Sands China Wins PATA Gold Award for Sands Retail Academy
Winner in Human Capital Development Initiative category
Company's 2nd consecutive PATA Gold Award
(Macao, Sept 12, 2023) – Sands China is a winner in the PATA Gold Awards 2023, gaining recognition for its outstanding talent development programme, the Sands Retail Academy, in the Human Capital Development Initiative category.
It is Sands China's second consecutive year winning the esteemed PATA Gold Award. The awards were launched in 1984 to recognise exceptional and innovative tourism initiatives in the Asia Pacific region and beyond, and has become one of the most sought-after awards in the industry. The Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) has been its official sponsor since 1995 as a contribution to help foster a sustainable tourism industry in the region.
Dr. Wilfred Wong, president of Sands China Ltd., said: "We are thrilled and honoured to receive a prestigious PATA Gold Award for the second consecutive year. This award is a testament to Sands China's unwavering commitment to developing the retail sector and nurturing professional talent for Macao's tourism industry. Sands China's success and Macao's tourism growth go hand-in-hand; the company has made substantial investments in the community it serves, with the ultimate goal of supporting Macao's development as a world centre of tourism and leisure. Shopping constitutes a significant portion of visitors' expenditure, and the quality of service provided by sales personnel directly influences the city's image as a tourist destination and aids the government's 'tourism+' initiative."
Sands China established the Sands Retail Academy in 2013 to cultivate and develop Macao's tourism professionals. The academy not only caters to Sands China's team members, but also extends its services to allied workers in the retail industry by offering complimentary training to retailers at Sands Shoppes Macao.
Since its inception, the Sands Retail Academy has organised over 1,500 training sessions, benefiting more than 11,000 retail professionals in Macao. With over 43,000 training hours delivered to date, the academy has demonstrated its commitment to enhancing the skills and expertise of the retail workforce.
Via the Sands Retail Academy, Sands China partnered with MGTO in 2018 to enhance its engagement with retail professionals in Macao. This was achieved through the Celebrity Mentor Workshop, a collaborative initiative where renowned Hong Kong celebrities conducted customer service workshops for the participants. The workshop aimed to equip retail professionals with valuable insights from industry experts, enabling them to deliver exceptional shopping experiences to visitors in Macao. The training sessions covered a wide range of topics including brand development, effective communication skills, advanced sales techniques, and understanding consumer behaviour.
In 2023, another significant milestone was achieved through a partnership with MGTO and the Macao SAR Government Consumer Council, resulting in the Quality Retail Service seminar series, which targets retail and tourism industry practitioners, merchants of the Quality Tourism Services Accreditation Scheme, and Certified Shops and Adherents. Over the course of the series, four seminars are being held from June to October 2023 to enhance knowledge in the retail industry, thereby improving customers' shopping experiences in Macao. Each seminar is focused on a specific theme: integrity of service, quality affirmation, successful selling, and complaint resolution. With this new series, Sands China aims to elevate the overall level and service quality of Macao's retail industry to maintain Macao's brand image of integrity and excellence.
One of the seminar participants is Uehy Tang Si Un, an in-store trainer for cosmetics retailer Lush, located at Shoppes at Venetian. She expressed her satisfaction with the practicality and applicability of the training provided by the Sands Retail Academy, and said: "The user-friendly tools and techniques obtained from the training at the Sands Retail Academy have facilitated our staff's acquisition of knowledge, resulting in exceptional service being provided to customers. As a result, customers have begun to appreciate our service and develop brand loyalty. I highly recommend the comprehensive training provided by the Sands Retail Academy to any brand looking to improve their efficiency and service quality, and ultimately, increase customer loyalty."
Sands Shoppes Macao, the interconnected group of malls comprising Shoppes at Venetian, Shoppes at Four Seasons, Shoppes at Londoner, and Shoppes at Parisian, encompasses over 700 shops across more than 2.1 million square feet of retail space. These retail malls have received numerous accolades, including the RLI International Shopping Center Award and the Most Innovative Retail & Tourism Destination Award at the prestigious Global Retail & Leisure International (RLI) Awards.
The Sands Retail Academy is one of eight sub-academies under the umbrella of the Sands China Academy – a comprehensive talent development platform established by Sands China for its team members and local industry professionals. In addition to providing diversified training programmes for team members, the academy collaborates with local and international tertiary educational institutions to promote the development of professionals in various industries in Macao.
Photo caption: Sands China is a winner in the PATA Gold Awards 2023, gaining recognition for its outstanding talent development programme, the Sands Retail Academy, in the Human Capital Development Initiative category. The academy has held many successful initiatives over the years, including a partnership with MGTO in 2018 to organise the Celebrity Mentor Workshop (pictured) – where renowned Hong Kong celebrities conducted customer service workshops for participants, in order to enhance the service training of retail professionals in Macao.
Photo caption: The PATA-Award-winning Sands Retail Academy programme's initiatives include a partnership with MGTO and the Macao SAR Government Consumer Council to organise the Quality Retail Service seminar series (pictured), which targets retail and tourism industry practitioners, merchants of the Quality Tourism Services Accreditation Scheme, and Certified Shops and Adherents. Over the course of the series, four seminars are being held from June to October 2023 to enhance knowledge in the retail industry, thereby improving customers' shopping experiences in Macao.