Sands China began celebrating the 10th anniversary of its Local Small, Medium and Micro Suppliers Support Programme last Thursday with an open day for small-and-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) at the Londoner Macao.
In a statement, the gaming concessionaire said 250 local SMEs attended the event, which encouraged “face-to-face conversations” with Sands China procurement representatives from an array of departments, including food and beverage, logistics, hotel furnishings and marketing.
There was also a special booth set up to support graduates of the Economic and Technological Development Bureau’s Technology Enterprise Certification Programme to learn about technology-related procurement opportunities.
The statement noted that Sands China recorded a gross procurement amount of 15.2 billion patacas in 2024, with 12.8 billion of that going to Macao enterprises – and over 4.6 billion patacas going to local SMEs.
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Speaking at the open day, vice president of the board of directors of the Macao Chamber of Commerce Hoi Lok Man described SMEs as “the economic foundation of Macao” and Sands China’s support programme – in which the chamber plays a key role in – as “an accelerator” for Macao’s economic diversification.
The open day was the start of a series of initiatives Sands China is organising to mark the programme’s anniversary. Others will include the Rua das Estalagens Team Member Food Fest at the Venetian Macao, the Sands Shopping Carnival, a Sands Procurement Academy training programme, the Sands Supplier Excellence Awards and a Macao Technological Innovation Exploration tour, along with a programme designed to boost local SMEs’ online marketing capabilities.
The “Local Small, Medium and Micro Suppliers Support Programme is in line with the Macao government’s initiative to ‘buy local’ and demonstrates Sands China’s commitment to supporting local enterprises as part of the company’s corporate social responsibility efforts,” Sands China’s statement read.
