MGM’s international brand engagement program “Lion IP” has been honored by the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Gold Awards 2023, with the top honor the “Grand Title” in Marketing and the “Gold Award” in Heritage. This year marks the second time MGM received the top prize at the PATA Award, following its grand achievement in 2020 when the Company became Macau’s first integrated tourism enterprise to receive the highest level of accolade.

The two PATA awards this year recognize MGM’s visionary marketing strategies on “Lion IP”, which center on Chinese Lingnan culture to create a series of distinctive and original cultural tourism programs, accomplishing a vivid cultural symbol of Macau that “Where there are Chinese, there are lion dances”. Lion IP has broken new ground in the integration of culture and tourism, and developed an extended impact that propels innovations in preserving Macau’s culture and elevates Macau’s international status as a diverse cultural and tourism destination. To date, “Lion IP” has reached over 1 billion people worldwide.

Pansy Ho, Chairperson & Executive Director of MGM China Holdings Limited, said, “MGM has been a pioneer and focusing on the development of cultural tourism. Leveraging our market insights and capabilities, we have incorporated Lingnan culture into our tourism product development and ushered in "Lion IP" as an international cultural tourism brand. The program reinvigorates the image of Macau, while also fosters Macau’s development. 

“MGM has been committed to crafting diversified and quality cultural tourism offerings that resonate with all age groups globally. In Lion IP, we have harnessed the power of originality and technology to create a wide range of events including sports contests, art exhibitions, high-tech theatrical performances. Our offerings feature the crossover of the Chinese cultures and business forces, that the traditions can be preserved and nurtured through modern ways. The Lion IP has been well-received globally and further consolidated Macau as a cultural tourism destination,” said Pansy Ho.

In this year’s PATA Gold Awards, MGM’s two Lion IP-focused entries - “Turning A Traditional Cultural Symbol Into A Marketing Catalyst” and “Rejuvenating and Appreciating” clinched “Grand Title” in Marketing and the “Gold Award” in Heritage, respectively. The PATA Gold Awards is an annual prestigious event for the global tourism industry, with an intention to honor industry standout achievements. This year, only two Grand Titles and 21 Gold Awards were bestowed. MGM has distinguished itself among global travel organizations and won both Grand and Gold accolades, acknowledging the Company's great achievements and innovations in cultural tourism.

One Cultural Root Extended into International Cultural Touchpoints

“Lion IP” was founded in 2010, with the inaugural "MGM Lion Dance Championship” as the starting point. Over a decade, Lion IP has stood as a high-end cultural tourism brand that takes cultural aspiration, innovation and craftmanship as core values, seamlessly merging MGM’s lion symbol and Lingnan traditional Lion Dance culture. Preserving tradition and pioneering new paths are the two pivotal focuses of Lion IP. Through originality and technology, it aims to foster local sustainable development by forging a wealth of "Tourism +" offerings that represent Macau’s unique attributes. These experiences span across various industries, targeting audiences of different regions and age groups, effectively promoting Chinese culture at a profound scale.

"MGM Lion Dance Championship” is the flagship program of Lion IP. Since its establishment in 2010, it has become a prominent lion dance competition, with last year's contest drawing over 4 million viewers both online and offline. As the annual event enters its tenth edition this year, it is set to undergo a full-out upgrade in format and scale. It will be held at the front of A-Ma Temple for the very first time in the coming October, where will see top lion dance troupes from over 10 countries and regions come together in Macau to present a highly entertaining international sports event to people in the community and tourists. Besides, MGM will also organize a thematic “MGM Lion Dance Festival " in the Barra area, which is expected to become a cultural and tourism hotspot. To better promote lion dance, MGM also launched the "MGM Junior Lion Dance Training Program" in 2015, which has nurtured 544 young masters in Macau so far.

In 2021, MGM presented the special art exhibition “Awakening”, which embraced lion as an emblematic theme and brought together renowned Chinese artists from around the world to jointly create a world-class contemporary art event in Macau. Acclaimed contemporary Chinese artists Xue Song and Liu Guofu took Lion as inspiration to craft artworks specifically for the exhibition titled "Awakening Lion" and "Awakening" respectively. The Company’s art aspiration is to bolster the cultural confidence of the Chinese and put Chinese culture further on the world stage.

MGM is committed to facilitating advancement in Chinese culture via technologies. In 2021, the Company joined hands with Guangzhou Song and Dance Theatre to present the techno-cultural Dance Drama “MGM Awakening Lion” at the MGM Theater. Empowered by cutting-edge technologies and the world’s largest permanent indoor LED screen in the MGM Theater, the dance drama integrates theatrical technologies with intangible cultural elements, including lion dance, Nanquan and dance performance, to achieve bold innovations in showcasing the essence of Lingnan culture.

Early this year, MGM collaborated with Zhou Yi, master of fondant art, also known as the “King of Sugar” in China, to jointly present the “Fondant Art Exhibition”. The fondant art sculptures, reinterpreting Chinese festive and cultural norms in a modern way, provide a new lens for young generations to better understand Lingnan culture.

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About MGM

MGM is an abbreviation for MGM China Holdings Limited (HKEx: 2282) and is a leading developer, owner and operator of gaming and lodging resorts in the Greater China region. We are the holding company of MGM Grand Paradise, SA which holds one of the six gaming concessions to run casino games in Macau. MGM Grand Paradise, SA owns and operates MGM MACAU, the award-winning premium integrated resort located on the Macau Peninsula and MGM COTAI, a contemporary luxury integrated resort in Cotai, which opened in early 2018 and more than doubles our presence in Macau. 

MGM MACAU is a Forbes Five-Star luxury integrated resort inspired by the arts with every element of the resort infused with creativity and style. MGM MACAU has approximately 600 guest rooms and suites and boasts a number of distinguishing features, including the architecturally stunning European-inspired Grande Praça, housed under a soaring glass ceiling. MGM MACAU’s world class facilities include the MGM Art Space, dedicating over 5,000 square feet to display authentic works of art, conference and event facilities, spa, and seven signature restaurants and bars to fulfill any gastronomic craving. Our property is conveniently located on the Macau Peninsula and is directly connected to the luxury retail shopping complex, One Central.

MGM COTAI is the latest integrated resort of MGM in China. Designed as the “jewelry box” of Cotai, it offers approximately 1,400 hotel rooms and suites, Asia’s first dynamic theater, meeting space, high end spa, retail offerings and food and beverage outlets as well as the first international Mansion at MGM for the ultimate luxury experience. The Spectacle at MGM COTAI becomes the record holder of the largest free-span gridshell glazed roof (self-supporting) on January 19, 2019, making it the first architectural and structural GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title for Macau, China. MGM COTAI is being developed to drive greater product diversification and bring more advanced and innovative forms of entertainment to Macau as it grows as a global tourist destination. MGM COTAI is the only mega complex and hotel in Macau to gain three-star certification in both Green Building Design and Operation Label, as well as the first hotel in the Greater Bay Area and second in Greater China to receive the certifications.

MGM China is majority owned by MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) one of the world's leading global hospitality companies, operating a portfolio of destination resort brands including Bellagio, ARIA, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay and Park MGM. For more information about MGM Resorts International, visit the Company's website at www.mgmresorts.com.

For media enquiries, please contact:    

Jessie Kuan

Executive Director of Public Relations

MGM

Tel: (853) 8806 3412

Email: jessiekuan@mgm.mo

Karen Lam

Senior Corporate Relations Manager

MGM

Tel: (853) 8806 3421

Email: karenlam@mgm.mo