The MGS Entertainment Show 2017 starts today, Tuesday, at the Venetian Macao casino resort. The annual event, featuring a casino industry trade exhibition and conference, is organised by the Macau Gaming Equipment Manufacturers’ Association (MGEMA).
Approximately 170 exhibitors will be represented on the show floor this year, according to the organisers, including the Macau casino junket operators Suncity Group and Golden Group. The doors to the event – previously known as the Macao Gaming Show (MGS) – open to the public at 9.30am on Tuesday.
A number of leading digital technology companies in non-gaming sectors are also due to attend this year’s event, including cloud computing providers and major Chinese suppliers of e-Sports games, said the organisers.
MGS Entertainment Show will additionally feature some humanoid robots from Qihan Technology Co Ltd, a firm based in Shenzhen, Guangdong.
The conference portion of the event opens at 11am on Tuesday with a keynote address from Paulo Martins Chan, director of the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau. Macau’s casino regulator will talk about “Mitigate Risk, Enhance Supervision”.
Another speaker on the morning of the first day of MGS Entertainment Show is Pansy Ho Chiu King, an investor in Macau casino operator MGM China Holdings Ltd. Her topic will be “Belt and Road Initiative, Smart City, Smart Economy”.
Wilfred Wong Ying Wai, president and chief operating officer of Macau casino operator Sands China Ltd, will also speak in the same session as Ms Ho, with his topic being “Corporate Wisdom under One Belt One Road and a Smart City”.
Alvin Chau Cheok Wa, boss of Macau casino junket investor Suncity Group, has been confirmed at a panel session starting at 3.30pm, on the topic of “The Integration and Development of Technology and VIP Services”.
Thomas Pang, boss of another VIP junket investor in the Macau market, Meg-Star International, will sit on the same panel, along with Jay Chun, chairman of the show’s organiser. Mr Chun is also chairman of Hong Kong-listed casino equipment maker and services provider Paradise Entertainment Ltd.
The third day of the event, on November 16, will feature several sessions – from 10.20am until 12.20pm – on the emerging market of Japan, which is likely soon to enact a further round of legislation to establish a casino sector in the country.
During the afternoon, GGRAsia will be moderating a panel on the topic of diversification of the gaming industry in Macau and the rest of the Asia-Pacific region. Speakers include: Augustine Vinh, president of Vietnam-based consultancy Stellar Management Corp; Grant Govertsen, managing director of Union Gaming Securities Asia Ltd; and Vitaly Umansky, senior research analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein Co LLC.
This year’s MGS Entertainment Show is to be held from November 14 to 16 at Cotai Expo in the Venetian Macao casino resort.
