Sands China and MGTO Launch the Third Celebrity Mentor Workshop for Macao Retail Professionals Featuring Cheung Wai Tsz

Complimentary workshop series promotes advancement of Macao’s retail sector  

(Macao, April 24, 2019) – Sands China Ltd. and the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) held the third instalment of the Celebrity Mentor Workshop Series Wednesday at The Venetian^® Macao, led by former Hong Kong news anchor and television host Cheung Wai Tsz.

A professional communications trainer, Cheung delivered her well-attended Power Communication Skills workshop to a group of approximately 250 retail professionals.

The Celebrity Mentor Workshop Series was launched in October, and is co-organised by MGTO and the Sands Retail Academy. The training programme invites celebrity mentors to conduct customer service workshops for retailers in Macao, including employees of the retail outlets at Sands Shoppes – Sands China’s four interconnected malls comprising more than 850 retailers.

The workshops allow retail employees to learn from experts in their respective fields, better equipping retailers to provide the best experience for shoppers. During Wednesday’s session, Cheung covered topics like communication psychology and building rapport with a diverse range of people. With an interactive training style, the workshop provided theories with practical skills and case studies for the attendees.

“As Macao further develops as a world centre of tourism and leisure, retail professionals will continue to serve as frontline ambassadors for our city,” said Wen Hongyan, senior vice president of human resources for Sands China Ltd. “An initiative like the Celebrity Mentor Workshop Series arms them with enhanced tools to provide ever-higher standards of service, as the opening of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge has made it easier for visitors from all over the world to arrive. That is why Sands China is very pleased to work together with MGTO to provide this valuable training programme for Macao’s retail professionals.”

Four workshops have been planned for Celebrity Mentor, with each session aiming to train around 120 participants. The first workshop in the series was conducted in October by UK-accredited trainer and former Hong Kong actress Astrid Chan on the topic of personal branding. Motivational speaker and entrepreneur Brian Cha facilitated the second workshop in the series in November, where he shared his insights on sales and consumer behaviour.

At the event, Sands China showcased two of its career development programmes made especially for students: the Integrated Resort Internship Programme and the Career Experience Opportunities Programme (CEOP).

Celebrity Mentor is a project under the Sands Retail Academy, an initiative that seeks to continually advance the service quality of the retail industry in Macao. Launched in 2013, it offers complimentary customer service training to retailers in Macao, including the retail professionals at Sands Shoppes – comprising Shoppes at Venetian, Shoppes at Four Seasons, Shoppes at Cotai Central, and Shoppes at Parisian.

The Sands Retail Academy is the result of a collaborative effort between Sands Retail and Sands China’s human resources department. It is one of the initiatives of the broader Sands China Academy, which is focused on the career development of both Sands China team members and local Macao talent, like those employed by Sands China’s retail partners.

The work of the Sands Retail Academy helps its participants offer outstanding customer service and increases their skills to help further develop their careers. The academy is part of Sands China’s long-term commitment to developing local talent in Macao by nurturing locals who are not direct employees of Sands China. Over the past six years, it has delivered approximately 30,000 training hours for more than 8,000 participants to date.

Photo caption: Professional communications trainer and former Hong Kong news anchor and television host Cheung Wai Tsz engages with participants of her Power Communication Skills workshop Wednesday at The Venetian Macao. Co-organised by MGTO and Sands China Ltd., the Celebrity Mentor Workshop Series offers Macao retail employees, including those of retailers at Sands Shoppes, the opportunity to learn from experts in their respective fields, better equipping them to provide superior shopping experiences.

Photo caption: Sands China’s management team; Cheng Wai Tong (fifth from right), deputy director of the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO); professional communications trainer and former Hong Kong news anchor and television host Cheung Wai Tsz (third from right); and around 250 Macao retail professionals, including employees of retail outlets at Sands Shoppes, attend a Celebrity Mentor workshop Wednesday at The Venetian Macao.