Glowing Macau with CEI industry at core

Macau is shedding its image as a sleepy Portuguese colony for a far more fast-paced look and feel. Traditionally a gambling mecca for Hong Kong residents prior to China's easing of casino ownership rules three years ago, Macau's future as the 'Las Vegas of Asia' seemed something of a pipe-dream. That was, of course, before the likes of gambling big guns such as Sheld Adelson and Stephen Wynn began reshaping a whole new future for the territory whose sovereignty was returned to China in 1999. Transforming Macau's image into into a burgeoning entertainment oasis has taken the vision (and stratospheric forecast returns) of such behemoths. This also includes the phoenix of Macau's gambling history — and the man that built it all — veteran Hong Kong tycoon Stanley Ho, who is now in partnership with Australian media baron Kerry Packer. But what has gambling got to do with the CEI market, you might ask? Interestingly, the two are comfortable bedfellows as dual banners of Macau's transformative leap into the 21st century. Five years ago, for groups that wanted to visit Macau, a high-speed ferry ride from Hong Kong was the only way to travel and a select handful of international hotels including Mandarin Oriental, Hyatt Regency, Westin and the everpresent Hotel Lisboa (then the jewel of Ho's Shun Tak empire) — or the time-worn elegance of the Pousada de Sao Tiago or the legendary Bella Vista Hotel — were the only places to stay. Awakening CEI giant While each of these properties has its own appeal, in terms of corporate group travel Macau has up to now been a charming, and at times limiting, option. "When we opened the Macau Tower Convention and Entertainment Centre (MTCEC) three years ago, that's when we really started to position Macau as a CEI destination," says Shun Tak Hospitality general manager, Daniella Grendene. "Macau was still limited in terms of the infrastructure it could provide for meetings or conferences and had the image of being a weekend retreat for Hong Kong companies." Boasting the most cutting-edge CEI facility in the territory, Macau Tower is a pillar of purpose-built excellence for the CEI sector. Everything from conventions and exhibitions, to events and luxury car launches are held here. Notably, the 2005 Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) annual conference will also be here. The success of MTCEC's futuristic platform adds a whole new dimension to Macau's bankability. "With MTCEC marketing hand-in-hand with MGTO, we have started to tap CEI and go into Southeast Asia, Australia and Europe, as well as creating targeted CEI-type marketing. More and more, the trend for CEI is increasing," says Grendene. MTCEC's addition of a new ballroom in 2004, aimed squarely at the banquet market, underscores its commitment to providing a holistic approach to the CEI sector. MGTO also highlights Macau's potential while candidly admitting that some of this remains untapped. "Under the fast-growing circumstances in worldwide business tourism, Macau has the potential to become an international convention and exhibition centre," an MGTO spokesperson told CEI Asia Pacific. "As for its long-term development as a (leisure) tourist city, the development of conventional tourism, cultural and sport-related tourism, as well as regional tourism, are the new domains that the Macau SAR Government needs to expand on in future." The PATA Annual Conference has only served to underscore the Macanese Government's pledge to "actively plan and support the hosting of more world-class events to build Macau into a 'City of Events'," they add. Unhindered opportunity Zooming to the top of the world's tenth-tallest free-standing tower in a high-speed lift is an exhilarating experience whether you're part of a teambuilding group donning orange suits and scaling its ramparts, or a solitary observer. And glaringly visible is the stone's throw away that is neighbouring Zhuhai. Enter the Pearl River Delta and the potential goose to Macau's golden future. Since ushering in the Individual Visit Scheme enabling visa-free entry from neighbouring metros in Guangdong Province — Dongguan, Zhongshan, Foshan and Jiangmen, the influx of visitors has been continuous. Statistics from 2004 showed that arrivals into Macau since the scheme's launch had exceeded four million — accounting for more than 30 per cent of Mainland visitors to the territory. For the CEI sector in particular, January to September 2004 saw 12.2 million inbound visitors crossing Macau's borders. Of these, 22,580 visited on the premise of a CEI event — a 104 per cent increase in CEI-related arrivals over 2003. At the Westin Resort on neighbouring Coloane Island, director of marketing and communications Eric Chan points to a different micro-market dynamic. "Citibank, IBM and HP have big operations in China and all come to Macau for meetings," he says. "Most Fortune 500 companies have their offices in China, but if it's a question of bringing in worldwide staff for a conference there would need to be ease of travel and conference facilities. "If it's a question of Hong Kong over Macau, the combination of facilities, value and the brand assurance of Westin make for an enviable selling point." With Macau's resort-style properties offering an ample canvas for teambuilding, golf incentives and outdoor gala dinners, the likes of the 407-room, 28-suite laid-back palatial luxury of Mandarin Oriental, Macau; the classically elegant 326-room Hyatt Regency on Taipa Island; and the 150-acre, 18-hole golf course rolling off the roof of the stunning Westin Resort, the laid-back corporate retreat has been elevated to something of an art form in Macau. Accelerated transformation The entry of trailblazers such as The Sands