao Chamber of Commerce, the Sands Shopping Carnival was held from July 20 to 24, aiming to spur economic growth and to offer a fun weekend destination hotspot for locals and tourists.

This edition saw 50 percent of the visitation come from tourists. Now in its fourth year, the carnival has welcomed over 420,000 visitors since debuting in 2020.

An opening ceremony at The Venetian Macao was attended by representatives from the government, finance, business, and community services sectors – all hailing the event’s effort to boost the government’s goal of supporting local SMEs.

Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, director of the Macao Government Tourism Office, said: “[In] the first quarter of this year, 57% of tourist spending in Macau went toward shopping, making it the largest segment of tourist expenditure. Therefore, providing high-quality shopping services is vital to elevating the travel experience of visitors to Macau.”

“We are pleased to see that Sands China and Macau’s retailers have shown strong support for retail fairs like this, which can help accelerate the recovery of the retail industry, enabling residents and tourists to enjoy the pleasures of shopping while promoting the integration of ‘Tourism + Shopping’,” she added.

Fred Ma Chi Ngai, president of the Board of Directors of the Macao Chamber of Commerce, said: “Through co-organising this event, the Macao Chamber of Commerce is demonstrating unwavering support for the sustainable and far-reaching growth of local SMEs by promoting local brands and helping Macao’s SMEs and businesses expand their retail network.”

The carnival featured record-breaking numbers: over 580 booths and 11 exhibition zones across 21,000 square meters. Within the zones were areas promoting Sands retailers, household products, parenting and family, gourmet products, food courts, healthy lifestyle, ‘Macao cultural, creative and IP’, play and fun, and three new zones – international wine and spirits, happy reading, and MinM Plaza.

For Sands China, the Sands Shopping Carnival has become a highly-anticipated summer signature event for residents and tourists from the Greater Bay Area.

“Events like this play an important role in enhancing the non-gaming elements of our industry, contributing to Macao’s status as a world centre of tourism and leisure. Sands China upholds the business philosophy of supporting local enterprises, and we have spared no effort in promoting Macao brands to support the Macao SAR government’s policy of fostering SMEs,” said Dr. Wilfred Wong, president of Sands China Ltd.

Across the over 260,000 products, the 2023 Sands Shopping Carnival offered a limited number of special daily items for shoppers at a mere MOP1, and international brands offered extensive discounts of up to 90 percent off.

The carnival not only provides retailers with the opportunity to showcase their products in a renowned space, but it also provides a free business platform by allowing the SMEs to offer more products and services with attractive deals.

The carnival also included the BOC Smart Kids Presents: Little Master Chef Workshop, a free food-prep and decorating activity for children, led by Sands China’s food and beverage team, featuring madeleines, handmade sushi, Vietnamese spring rolls, and more. Additionally, the ICBC ePay Presents: Karaoke King Singing Competition 2023 and the Bank of Communications Presents: K-POP Dance Competition 2023 offered an opportunity for teams and individuals to shine on stage and showcase their talents.

As part of Sands China’s ongoing promotion of social inclusion, around 80 Sands Cares Ambassadors provided on-site support to local community organizations that were invited to participate in the carnival and helped them man their 13 booths.

In total, the ambassadors contributed over 200 hours of volunteer service during the carnival.

At the carnival’s Food Court, four social enterprises that offer vocational training for their service users sold food and drinks. The carnival was an opportunity for their projects to gain exposure in the local commercial market and create job opportunities for their members. At the carnival’s Macao Cultural, Creative and IP zone, nine community organisations ran booths.

“The goal and the objective is to promote the H2H: our vocational training for people in recovery who are coming from drugs and alcohol. They can learn some vocational skills […] and partake in the integration process through this training. Of course, this platform also serves to promote our products that are made by people in recovery. Basically, it’s to help society understand that people who are recovering are just like anybody else and they need support from the community to have a successful integration.”

Augusto Nogueira
Executive Director of Association for Rehabilitation of Drug Abusers of Macau

“This is the fourth time we’re joining this carnival and it is a great opportunity to promote our products and shop. Our major products are organic, so setting up the booth here helps us promote health to the guests. We had good sales last year, and since there are no extra costs to being here, we can offer great promotions to the guests. I’m hoping that this time, the booth will be able to attract some long-term customers. It’s been challenging. The customer sentiments have changed a lot. The trend for shopping has also changed. Events like these help SMEs meet each other, form partnerships and achieve win-win situations.”

Candy Lai

Manager of New Green Box Pavilion

“We are grateful as this platform helps us promote and raise awareness of the situation of stray animals and inform people about the association’s structure. It also helps promote our products. We see platforms like this as important means by which we can promote the message of keeping stray animals at home and also send further messages about our own association.”

Chan In Cheng

Chairman of Everyone Stray Dogs Macau Volunteer Group

“I think the carnival is really a good platform because it is not only an exhibition where products are showcased, but a platform for us, SMEs. With Sands China’s strong brand name appeal, the carnival can attract a significant number of people, which can then lead to an increase in revenues. I look forward to joining the next one in 2024.”

Wong Yu Fei

Business Development Director of Wong Chi Kei Foods (Macau) Co. Ltd.