The NBA China Games brought crowds back to The Venetian Macao in the days after the October Golden Week holiday, giving Sands China a showcase for how major sporting events can keep visitors coming once the holiday peak has passed.
The Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks met at The Venetian Arena on Friday, October 9th, and again on Sunday, October 11th, with NBA Fan Day on the Saturday in between. It is the second consecutive year that Macau has hosted the preseason series, which the league has staged in China 16 times since 2004, according to NBA.com.
Houston won the opening game 135 to 117, with Alperen Sengun recording a triple-double and Fred VanVleet scoring 17 points in his return from a long injury layoff.
Alibaba’s high spenders
The games were presented by Taobao 88VIP, the membership program of Alibaba’s online shopping platform, which was the event’s title partner for a second straight year. More than 2,000 88VIP members obtained tickets through the program, about one-fifth of the opening game’s audience, HK01 reported. Members had a dedicated priority lane for entry and their own viewing section in the arena.
Alibaba founder Jack Ma watched the opening game from the same row as Jackie Chan and David Beckham, and Alibaba chairman Joseph Tsai also attended. Images of the celebrity row circulated widely on mainland Chinese social media, giving Macau exposure as a destination for live sport and entertainment.
Beyond the arena
Outside the games, Sands China and the league ran NBA House, a free five-day fan festival in Halls A and B of the Cotai Expo from October 7th to 11th. The event, which Sands said would feature nearly 30 partners and exhibitors, combined basketball activities with music, retail and dining, and gave families a way to take part without buying game tickets.
A Community Impact Week with youth clinics and school activities ran over the same period. Ticket sales for the games and Fan Day opened on August 12th through Cotai Ticketing, Taobao 88VIP, Trip.com and MPay.
For Sands China, the week fits the non-gaming commitments that Macau’s concessionaires made under their current licenses, which require investment in sport, entertainment and other attractions to diversify the city’s visitor base.
