Creating Memorable Experiences

Last February, MGM COTAI opened its doors to the public, revealing not only a host of fine dining and exclusive retail, but uniquely, an impressive collection of contemporary Chinese art, the amazing digital displays in the Spectacle, and the MGM Theater with truly cutting edge technology.  Now as it enters its second year, the MGM team have some ambitious goals for using this space and technology to create even more immersive experiences for visitors.  CLOSER speaks exclusively to Grant Bowie, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of MGM China Holdings Ltd about their plans.

 

 

More than we expected.  The critical point from our perspective is making art and culture part of everyday life, and more accessible, and more a notion of its beauty rather than its collectibility.

 

One of the key points for us with MGM COTAI is that progressively, we want to create an environment which is about letting people create and interact with the art and content. 

 

When we opened the property, we had our Imperial Carpet collection,  the Chairman’s Collection, and our digital art at the Spectacle, but that’s just the first layer. The next step is how to get people to interact with and be part of this, and that’s where the technology comes in.

 

With this property, we’re really excited and very proud of the canvas we’ve created, and what we’re more excited about is how we continue to evolve that canvas. 

 

 

 

We want to make people part of the art.  For example, we have a piece of digital art in the Spectacle called ‘Timeslice’ – images that are captured and manipulated, so people can be the subject of the art.  There is another piece called You Are Art, so as you move through the space, you become part of the content. 

 

It’s about creating a communal experience; everybody’s life can be enriched when they are part of a creative process, how they interact with the space, and letting them use their own imaginations. 

 

We are in the entertainment business. Our art program is not just about art, it’s about creating experiences and memories.  When we talk about Macau and diversity, it’s about experiences. The initial thing that a tourist does is that they acquire things, but as the market matures, we have to create experiences and memories, because that’s what people value the most. 

 

 

The MGM Theater is our star. It’s been designed to challenge the current perception of how you produce entertainment.  And our biggest concern to date is finding performers and production people who can actually take on that challenge.  No show is ever going to look the same as when you see it in our theater, because the theater itself brings so much more in terms of the content and construct. 

 

The Jabbawockeez team has taken on the challenge. They are basically using every function that we have in the theater. 

We are challenging boundaries, not because we want to be artistically superior, but because we want to find things that will change and enhance people’s perceptions of what entertainment and theater is. 

 

 

We built this property with the notion that it’s a celebration of Chinese modernity.  Our Imperial Carpets Collection is a very good example of our modernist approach to Chinese representations. MGM is bringing the world to China, but there’s also an even greater responsibility, where we take China to the world. 

 

The interesting thing about Chinese contemporary art, perhaps more than any other kind of contemporary art, is that it’s still strongly connected to traditional Chinese art. And if you look through the history of Chinese art, every dynasty has its own sense of contemporary art.  If you think of the Imperial Carpets, much of that was contemporary technology when they created it within the context of the Qing dynasty. 

 

 

Macau people and visitors are blessed with an amazing array of choice. I’ve never seen a city of this population, with such a rich cultural offering, so trying to bring in unique entertainment is often challenging.  We continue to embellish and enhance our standing collection, and we’ve got some really cool things we want to do on the Spectacle screens. 

 

We’re looking to bring in touring exhibitions that we can put into the space.  And we are collaborating with Art Macao which is the new initiative from the government.

 

The next thing we want to do is attract family visitors. So for all intents and purposes, you’ll be able to watch Harry Potter on the world’s largest indoor LED screen at our theater, and with the presence of an orchestra. There’s nothing more enchanting than seeing music being created and where you can see the musicians reacting to what’s on the screen. Our theater is really about bringing people into the experience.

 

 

Just about everything we do, we understand that we want it to create opportunities for young local people. Anything we can do to stimulate young artists and performers is important. Jabbawockeez is running dance workshops for the local dance community.  We also have our Junior Lion Dance Training Program.  Over the past four years, over 270 young lion dancers have been trained and graduated from the program.

 

 

For the art symposium, we really want to bring renowned experts in the art world to the property, partly because we want an affirmation that what we are doing is legitimate, because sometimes in an integrated resort environment it’s not seen as serious. 

 

This year we want to discuss about the transformation of art with technology and how the more the technology evolves, the more it creates another medium for artists.  We really want to be on the leading edge as we want to build the world’s largest digital art collection. The bottom line is that the digital platform is still inventing itself. So that’s what we want to celebrate and get a sense of where it’s taking us, and how Macau can be a part of it.