Tech-savvy SME a Stand-Out Sands Supplier

Last year, as Macao was making strides in getting the Covid-19 epidemic under control, Sands China made an effort to boost the local economy with the very successful Sands Shopping Carnival. Featuring 518 booths and offering fabulous deals to Macao residents and tourists, the Sands Shopping Carnival was the largest shopping event of its kind in Macao. Visitation exceeded 100,000 over the three-day carnival, surpassing all expectations.
The Carnival provided a free business platform for local SMEs and Sands retailers amid the fall-out from the pandemic, while creating a new weekend destination for local residents and tourists, in support of the Macao SAR government’s Consume for the Economy initiative and to promote the domestic economic cycle.
Working as Sands China’s SME supplier for the first time, MACEXPO Exhibition Co. Ltd. designed and executed the carnival full of creative and diverse activities.
Founded in 2014 by two veterans from the MICE industry, MACEXPO had initially focused on wedding exhibitions. Later it extended into the Play Hub Expo showcasing trendy big boy toys, sports, gadgets, games and foods, in an attempt to bring diversified events to Macao. The Play Hub Expo received positive response from the market and has been held six times. MACEXPO was also the first to introduce exhibitions from Taiwan, featuring cartoon characters such as Chibi Maruko Chan, Hello Kitty and Line Friends.
In an open bid for suppliers for the Sands Shopping Carnival, Sands China’s procurement and supply chain team noticed the creative proposal from MACEXPO: “MACEXPO’s event proposal combined feasting with entertainment. And their quotation was competitive,” said Kalon Ho, manager of procurement and supply chain for Sands China.
William Chan, director of procurement and supply chain for Sands China remarked, “The challenges included the short 3-month preparation time and the need to balance the effects the epidemic prevention measures would have on the event. It was important and necessary to ensure strict compliance with the government’s epidemic prevention guidelines and requirements. We were very happy to see the event attract over 100,000 visitors in three days.”
Teams held weekly meetings to propose and fine-tune ideas on the exhibition floor plan, area division, and facility configuration. The scale of the exhibition continued to expand with the food and entertainment activities. At the same time, MACEXPO was fully able to cooperate with Sands China on a series of epidemic prevention measures facilitated by MACEXPO’s SME advantages: “a small team, fast decision-making, high flexibility, and quick feedback.” These qualities were critical as a bridge of communication between more than 500 exhibitors and Sands China.

The SME also did a good job in event preparation and follow-up, according to Sands China. “Before the fair began, MACEXPO had invested and developed its own technologically enhanced exhibition management system for exhibitors to place orders and communicate, enabling contactless communication during the pandemic period and also to increase efficiency. During the fair, they set up surveys. After the fair was concluded, a detailed exhibition summary report was presented, covering all aspects of the event, so we could get a clear sense of how the exhibition was evaluated and how effective it was. The report could also work as reference for similar events in the future,” Chan said.
The SME appreciated the assistance offered by Sands during the collaboration: “Although we have experience in holding no less than 70 different types of exhibitions, it was the first time for us to work with a global company on a large-scale carnival event. As the organizer, Sands China did not impose one-way requests, but facilitated interaction between us. The Sands China team also provided comprehensive support and resources, such as assisting in promotion and crowd control,” said Eva Ng, managing director of MACEXPO.
Based on their excellent performance in organizing the Shopping Carnival, MACEXPO stood out as one of the seven winners in the 2020 Sands Supplier Excellence Awards, in the category of Small Medium Enterprise (SME).
A global initiative of Sands China’s parent company, Las Vegas Sands Corp., the Sands Supplier Excellence Awards has been held at the end of each year since 2013 to recognize the outstanding cooperation and services of its suppliers.
According to Sands China, when selecting service providers, the company pays attention not just to price, but also to innovative ideas. In addition, if the proposal includes technological elements, it may be considered for prioritized recognition.
With experience working with Sands China successfully under its belt, the local SME dreams big. MACEXPO says they will continue to improve their exhibition management system and launch a leasing service of their system to local peers, aiming at increasing the level of service in the convention and exhibition industry in Macao. Meanwhile, the SME will step into the Greater Bay Area to explore more business opportunities.