MGS Entertainment Show returned for the first time in four years in November with a revamped two-day schedule and a pumped up MGS Summit.
Four years after it was last held as a live in-person event, MGS Entertainment Show returned with a revamped two-day exhibition and summit held at Galaxy International Convention Center on 14 and 15 November.
Taking advantage of the spectacular new venue – which itself only opened earlier this year due to various COVID-induced delays – MGS saw around 3,500 visitors walk through the doors, according to official figures, to see an exhibition featuring 35 exhibitors across 4,000 square meters of space.
MGS ran with the theme “The Asian Pioneer Returns” in 2023, and so it was that Jay Chun, Chairman of event organizer Macau Gaming Equipment Manufacturers Association (MGEMA), was again front and center as he welcomed guests including government dignitaries, representatives of all six Macau concessionaires and various other industry figures at a lavish Welcome Ceremony.
Attracting particular interest was MGS Summit, organized by Inside Asian Gaming, which saw several intriguing presentations and panel sessions addressing key issues impacting the Asian gaming industry.
The summit kicked off with a Keynote Address by Kevin Kelley, COO – Macau for Galaxy Entertainment Group, in which he discussed the shifting demographics of the Macau customer base and challenged industry suppliers to step up and play their part in diversifying the city’s gaming offerings.
“Only four game themes won’t allow the market to grow”, Kelley said, adding, “I am challenging all the manufacturers here today to embrace the opportunity to continue to support the development of gaming products that will facilitate the future. Rest assured if you guys develop more games that work, all of us operators will buy them.”
This was followed, aptly enough, by a suppliers’ panel featuring representatives of Aristocrat, Interblock, Light & Wonder and LT Game, before GLI’s Ian Hughes delivered a presentation on the development of artificial intelligence and potential use cases across the industry.
The afternoon session of MGS Summit began with an Operator’s Panel featuring representatives of Macau’s six concessionaires. Among them was SJM’s Chief Operating Officer – Gaming and Hospitality, Frank McFadden, who outlined his thoughts on the Macau SAR Government’s efforts to diversify the economy by stating matter- of-factly that it shouldn’t be up to operators alone to shoulder the burden.
Instead, he called for the development of a “visitor experience ecosystem” in order to remove unnecessary impediments to attracting international tourists.
Specifically, he pointed to issues such as Macau traffic, the lack of a reliable taxi service and the absence of business class seats on direct Macau flights as key considerations moving forward.
The government in cooperation with academia and industry experts must “identify all of the elements that make up the ecosystem … to create a harmonious and coordinated activity to create an atmosphere conducive to Macau becoming a [tourism hub] … and this still needs a lot of work,” he said.
Professor Wang Changbin, Director of the Centre for Gaming and Tourism Studies at Macao Polytechnic University, delivered a talk on how Macau’s concessionaires can broaden Macau’s tourism appeal to new international customers, and where they might find them. Then the day wrapped with a well-attended discussion between IAG’s Ben Blaschke and Tecnet Asia’s Suat Sirin on the rise of the Philippines’ PIGO industry.
Many attendees of MGS were also invited to IAG’s new networking event The Industry Party on the Tuesday night of the show, held at Oasis at Galaxy Macau.
