With about three to five concerts being held in Macau every week, Macau’s “concert economy” is very “hot”, boosting the number of visitor arrivals and economic development, StarMac Entertainment Chief Executive Officer Lou Kit Long said yesterday.
Lou made the remarks in a phone-in programme hosted by public broadcaster TDM’s Chinese-language radio station, Ou Mun Tin Toi. Yesterday’s episode discussed how the “entertainment and convention” industry can boost the city’s economy.
Lou said that as Macau was striving to build itself into a city of performing arts and develop non-gaming attractions, it had an advantage over its neighbouring regions in hosting concerts, considering that the local venues were better equipped and advanced, and it was also simpler to apply for the use of the venues than elsewhere.
Macau Economic Association Vice President Lei Chun Kwok said during yesterday’s phone-in programme that the ‘concert economy’ was generating a direct impact on economic growth by boosting visitor spending.
Lei pointed out that in recent years various cities around the world have been striving to attract international superstars to hold concerts. Taking Japan as an example, Lei said that according to an earlier study, when a famous female singer from the United States organised a concert in Japan recently, the country’s concert box office and total consumption revenue were boosted by nearly five times, which showed that the concert economy’s great impact.
Lei further suggested that Macau should consider how to add more event attractions to enrich the ancillary services surrounding the concert economy.
Macau Federal Commercial Association of Convention and Exhibition Industry President Lo Wang Chun said in yesterday’s programme that the atmosphere and momentum for the exhibition industry were showing strong signs of recovery this year, adding that in the second quarter alone 368 exhibition events took place, an increase of 80 compared to the previous year.
“These events generated approximately 1.48 billion patacas in non-gaming revenue, primarily from exhibitions and trade activities, followed by contributions from tourism, finance, and information technology,” Lo said, adding that during the first half of the year, a total of 658 meetings and events took place, reflecting an increase of 166 compared to the same period last year.
Notably, attendance at large conferences surged by 130 percent, reaching around 9,770 participants, Lo pointed out.
Govt urged to train more talent
Lo said that the local sector was striving to attract large international conferences to Macau, noting that more than 10 international conferences with over 1,000 participants have been held in Macau so far this year.
Lo pointed out that the average spending of exhibition attendees is about 5,000 patacas, which is more than double the average spending of regular tourists at around 2,000 patacas, reflecting the significant economic impact brought by business travellers.
Lo pointed out that some large exhibition events have “exhibitions within exhibitions,” increasing the demand for exhibition talent and logistical staff, urging the industry and government to continue to organise relevant training courses for this kind of talent.
Lei agreed that the government should collaborate with the industry in training more professionals related to the exhibition sector. He added that to develop the “tourism+” and concert economy in Macau, the government needed to excel in coordination and overall planning.
Lei said he believed that with the right policies and support, the industry would enhance its competitiveness to attract different brand exhibitions to Macau.
Additionally, a listener pointed out during yesterday’s phone-in programme the serious issue of ticket scalping for concerts in Macau, urging the government to establish mechanisms to address it.
Lou said that ticket scalping was a common problem worldwide. He underlined that the mainland has already implemented real-name ticketing and other measures to curb this issue, but, he claimed, the result had “not been effective”.
Lou added that the local exhibition and concert sectors had also taken various measures, such as “proactively” contacting fan clubs for group ticket purchases, to ensure more people can buy tickets at reasonable prices.
Macau Federal Commercial Association of Convention and Exhibition Industry President Lo Wang Chun (left), StarMac Entertainment Chief Executive Officer Lou Kit Long (centre), and Macau Economic Association Vice President Lei Chun Kwok pose during yesterday’s phone-in programme hosted by public broadcaster TDM’s Chinese-language radio station, Ou Mun Tin Toi. – Photo courtesy of TDM
