Sands Macao 10th Anniversary Celebrates Company's Monumental Decade of Growth and Development

MACAO, May 16, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Having opened its doors for the first time on May 18, 2004, Sands^® Macao celebrated its momentous 10th anniversary Friday with a series of spectacular events. A decade after opening Macao's first gaming complex owned and operated by an international operator, Sands Macao is hailed by parent company Sands China Ltd. as the crucial, first seed of growth for a company that is now Macao's largest integrated resort developer, playing a key role in establishing the city as a world centre of tourism and leisure.

Starting from an initial 51 luxury suites at the time of Sands Macao's opening, Sands China's current (and still expanding) portfolio now includes over 9,000 hotel rooms and suites, 1.5 million square feet (140,000 square metres) of meeting and convention space, more than 100 different dining options, over 600 duty-free retail shops, two theatres, and a 15,000-seat arena. Running it all is a dedicated group of team members that has steadily grown from 4,000 to over 28,000.

Officiating guests led a ceremony at the Sands Theatre Friday evening to light up a Sands Macao 10th Anniversary Sand Sculpture located outside at the resort's fountain area with beautiful illumination, climaxing in a fantastic display of pyrotechnics above Sands Macao, displayed via live feed on the Sands Theatre LED screen. Those in attendance included Chief Executive of the Macao S.A.R. Fernando Chui Sai On, Vice-Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Edmund Ho Hau Wah, and Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of Las Vegas Sands Corp. Sheldon Adelson and Dr. Miriam Adelson. Other officiating guests included the Vice Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao S.A.R. Qiu Hong; Director-General of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in the Macao S.A.R. Huang Xing Qian; member of the MSAR Executive Council and Legislative Assembly Leonel Alberto Alves; Sands China Ltd. President and Chief Executive Officer Edward Tracy; and Antonio Ferreira, Managing Director of Venetian Macau Limited.

The ceremony's enormous sand sculpture was created by Team Sandtastic -- a world-champion and Guinness World Record-winning group of talented artists who have worked together to create the first sand sculpture of its kind in Macao and the only sand replica of a Sands building anywhere in the world.

A gala dinner that followed featured a headline performance by Hong Kong singer Sandy Lam, and was emceed by Macao's very own home-grown celebrity, Maria Cordero -- a fitting choice for many reasons, including the fact that she was the very emcee who presided over the opening ceremony of Sands Macao in 2004.

"Beyond celebrating 10 years since we opened our first property in Macao, we also celebrate the incredible pace of growth we've all seen over these past 10 years," said Tracy. "Sands China has grown tremendously of course, but even more significant is the growth of Macao into a world centre of tourism and leisure. Our company will continue to leverage its integrated resort business model to help bring the best of the best to Macao, including the world's biggest names in sports, film, music and more."

Earlier in the day, Sands Macao team members enjoyed a lunchtime celebration at the resort's heart-of-house staff area, with Tracy and other company executives presiding over the festivities. The afternoon saw a very select group of team members meet with Tracy at The Venetian^® Macao, where he delivered his thanks to a gathered audience of 188 team members who have been with the company since March 3, 2004, or earlier, and were on the opening team of Sands Macao; many of them have since moved up to managerial and executive leadership positions. More than half of the approximately 4,000 Sands Macao founders who joined the company in April 2004 continue to work at Sands China today.

About Sands^® Macao

Opened in 2004, Sands^® Macao is a world class hotel and entertainment complex with 289 luxury suites. Its stunning gold glass exterior houses a wide range of diversions including specialty restaurants, a heated outdoor swimming pool, deluxe spa and salon, conference and banquet facilities and unrivalled gaming excitement and live entertainment. It is also home to the Paiza Club: an invitation-only international VIP club with 51 premium suites with size, opulence and grandeur that rivals the best the world has to offer. As the first gaming complex in Macao owned and operated by an international operator, Sands Macao quickly set the benchmark for future developments in Macao.

For more information, please visit www.sandsmacao.com.

Media contact:

Public Relations, Venetian Macau Limited
Mabel Wu
Tel: +853-8118-2268
Email: [email protected]

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140516/88430

SOURCE Sands China Ltd.