Macau Needs a Different Entertainment Mix, Urges Gaming Guru

Wynn Macau’s vice chairman Allan Zeman, speaking at the G2E Asia Conference, has said that Macau must focus on its non-gaming market.

Zeman, Hong Kong’s “Father of Lan Kwai Fong”, who also sits on the board of Wynn Las Vegas, said that during the boom years in Macau the numbers “were great, but not real”.

“I think it’s very important that Macau looks at the non-gaming part because that’s what really drove Las Vegas’s growth. Now non-gaming accounts for 60% of the business in Las Vegas.”

When it comes to the standard of F&B in Macau, Zeman believes that the offerings in Macau are scattered, don’t have the right people to create an enjoyable atmosphere, and needs to become more sophisticated, reports the Macau Daily Times.

“It’s not just a DJ and loud music. Today the millennials want a much more relaxed atmosphere, a place where they can talk and enjoy themselves. You know that will change as well, but it takes time because what you have now is a new culture that has just evolved here.”

At the same time, he suggests the SAR needs to move beyond retail, restaurant and gaming to more variety in shows and entertainment. “The non-gaming drives the gaming and it will make the gaming stronger and stronger.

“Macau has the ability, they’ve got the money, the government has the money, the operators certainly have the money, I think this is time for companies to slowly change their product,” Zeman said.

He believes the downturn has done Macau a service, in particular for the young generation of Macau residents.

“I think now you have to go back to running a business through providing a good service, through thinking how you could be better than your competitors. Before you didn’t have to think, you just opened your doors and the crowd would just come in.”