Macau: Oriental gamble looks a sure-fire bet

"GEOFF McCauley was at his desk one day in 2001 when an email from a Kenny Wynn, requesting a meeting, popped up on his computer. 'I thought to myself, 'I don't know anyone by that name',' said Mr McCauley, senior director of quantity surveying firm, WT Partnership. As it turned out, Mr Wynn had approached him on behalf of older brother Steve, the fabulously wealthy Las Vegas casino operator. Steve Wynn has a personal wealth of $US1.3 billion ($1.7 billion), according to Forbes's list of the 400 wealthiest Americans, and his company, Wynn Resorts, was bidding for one of three new licences in Macau, subsequently issued in 2002. Mr McCauley, then managing director of the firm's Hong Kong operation, met with Kenny Wynn, who literally appointed his firm on the spot to handle the procurement for its Macau project. Macau is going off. It grew so rapidly last year that the former Portuguese enclave surpassed the Las Vegas strip, according to UBS, with revenues totalling $US5.4 billion, to become the world's largest gaming market." more:

About China Telecom Industry Taking on the world

"China Unicom in March began its foray into Macao. The firm received the first CDMA inter-regional licence issued in Macao.China Unicom (Macao) is bound by terms of the agreement to have the network up and running within six months in time for the East Asian Games, which will be held in October. Analysts believe Unicom's extensive experience in operating CDMA networks in the Chinese mainland helped it win the bid.'The deal was partly driven by the increasing business co-operation between the mainland and Macao,' says Zeng Jianqiu, a professor with Beijing University of Post and Telecommunications. He says he believes as more than 60 per cent of visitors to Macao are from the mainland, where Unicom is the sole CDMA service provider. Rumours have been swirling that China Unicom has been discussing the possible purchase of Companhia de Telecomunicacoes de Macao (CTM), Macao's leading telecommunications service provider. 'The purchase, if occurs, would be a strategic move for China Unicom in carrying out its overseas expansion,' Zeng says. He says he believes the country has already reached the post-WTO era, a time in which domestic market operators are encouraged to explore overseas business." Taking on the world

Macau Billionaire Stanley Ho to prolong life, of his wine, that is...

French experts are recorking 500 bottles of vintage Bordeaux this week in the cellars of Macau casino boss Stanley Ho, a delicate operation designed to prolong its life. Some of Mr Ho's bottles of wine, worth $2,000 to $2,600 apiece, are already 44 years old. He bought the 1961 Chateau Palmer wine - a classic vintage - in 1997 through a London wine merchant, who acquired it from a Bordeaux wholesaler. The tycoon has it stashed beneath the Hotel Lisboa, the flagship of his gambling empire in the former Portuguese enclave. The Chateau Palmer vineyard in the Margaux region in south-west France is owned by 22 shareholders, who are all members of the Bordeaux wine aristocracy. It comprises just 52 hectares. The weather in 1961 was temperamental, resulting in the production of only 35,000 bottles - hardly a third of normal production. Thomas Duroux, the chateau's general manager, said: 'The 1961 vintage was of exceptional quality. 'It is one of the 20th century's classic vintages, along with those of 1900, 1928, 1945 ... '" more

16-percent year-on-year rise in salaries

The latest figures released Saturday by the Macao Statistics and Census Bureau showed that the salary, in the first quarter, averaged 5,680 patacas per month (692 US dollars), up 16.35 percent year-on-year. Local economic analysts viewed that the SAR's economic growth boost by the establishment of a number of new casinos last year. The booming gaming industry has since attracted employees by high salaries. The monthly income of employees in the gaming business averaged 7,802 patacas (951 US dollars) in the first quarter, while in other economic sectors lower than 5,000 patacas (610 US dollars), the figures showed" more

Some MICE Business Ideas form Las Vegas Sands Expo

Here is an interview of Richard Heller, president of the Sands Expo and Convention Center ... Richard Heller knows how to keep customers happy because he used to be one. Heller, president and general manager of the Sands Expo and Convention Center, formerly was vice president of trade show operations for the Needham, Mass.-based Interface Group, which owned the Comdex computer trade show. As the owner of Comdex, Heller knew what it took to keep the show coming back to Las Vegas year after year. Now, the head of the Sands Expo Center sees things from the other perspective, knowing that he has competition that can undercut him in the local market.... Example .... What is the Sands Expo Center doing to increase its share of shows? I don't know if I'd say increase. We look at our calendar out into the year and we see a hole and we target customers and we attempt to fill it. It's about relationships and people. You can spend a ton of money advertising, but if you survey our customers, they know who we are and they know where we are. We go out and visit our customers in their offices in their places of businesses and we talk about the virtues of Las Vegas first because you can't sell them on the destination of the Sands Expo and the Venetian unless you convince them that they want to come to Las Vegas first. If they're convinced on Vegas, now we need to sell them on us. It's a lot of work and it takes a lot of time. It's not a go-out-and-close-you tomorrow. It's a joke with our sales staff that if a $200 or a $500 fancy dinner could close a piece of business, I wouldn't need a sales staff. I'd fly around the country, I'd seek 22 customers, take them all to an expensive dinner and have a contract. It doesn't work that way. It's about time and relationships and trust that we're going to deliver on our promise and that they're going to be successful when they come here with us. In Business Las Vegas:

