Bosses from Macau casino operators Sands China Ltd and MGM China Holdings Ltd will speak on the July 11 opening day of the joint “Asian IR Expo + Global Gaming Expo (G2E) Asia 2023” event to be held at the Venetian Macao resort.
Wilfred Wong Ying Wai (pictured in a file photo), president of Sands China, will give a keynote address in the morning of July 11 for the conference elements of the joint event, which are being bundled as “Asian IR Summit and G2E Asia 2023 Conference”.
“Integrated resort” (IR) is a term used in the gaming industry to indicate large-scale resorts that have leisure facilities as well as a casino. The head of the Macao Government Tourism Office, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, will also give a speech called “Charting the Future of Macau Tourism”, as part of the Asian IR Summit.
In the afternoon of July 11, Hubert Wang, president and chief operating officer of MGM China, is scheduled to be on a G2E Asia Conference panel called “IRs and Casino Development: Future Trends and Challenges”.
Also scheduled for that discussion is Ed Bowers, president global development at MGM Resorts International, the parent of MGM China. Mr Bowers is also president and chief executive of MGM Resorts Japan LLC, which is set to develop a casino resort at Osaka in Japan. The venture has been described as a JPY1.08-trillion (US$7.51-billion currently) project located on an artificial island called Yumeshima, in Osaka Bay.
A third panel member pencilled for the same talk is Chen Si, chief operating officer for Inspire Entertainment Resort, a complex with foreigner-only casino being developed by the U.S.-based Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority at Incheon, South Korea. The property is due to launch some non-gaming facilities in the fourth quarter this year.
On the second day of the G2E Asia Conference, discussion topics include “Asia Gaming Landscape: a Decade into the Future”, and “Transition from VIP to Mass and Non-gaming: Bumpy or Smooth?”.
The third day of that part of the conference actvities will open with a keynote speech from Alejandro Tengco, chairman and chief executive of the Philippine casino regulator, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp (Pagcor).
Other G2E Asia Conference sessions feature “Asia Gaming Outlook”, and “Gaming Operation in New World”.
The Asian IR Summit will cover themes including “Insights of Tourism Development in Asia”, “Art and Entertainment Tourism”, “Sports & Esports” and “Health Tourism”.
The conference elements will run from July 11 to July 13, as will two trade exhibitions that are also being bundled together: Asian IR Expo and a G2E Asia exhibition.
