Macau Ignite Media Group: Making Macau Happen

MACAU, Dec. 15 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- The Macau Ignite Media Group, a collection of 10 media companies in Macau, was officially launched today. The Group, which includes companies specializing in online, print, and out-of-home media, also laid out its vision for the future of Macau, Asia's fastest growing entertainment destination.

With visitation to Macau continuing to soar, driven by China's booming economy, Macau Ignite Media Group is perfectly positioned to capitalize on the rapid increase in consumer spending across every segment of Macau's market. The Group's media assets reach every visitor to Macau, whether they arrive by air, land, or sea. Almost 23 million people visited Macau last year, and by 2012 over 30 million visitors are expected to descend on Asia's newest entertainment destination. For businesses eager to engage these high spenders, whether in Chinese or English, print or digital, Macau Ignite Media Group can provide the right medium for the job.

Given the recent IPOs of Sands China and Wynn Macau, the future for Macau looks brighter than ever, according to Anthony Lawrance, Chief Executive Officer of Destination Macau. "We believe that Macau's economy is in the early stages of a transformation. While previously it was almost completely dependent on gaming, it is now being diversified through major investments by some of the world's leading hospitality, entertainment, and leisure companies," Lawrance said. "This is still the world's hottest gaming destination - revenues are back at record highs this quarter - but non-gaming is growing at a record pace, too."

Christina Siaw, Chief Executive Officer of Macau.com, said it is clear that the visitor demographics for Macau are rapidly evolving. "Higher-spending consumers are being drawn in by integrated resorts that are equipped with extensive non-gaming facilities, including convention centers, shopping malls, serviced apartments, theaters and theme parks. This new variety of entertainment in Macau is increasing the ratio of overnight visitors and lengthening their stay," Siaw said. Oscar Sousa Marques, Chief Executive Officer of Directel, added, "All of this points to rapid growth in per-capita spending, and we are ideally positioned to help brands capitalize on that growth."

While Macau's visitors come primarily to spend on gaming - Macau now generates more gaming revenue than Las Vegas and Atlantic City combined - they are showing an increasing propensity to spend on dining, shopping and shows. This is showing up in official figures: third-quarter retail sales this year leapt by 17 percent, driven by an astonishing 55 percent year-on-year growth in the sales of watches and jewelry. Through Macau Ignite Media Group assets, these new affluent consumers are able to book hotels, get the low-down on the best places to wine and dine, buy show tickets, and shop for luxury goods.

Online, Macau.com and Aomen.TV offer visitors everything they need to know about Macau, so they can easily plan and book their trips in advance. When it comes to show ticketing, Macau.com is a one-stop shop, available online at http://www.macau.com and offline at hotel concierge desks.

In print, the city's leading magazines, Destination Macau and The Guide, reach visitors in hotel rooms, on ferries and airlines, and at border points, while Directel has cornered the market for maps, guidebooks and Yellow Pages. Out of home, EC-AD manages the city's major billboards and light boxes, taxis and buses. Locally, Qoos.com, vProperty.com and macauHR.com dominate the social media, property search and job classifieds markets, respectively.

"This is a very exciting time for Macau Ignite Media Group as we are taking initiatives that embrace the future of Macau," said Carrie Law, Director of Strategy at Macau Ignite Media Group. "To facilitate the next stage of our growth, we will aggressively expand our portfolio of media assets in outdoor, online, print, and entertainment."

Kevin McKenzie, Director of Business Development at Macau Ignite Media Group, said the group's positioning is in line with the government's strategy to promote Macau as a well-rounded holiday destination. "We enable brands to reach the growing percentage of visitors interested in more than just gambling," he said. "The Group is partnering closely with the integrated resorts to accelerate the growth of Macau. Making Macau Happen - that's what we're about," said McKenzie.

    For more information, please contact:

     Macau Ignite Media Group
     Stella Yeh
     Tel:     +853-2872-2376
     Email:   info@macauignite.com
     Website: http://www.macauignite.com

SOURCE Macau Ignite Media Group

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