Macao’s premier industry expo and conference kicks off today at the Venetian, where more than 8,000 participants from over 90 countries are expected to attend. Global Gaming Expo (G2E) Asia and the Asian IR Expo will run concurrently, featuring a series of seminars spotlighting the impact of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence on enhancing guest experiences. Events will continue through Thursday

For G2E Asia, the first day will examine the broader Asian gaming landscape, featuring a keynote address by Grant Chum, chief executive officer and executive director of Sands China. A number of sell-side analysts including Praveen Choudhary of Morgan Stanley, Vitaly Umansky of Seaport Research Partners, and George Choi of Citi Research are also scheduled to speak.  

For the Asian IR Expo, industry experts will discuss how advanced technologies are being integrated at the operational level and what these trends might suggest for future developments and customer offerings. 

“Today’s integrated resorts are inundated with data and new devices coming online everyday,” comments Andrew Pearson, managing director of Intelligencia Limited, a Macao-based software consulting company, speaking to The Bay. 

“It’s all about engagement and utilising the right tools to manage the casino floor, because, counterintuitively, crowds can actually work against a casino’s bottom line,” he explains. 

On the second day, Jimmy Pak, regional solutions strategy lead at Twilio, looks to explore how operators can overcome disconnected IT and marketing systems, a paradox in the hospitality industry that forfeits as much as $17.5 billion in untapped non-gaming revenues. 

The third day will focus on sports trends, with an in‑depth discussion of how sporting events can further empower tourism. Mario Ho, chairman and co‑chief executive officer of NIP Group Inc. and co‑owner of the Boston Celtics basketball team, will deliver the keynote address then. 

“This conversation aims to highlight overlapping synergies between the Greater Bay Area (GBA) and Macao’s non-gaming developments,” comments Glenn McCartney, associate professor in integrated resort and tourism management at the University of Macau, who will lead the panel. McCartney recently published a timely article about boycott tourism.

G2E and the Asian IR Expo are taking place amid softening gaming revenues even as tourism inflows remain robust. Gross gaming revenues came in at a lower than expected 6 percent in April, bringing year to date growth to 12 percent. Total arrivals reached 11.2 million over the first quarter, up 14 percent from a year ago.