Macau, which opened its doors mid-2004 to hoards of hungry Mainland gamblers, was only a taste of things to come in terms of high-end city hotel options. While enticing gamblers as its number one tenet, high-rolling clientele have been the spur behind the proposed addition of another 13,000 luxury hotel rooms in the city to complement Macau's existing 10,000. And while Las Vegas is a glowing testament to world-class gambling in luxury, it is also a conventions capital because casinos mean groups mean CEI. With the most recent string to Macau's bow undoubtedly its most magnificent — the Cotai strip, in which the reclaimed land in between the islands of Taipa and Coloane will see 10 leading global hotel brands vie for attention alongside the US$1.8billion Venetian Macau, set to open in 2007 — Macau's future is, quite literally, glowing. In-town construction hoardings offer glimpses of more splendour to come — with a six-star super-luxe Park Hyatt slated to open as early as 2007, and with its own-brand casino mooted to preclude it next year. The sky looks to be the limit for Macau. "People are looking for excitement when they come to Macau today. It's not so much about the leisure anymore," Hyatt Regency Macau's marketing communications manager Katharine Liu says. While the US$1.8 billion Venetian Macau will open in two years and offer one million square feet of meeting and exhibition space, with Four Seasons, Hilton Hotels, Dorsett Hotel Group, InterContinental Hotels Group, Regal Hotels and Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide all developing properties on the Cotai Strip, building is taking place at breakneck speed. What took Las Vegas 75 years to develop is being condensed into a mere three in Macau. Despite this, Shun Tak's Grendene is circumspect about it all happening overnight. "The developments — whether they are The Sands, the Wynn Resort or the Cotai Strip — are really going to happen in stages. It's not as if suddenly in 2010 it's all going to happen at once. Every year there will be something new, as the market grows — very much hand-in-hand," she says. Getting there Bolstering this market growth is the infrastructural backbone of Macau, again exhibiting the signs of aggressive growth in record time. The new Macau to Taipa bridge, opened in 2003 to ease traffic flow and enable groups to circulate freely around the territory — is a precursor to the more ambitious bridge that will link Zhuhai to Macau and Macau to Hong Kong. Shun Tak is known for having pioneered the world's first Sky Pier service, with the Turbojet Sea Express a revolutionary ferry service that fast tracks groups flying into Hong Kong International Airport with their baggage checked straight through to Macau, bypassing Hong Kong immigration. At just a 10-minute car ride from the Macau ferry terminal to Macau International Airport, while international flights remain fairly limited in frequency and destination, Shuk Tak's own carrier Air Macau is one of a handful of carriers opening up air access. The future for CEI groups looks bright thanks to ease of access, polished CEI facilities and a wealth of entertainment options to delight and motivate. However those in the know continue to believe that the CEI sector will take time to fully mature. "I think the CEI market might increase in the future," notes Hyatt Regency's Liu. "But I'd give it at least another five years." K hotel fact file macau Being one of the gateways to mainland China, Macau is offering a wide variety of five-star hotels to event and meeting planners with cutting-edge venues and facilities. Hyatt Regency Macau www.macau.hyatt.com Located on the island of Taipa and five minutes' walk from Macau's business district, the 326-room Hyatt Regency Macau provides 12 function rooms ranging from 28sqm to 350sqm with capacity of 16 to 450 seats of Theatre set-up. It also features a large patio next to the hotel's swimming pool, suitable for alfresco events. Mandarin Oriental www.mandarinoriental.com The 407-room, 28-suite Mandarin Oriental is famed for its banquet, spa and leisure facilities. Capable of handling up to 460 guests with 20 function rooms ranging from 32sqm to 567sqm, the hotel also has a business centre and a choice of opulent and well-appointed rooms which can be reconfigured to suit meetings of any size. Hotel Lisboa Macau www.hotelisboa.com Located five minutes from the Macau Ferry Terminal and 15 minutes from Macau International Airport, this glamourous 1,000-room hotel with 18 acclaimed restaurants and 24-hour entertainment is arguably the landmark in Macau. It has 10 function rooms all equipped with a full range of audiovisual facilities. Capable of hosting up to 1,000 guests. Pousada de São Tiago www.saotiago.com.mo This prestigious hotel within the Fortaleza da Barra fortress is situated in Macau's famous residential area, which is at the tip of the Macau peninsula along the scenic tree-lined Praia Grande Bay. It is five minutes from the historic A-Ma Temple and Maritime Museum and Gate of Understanding. It offers two function rooms of 27sqm and 50sqm to hold 25 and 50 respectively; plus a chapel dedicated to Saint James, the patron saint of the Portuguese garrison. Westin Resort Macau www.westin-macau.com Situated on 150 acres of rolling greens overlooking the South China Sea, the renowned Westin Resort Macau is the only hotel in Macau to be located by the picturesque Hac Sa Beach, loosely translated as Black Sand beach. Touted as the leading conference venue in the greater China region, the award-winning resort offers an extensive range of meeting and banqueting facilities of two private boardrooms, six meeting rooms, a garden court and a grand ballroom ranging from 20sqm to 276sqm with seating capacity for up to 216 guests.