Shrek finds his new swamp in Macau

Sands Cotai, the newest resort hotel with properties like Conrad Hotel, Sheraton Hotel and Holiday Inn, will see the likes of Shrek, Alex the Lion from “Madagascar”, and Po from “Kung Fu Panda” strutting down the aisles this month.This “biggest investment aside from building the hotel itself” according to vice president of sales and resort marketing at Venetian Macau Brendon Elliot, is the hotel’s effort to market the property past its image as a gaming haven.The Dreamworks Experience will bring themed parades, unique F&B offerings (“Shrekfast” to replace breakfast, for example), meet-and-greet with the characters in costume, a DreamWorks themed Ice World in the fourth quarter as well as special room packages featuring animated personalities.Though Elliot admitted that Macau’s gaming to non-gaming entertainment revenue is about 85:15 and would take a long time to reach Las Vegas’s 50:50 ratio, he said the new audience of families and booming growth in non-gaming projects in the city are living proof that the strategy of partnerships – which currently includes carnivals, concerts, and international parties – are working.“My job is to drive demand to the resort and it’s only with great product that enables great experiences. We’re constantly evolving, as in, if you haven’t been to Macau recently, you haven’t been here at all.”Read the full story in Marketing's July issue.