2023 Sands Shopping Carnival Draws 100,000+ Visitors

On July 20-23, Sands China hosted the fourth annual Sands Shopping Carnival, a free business platform to assist small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and Sands retailers in boosting sales and capitalizing on post-pandemic economic revival.

Held at The Venetian® Macao’s Cotai Expo, the four-day mass shopping event drew 110,000 visitors, the most since the event’s launch in 2020. Supporting the Macao SAR government’s tourism strategy, the signature Sands China event attracted a significant number of tourists, which made up nearly 50% of visitation.

Guests browsed 580 booths at the 2023 Sands Shopping Carnival, the most since the event’s inception, spanning Sands retailer offerings, household products, parent and family necessities, Macao cultural and creative offerings, food and spirits, and activity zones for children.

In addition to supporting local SMEs, the 2023 Sands Shopping Carnival offered free booth space to local community groups, enabling them to share their services with visitors, gain visibility in the local market and provide job opportunities for their members. Sands Cares Ambassadors, Sands China’s Team Member volunteer corps, supported participating community organizations by helping operate booths and accompanying their members to see attractions.

For example, Sands Cares Ambassadors escorted members of the Macau Autism Association and General Association of Women to visit carnival game booths, as well as families from the Macao Federation of Trade Unions and the Women’s General Association of Macau to participate in food-prep and decorating activities led by Sands China’s food and beverage team. More than 80 Sands Cares Ambassadors contributed 200-plus hours of volunteer service at the carnival.

Sands China also enabled nonprofit partners to leverage the event to further their missions. Sands Cares Accelerator member Green Future, along with a group of Sands ECO360 Ambassadors, offered participating exhibitors an opportunity to learn about effective methods for recycling cardboard, plastic and metal. In addition, Macau Special Olympics members role-played as news reporters and editors by conducting interviews, taking photographs and shooting video to write, edit and do post-production for news reports about the carnival.

“The Sands Shopping Carnival has become Macao’s largest platform for retailers and SMEs to showcase their goods and services, welcoming more than 420,000 visitors since we launched in 2020,” said Dr. Wilfred Wong, president of Sands China. “Its overwhelming success has made it one of our flagship initiatives, further demonstrating our commitment to supporting a thriving local economy and advancing opportunities for local Macao businesses.”

Sands China hosted the 2023 Sands Shopping Carnival in conjunction with the Macao Chamber of Commerce and with support from the Economic and Technological Development Bureau, the Macao Government Tourism Office and the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute. It was sponsored by Bank of China Macau Branch, ICBC (Macau), Bank of Communications Macau Branch and BNU.

To learn more about Sands’ and Sands China’s commitment to helping local businesses and SMEs succeed, read the 2022 ESG Report: https://www.sands.com/2022-environmental-social-and-governance-report/