Tailors, Temples, Trishaws & Gambling in Macau

Tailors, Temples & Trishaws in Macau Last month, seventeen intrepid women from San Francisco flew to Hong Kong, dropped their bags in Kowloon at the crack of dawn, and then promptly took the 45-minute ferry to Macau. Their destination? Nowhere close to Ho's twenty-five year-old flagship casino called Casino Lisboa or any place remotely related to gambling. Rather these women were on a mission to select fabrics from a tailor named Al who would not only duplicate the favorite garments they had brought with them from home, but who would hand deliver all of their newly-made suits, dresses, shorts, pants and jackets to their Hong Kong hotel, in less than five days. Here is an account of a ten-hour adventure to Macau -- which did not include one minute or one dollar spent in a casino. More from the Rugged Elegance Inspiration Network

Underwater casino planned in Macau

"The Macau government has tentatively agreed to grant land for the 'City of Dreams' resort, featuring an underwater casino hall with a capacity of 450 gaming tables and 3,000 slot machines, one of its developers, Melco International Development Ltd. said in a statement seen Monday. The hall 'will be surrounded by water and marine life,' Melco Group Managing Director Lawrence Ho said in the statement. The $1 billion project will also house deluxe service apartment blocks, 2,000 hotel rooms, a shopping mall and a 4,000-seat performance hall over about 5 million square feet of floor space. The resort will be located on Macau's Cotai strip, which developers hope to fashion as Macau's answer to the Las Vegas Strip, the statement said. The complex is expected to begin construction in the second half of 2005 and open in mid-2008. Melco, which is linked to Macau casino tycoon Stanley Ho, is jointly building the casino resort with Publishing & Broadcasting Ltd., a media and gaming empire that is 36% owned by Australia's richest man, Kerry Packer." more...:

PBL, Ho plan new casino in Macau

Kerry Packer's Publishing & Broadcasting Limited and its Asian gambling partner, Stanley Ho's Melco International Development, plan to build a second casino in Macau believed to worth more than $HK8 billion ($1.3 billion). The PBL/Melco partnership yesterday announced it had paid $US214 million ($277 million) for a 113,325 square metre chunk of land on Macau's Cotai Strip, more than twice the size of Melboune's Crown Casino. With an underwater casino "showcasing tropical marine life", 450 gambling tables, 3000 poker machines, three hotels, two blocks of apartments, and a theatre, the proposed development also dwarfs the partnership's other project in Macau, the Park Hyatt Hotel and Casino (200 tables and 1300 pokies). The casino construction is to begin in the "latter part" of the year with the complex due to open in the middle of 2008. The latest development will be operated by Mr Ho's privately owned Sociedade de Jogos de Macau, the owner of one of the three gaming licences in Macau. Unable to repel the entry of Las Vegas casino moguls Steve Wynn and Sheldon Adelson to the Macau gambling market, Mr Ho joined forces with Mr Packer last November to expand in Macau and other Asian capitals. Gambling revenue in Macau rose 44 per cent to $US5 billion last year and will increase 20 per cent over the next four years, according to Deutsche Bank analyst Marc Falcone. --more--

Shun Tak to pursue Macau carrier as Virgin Blue exits

"Shun Tak Holdings, a Hong Kong-listed company controlled by the family of casino tycoon Stanley Ho, will continue talks to set up a budget airline with Air Macau despite the withdrawal of Virgin Blue from discussions. 'We have been mentally prepared that Virgin Blue would drop out,'' a Shun Tak source said. 'As a foreign partner, Virgin Blue does not quite understand the Macau market nor whether its strategy would fit Air Macau or the government.'' The source said the venture will 'add value'' to the company since it also runs logistics and transportation businesses, adding it hopes to speed up the negotiations and work out details within three months. Virgin Blue, Australia's second-largest carrier, ended its participation a month after Patrick Corp gained control of the five-year-old airline. 'We've participated in discussions for several months to examine the feasibility of a joint venture operation,'' Virgin Blue spokeswoman Amanda Bolger said Wednesday. 'However, ultimately, we couldn't reach an agreement and formally and amicably ended our discussions last Friday.'' She did not give further details. Patrick, Australia's biggest port-cargo handler, last month gained control of Virgin Blue after making a hostile A$1.1 billion (HK$6.64 billion) takeover bid." more:

