Macau’s Venetian was absolutely jam-packed over the weekend, kicking off with the Friday NBA game between the Brooklyn Nets and the Phoenix Suns, ushering in a new era of sports entertainment for the gaming hub.
The match – won by the Suns in overtime – saw some 14,000 fans pack the recently revamped Cotai Arena and was followed by a second showcase match on Sunday.
The return marks the first time in six years the NBA has officially been in Macau and is part of a five-year contract between Sands China and the American basketball giant.
The games also represent a new partnership with Alibaba, with founder Jack Ma in attendance at Friday’s game.
China is widely hailed as the NBA’s next biggest market, and Macau provided the perfect link to cross the divide that led to the halt in the NBA’s presence in the country.
Some 300 million players are estimated to currently play basketball in China, and – while they can’t bet on the sport in the country, the support boosts audiences worldwide, improving advertising revenues and creating new global sports superstars.
Sands China was smart to focus on the superstar value, bringing in Chinese athletes such as Yao Ming and Jeremy Lin. The group also focused on star entertainment, with the events featuring famous pop and rap singers. Predominantly featured courtside was action star Jackie Chan, seated next to Sands China celebrity representative David Beckham.
International star appeal was also not ignored, as Shaquille O’Neal was easily visible, while a host of NBA legends were also brought in.
Aiming for synergy with the MICE segment, the event also includes a 14,000 square meter ‘NBA House’ area, with photo opportunities, skills clinics, in-person fan interactions, F&B and more.
Signage for numerous MICE activities, including by the world’s largest cloud provider AWS (Amazon Web Services) – also a sponsor of the event, was widely visible throughout the NBA-themed area and further throughout the hotel.
