TBWA\HK was invited to pitch after the agency's work on Sands Macau, a one million square-foot casino and entertainment complex. The Grand Canal Shoppes will include up to 10 hotels and a major conference centre. It will comprise 250 to 300 retail outlets, and is slated to open in 2007.
Ian Thubron, CEO TBWA, said VML aimed to attract anchor tenants and leverage their involvement. "The tenant base is diverse, so while there will be some media, there will be a lot of business-to-business collaterals," he said.
Thubron added the unique selling point of the complex would be the creation of a modern-day Venice. "As it is constructed to look like Venice, consumers are going to flock here and spend a lot of money." Thubron said the campaign to prospective tenants would roll-out in the Q3 of this year.