Energy Management in Macau Westin Resort

: "The 208-room Westin Resort Macau has passed a milestone that would be the envy of many a much larger hotel - two million US dollars in net savings from its energy management efforts. This hotel's approach to energy management has not been the simplistic "cut, cut, cut". Instead, their battle cry is "manage, manage, manage", they acknowledged energy management as a hotel-wide challenge more

Macao enters final round of UNESCO's world heritage competit

"Macao's bid under the name of Macao Historical Architecture Clump has been designated as China's only nomination to apply for the World Heritage selection of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2005. It embraces 12 priceless cultural heritage sites, including China's oldest church, Christian cemetery, lighthouse and western theater." more:

Wynn plans $345 million expansion in Macau

The casino company led by Steve Wynn has added a $345 million wing to plans for its casino in the Chinese enclave of Macau. The expansion, which will almost double casino space and add a sports book, two restaurants and a theater more:

Macau Sands targets at smaller punters

"The Sands Macau casino will turn its focus back toward low-stakes gamblers this summer, betting it will face better odds there than with VIP bettors" Non-VIP table revenue in Macau increased 60 percent in the first quarter of the year compared with the same period of 2004 The Sands will offers more frequent shuttle-bus service, stepping up database marketing in the region and offer lucky draws. more

Macau Golf tournament attracts top international players

With boosted prize money at stake, this year's Macau Open golf tournament will draw a number of top international players, including, Jason Knutzon, Fred Couples, Thaworn Wiratchant, Knutzon, Zhang Lianwei, etc, to the SAR next week. Admission to the tournament is free and the winner of the tournament will take home US$44,000 (HK$343,000). more

Wynn Resorts to Expand Planned Macau Resort

Wynn Resorts Ltd. plans to spend about $345 million more to expand its Wynn Macau resort currently under construction in Macau. The resort is scheduled to open in the third quarter of 2006. Wynn said the expansion will add 85,000 square feet of casino space, two additional restaurants, a theater and an entrance attraction. This is on top of the original plans consisting of a 600-room hotel, a casino, seven restaurants, retail space, a spa, a salon and entertainment facilities on 11 of 16 acres leased from the Macau government. The opening of the expansion is slated for the first half of 2007.

Stanley Ho plans new Macau project - May 4, 2005

: "Gaming tycoon Stanley Ho has unveiled plans to build a HK$6.2 billion ($795 million) entertainment and residential development in Macau, the latest in a spree of big-ticket investments earmarked for the booming former Portuguese colony" The project, to be designed by French architect Paul Andreu, includes hotel, residential, commercial and casino facilities. n March, U.S. gaming magnate Sheldon Adelson, who heads the Las Vegas Sands Corp. , announced plans for a strip of casinos, hotels and shopping malls costing up to $15 billion. more

Oceanus Complex by Paul Andreu

If Stanley Ho has his way, by 2009 passengers arriving in Macau will walk off the gangplank and into a massive HK$6.2 billion complex of shops, offices, apartments, a 600-room hotel and casino. Oceanus development centers on a half-kilometer-long main building shaped like a ship's prow pointing into the harbor, adjoined by a two-story shopping arcade leading to the ferry terminal. The 3.3 million square foot project will be topped off by a 180 meter-tall tower. The project will sit half on land yet to be reclaimed and the remainder on the site of the New Yaohan department store, which is set to move to a new complex next to the Macau Tower; the Jai Alai entertainment and retail center and an empty lot. more

Macau's exports fall in first quarter

"Macau's exports fell 18.1 percent in the year through the first quarter of 2005, while imports rose 4.8 percent, resulting in a trade deficit of 2.48 billion patacas ($311 million), the government said on Monday." Macau's exports fell 26 percent in the year through March to 1.22 billion patacas, while imports fell 2.8 percent to 2.28 billion patacas. more:

Macau casinos to chalk up higher gross revenues

Gross casino revenue in the gaming-friendly Chinese enclave of Macau is seen rising more than 40% in April from the same month last year, a Macau government source said on Thursday. In the first four months, the casino sector's gross receipts rose more than 20% to 13.9 billion patacas from 11.5 billion patacas in the same period last year, the source said/ more: