Cotai’s festive future

Economic transition inevitably comes with uncertainty, and venues in Cotai are adjusting their services and product to test new markets.

This ranges from more Indian restaurants and menus to cater to one growing market, to concerts or sports events to attract new, younger audiences.

What is more certain is that Cotai, the area of reclaimed land where Sands first opened The Venetian in 2007, followed by Melco’s City of Dreams and Galaxy – has become an entertainment hub. The post-meeting entertainment market for groups will be hotting up with vendors able to arrange VIP experiences and corporate hospitality.

When Studio City Macau opened in October 2015, the resort’s 5,000-seat event centre debuted the following February with “queen of pop” Madonna. This has placed the venue on a firm footing to compete with the Venetian’s Cotai Arena, which has built a dazzling catalogue of top events ranging from the Rolling Stones, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and professional boxing, to basketball, Canto-pop and huge incentive gatherings.

Studio City Events Centre, along with a 900 sqm hi-tech TV recording facility – Studio 8 – is also being geared towards event and incentive planners. In May 2016, a group of corporate buyers was shown the arena’s corporate hospitality operation, which covers 16 second-level private boxes; 14 with 12 seats and two 25-seaters, plus a VIP lounge (above). The VIP experience included a concert by Taiwan Mando-pop sensations Christine Fan and Jam Hsiao. Studio City Event Centre is offering corporate branding for boxes during concerts and events at the arena.

Studio City’s sister property, City of Dreams, has already established the House of Dancing Water as a prime fixture on the Cotai entertainment circuit. Now the VIP-arena experience is being positioned along with Studio City’s other unique offerings for MICE groups. These include priority use of the attractions such as the figure-8 Golden Reel, the Batman Dark Flight experience, followed by dining, and The House of Magic by Franz Harary, which consists of three theatres that can be booked for groups.

Case study: Check Point @ Pacha
When the pioneering IT security provider Check Point gathered its global teams in Cotai Strip for an event with the company’s senior management, they called on DOC DMC Hong Kong/Macau to come up with a venue that was nearby – and unique. Pacha, the Asia outpost of the famed Spanish nightclub and electronic dance music pioneers, fitted the bill.

Pacha’s location in Studio City is across from the Sheraton Grand, where Check Point’s main conference and gala was being held. The organisers wanted a chic venue that could easily accommodate 800 delegates for a 2½ hour cocktail party with food, entertainment and a talent-show-style contest between sales teams delivering an “elevator pitch” on the dancefloor.

Bruno Santos, Pacha’s manager, said that organisers had initially requested canapés only as part of the F&B, but he advised the addition of a buffet arrangement as the primary food feature of the event. This would ensure better access to food stations, including the client’s requirement for a gluten-free section, and that last-minute requests for vegan options were met.

Pacha’s outdoor area with six cabanas was also in use. This facility is now being branded as “El Cielo”, the Spanish phrase for the sky, and available for group hire. “The event shows how a good nightclub can handle MICE groups and makes a good change from a ballroom,” says Santos. “People are more likely to be relaxed and get to know each other this way rather than sat at banquet tables.”

DOC DMC’s Bruno Simoes added: “We easily walked people from the Sheraton, where the group was staying. With a big group this means peace of mind, because transferring 800 people would mean 20 buses, and that would’ve been a lot tougher.”