MGM China Chairperson and Executive Director Pansy Ho has revealed the company will develop new MICE and art space at its Macau resorts, MGM Macau and MGM Cotai, as part of its commitment under its new 10-year concession. The new space will cover 60,000 square meters at MGM Macau and 100,000 square feet at MGM Cotai.
Ms Ho unveiled the company’s plans during an event at MGM Cotai on Tuesday, with the 60,000-square-foot space on the first floor of MGM Macau to be remodeled.
“It will be converted into a multi-purpose MICE venue with a high-tech and forward-looking design,” she said.
“It’s unlikely that we’ll have the opportunity to build large areas, but it’s not necessarily true that every [concessionaire] builds large venues. We can build more personalized places with smaller areas.”
Ms Ho added that MGM would not hold large-scale exhibitions every day because “people nowadays are going to more high quality, specialized exhibitions”.
“The new venue will be suitable for performances, fashion shows and other events,” she said. “MGM Macau will aim to launch the new venue in the third quarter of 2024 in preparation for the 25th anniversary of Macau’s return to the motherland.”
At MGM Cotai, the company is looking to build a brand new 100,000-square-foot space on top of the existing structure, although “the proposal is awaiting government approval.
“This new building is not under our control. We have to apply to the government because this is a new theme.”
The space would be largely dedicated to the arts, with Ms Ho noting, “MGM has been working with artists to organize art exhibitions in the public spaces of the property” with the aim of encouraging members of the public to see the artistic and cultural side of Macau.
“We have never intended to turn MGM into a casino hotel,” she said. “We have always intended MGM to be a tourist destination. We put a lot of special thinking into our gaming bids.”
When MGM China signed its new 10-year gaming concession, it pledged to invest MOP$15 billion in non-gaming elements. Arts and culture is one of the 11 non-gaming elements the concessionaires were asked to address when bidding for the 10-year licenses.
It was also announced Tuesday that MGM Cotai will again collaborate with renowned Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos this year to bring Valkyrie Miss Dior – a new art installation created in collaboration with Dior – to Macau.
