Sands China Successfully Concludes 'Quality Retail Service' Seminar Series
'Tourism + retail' initiative attracts over 430 participants
(Macao, Nov 6, 2023) – Co-organised by Sands China Ltd., the Macao Government Tourism Office, and the Macao Consumer Council, the Quality Retail Service seminar series was a resounding success, wrapping up Oct. 19 after attracting a total of over 430 participants.
The Quality Retail Service seminar series targeted retail and tourism industry practitioners in Macao, merchants of the Quality Tourism Services Accreditation Scheme, and Certified Shops and Adherents. Over the course of the series, four seminars were held between June and October at The Londoner® Macao and The Venetian® Macao to enhance knowledge in the retail industry, thereby improving customers' shopping experiences in Macao. Each seminar focused on a specific theme: integrity of service, successful selling, quality affirmation, and complaint resolution.
"Sands China is very pleased at the interest shown in the Quality Retail Service seminars, as shown by the eager response of Macao's retail professionals," said Dr. Wilfred Wong, president of Sands China Ltd. "Our thanks go to MGTO and the Macao Consumer Council for co-organising this important initiative with us, to the presenters for sharing their valuable knowledge and insights, and to the many retailers who took advantage of this opportunity to help elevate the service quality of Macao's retail industry. In line with the Macao SAR government's 'tourism+' policy, we will continue our efforts to improve service quality in tourism-related industries, thereby helping propel the development of Macao into a world centre of tourism and leisure."
A representative from MGTO shared that the quality of tourism services is an essential aspect of visitors' experience in Macao. MGTO therefore launched the "Macau Courtesy Campaign" and has been promoting training events since July. In the future, MGTO will continue to organise various training courses, seminars and workshops to encourage and assist the tourism industry to strengthen training and improve overall tourism service quality and work effectiveness.
A Macao Consumer Council representative said that integrity of service, successful selling, quality affirmation, and complaint resolution by professionals and industry representatives help elevate service quality in the industry. The Council will continue to cooperate with different departments and industries in organising various kinds of seminars to encourage and assist in training, in order to provide customers with a better experience while protecting the rights and interests of consumers.
The seminar topics and their presenters were:
- Integrity of service, Helen Huang, manager of Haidilao Hot Pot in Macao
- Successful selling, Charles M. Choy, co-chairman of Macau Beer Company Limited
- Quality affirmation, Rocky Cheong Lok Kei, technical director of Fábrica de Medicina Chinesa Cheong Kun
- Complaint resolution, Chan Kam Un, mediator at Macao Consumer Mediation and Arbitration Centre
The Quality Retail Service seminar series was offered by Sands China via the company's Sands Retail Academy, for which the company won the PATA Gold Awards 2023 in the Human Capital Development Initiative category. Sands China launched the academy in 2013 to offer complimentary training to retail professionals at Sands Shoppes Macao – the interconnected group of malls comprising Shoppes at Venetian, Shoppes at Four Seasons, Shoppes at Londoner, and Shoppes at Parisian – which together feature over 700 retailers. The academy is committed to providing training programmes that help retail practitioners advance their career development, offer quality service to visiting guests and create unforgettable shopping experiences. It has trained nearly 12,000 retail practitioners in Macao to date, further enhancing overall service quality and work effectiveness in the tourism sector.
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: Participants of the Quality Retail Service seminar series join the "Complaint Resolution" seminar Oct. 19 at The Venetian Macao. Co-organised by Sands China Ltd., MGTO, and the Macao Consumer Council, the seminar series was a resounding success, attracting a total of over 430 participants.
