Sands China, MGTO and Consumer Council Launch 2025 ‘Quality Retail Service’ Seminar Series

Trains retail and tourism practitioners in support of ‘tourism + retail’

（Macao, July 24, 2025）– Sands China held an opening ceremony June 27 to launch the 2025 Quality Retail Service seminar series at The Londoner Macao®, followed by the first seminar in the series on the topic of smart communication in hospitality.

The objective of the Quality Retail Service seminar series is to develop participants’ understanding of the retail business to enhance consumers’ shopping experience in Macao. It is targeted at retail and tourism practitioners, Quality Tourism Services Accreditation Scheme merchants, and Adherent and Certified Shop merchants of the Macao Consumer Council’s Certified Shop Accreditation Project.

The programme is in its third year and is co-organised by Sands China Ltd., the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), and the Macao Consumer Council. The seminars aim to elevate the overall service quality and level of Macao’s retail industry to maintain the city’s brand image of integrity and excellence – in line with the government’s ‘tourism + retail’ strategy and the moderate economic diversification of Macao.

Around 300 participants attended the opening ceremony, including representatives from MGTO, the Consumer Council, and Sands China.

Doris Leong, representative of the Macao Government Tourism Office and head of the training and quality management department, said: “High-quality and satisfying retail services will help Macao establish a strong image as a tourist city and consolidate its position as a world centre of tourism and leisure. MGTO will cooperate with relevant departments and the industry to continuously organise specialised training courses and seminars to empower practitioners and strive to create a ‘return-worthy’ shopping experience for tourists, which will help enhance competitiveness, stimulate consumption potential, and promote tourism consumption.”

Paulo Cheong, senior vice president of human resources for Sands China Ltd., said: “The changes in consumer behaviour in recent years have made service quality in the industry a crucial element of success.  Sands China will continue to promote and deepen the training of retail talent so that customers can enjoy a high-quality retail service experience. We would like to express our gratitude to MGTO and the Macao Consumer Council for supporting the 2025 Quality Retail Service seminar series, as we work together to cultivate local retail talent. Looking ahead, Sands China will continue to cooperate with the government and the industry to promote retail transformation and service upgrades, jointly consolidating Macao’s position as a world centre of tourism and leisure.”

The 2025 Quality Retail Service seminar series is delivering four seminars from June to the second half of the year, inviting media professionals, representatives from well-known brands, and retail industry professionals as speakers. Their seminars will help brand representatives and practitioners understand industry trends and service concepts that keep pace with the times, thereby improving the service quality of Macao’s tourism and retail industries and increasing customer satisfaction. 

The first seminar featured Connie Wong, a communication and expression course instructor and cross-media communicator. Wong talked about how to apply effective communication to improve service and shopping experience and shared real cases to help participants become better at communication and attract more customers. 

The Quality Retail Service seminar series launched in 2023 as an initiative of the Sands Retail Academy. Sands China started 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 approximately 770 retailers. The Sands Retail Academy has trained over 13,000 retail practitioners to help them advance their careers, deliver quality service to guests and create unforgettable shopping experiences. The success of the academy was recognised with a PATA Gold Award in 2023 in the Human Capital Development Initiative category. 

The Sands Retail Academy is one of eight sub-academies of the Sands China Academy, a comprehensive talent development platform for Sands China team members and local industry professionals. Besides its various training programmes for team members, the academy collaborates with local and international tertiary educational institutions to promote the development of professionals in several industries in Macao.