(Macau, 19 September 2016) Sociedade de Jogos de Macau, S.A. (“SJM”) and the Macao Chamber of Commerce (“MCC”) co-hosted the “SJM and Macau SME Business Matching Session” in the Grand Ballroom of Grand Lisboa today. The Session focused on two procurement categories: “Hotel Operating Supplies” and “Food and Beverage”, and attracted the participation of approximately 400 representatives from over 240 SMEs.  Other supporting entities of the Business Matching Session include the Macao Economic Services of the Macao SAR Government, Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (“IPIM”), and Macau Productivity and Technology Transfer Center (“CPTTM”).

The opening ceremony of the “SJM and Macau SME Business Matching Session” was held at 3 p.m. today at the Grand Lisboa, officiated by the Representative of the Secretary of Economy and Finance and Director of the Macao Economic Services of the Macao SAR Government Mr. Tai Kin Ip, Deputy Director General of CPTTM Ms. Teresa Mok, Senior Manager of the Investor Service Department of IPIM Mr. Agostinho Vong, Vice-President of the Board of Directors of MCC Mr. Chui Yuk Lam, Managing Director and Chief Administrative Officer of SJM Ms. Angela Leong, Chief of Liaison Department of MCC Mr. Choi Tat Meng, and Assistant Chief Operating Officer of SJM Dr. Paul Hung.  The officiating guests were ushered through the procurement booths onsite to converse with the SMEs and SJM staff for a better understanding of the business matching session.

SJM has long been dedicated to promoting the moderate diversification of Macau’s economy and supporting local SMEs, exemplifying the company’s principle of “from society to society”. To support the Macau SAR Government's policy on prioritising purchases from local SMEs (including “Micro Enterprise”, “Made in Macau” and “Young Entrepreneur”), SJM jointly launched the “SJM and Macau SME Procurement Partnership Programme” with MCC on 1 August, and since then 500 local suppliers have enrolled in the Programme.  Following the successful launch, SJM held its first Business Matching Session today, offering MOP80,000,000 worth of business opportunities in two categories of products and services, namely “Hotel Operating Supplies” and “Food and Beverage”, of which MOP9,000,000 will be allocated to “Micro Enterprise”, “Made in Macau” and “Young Entrepreneur” businesses.

The Representative of the Secretary of Economy and Finance and Director of the Macao Economic Services of the Macao SAR Government, Mr. Tai Kin Ip, said in his speech that the promotion of the moderate diversification of the economy has always been one of the priorities of the Macau SAR Government. Driven by tourism and the gaming industry, Macau’s economy has been growing steadily, stimulating the development of peripheral businesses while creating many job opportunities.  According to Mr. Tai, in order to help local SMEs in this fast-changing economy, the Government has implemented a series of measures to facilitate their innovation and enhancement of products and services to encourage utilisation of new technology and optimise policies supporting SMEs. Through the delivery of services to their doorsteps and the expansion of services, the Government has proactively assisted local SMEs with resolving their difficulties and improving the business environment.  Mr. Tai said the Government was very grateful for the strong support from MCC in collaborating with the operators of integrated resorts to launch their local SME procurement partnership programmes.  The business matching sessions have facilitated cooperation between large and small enterprises, and encouraged large companies to fulfill their corporate social responsibility by purchasing local products and services. He said that so far the local SME procurement partnership programmes have covered over 15,000 types of products and about 400 types of services, and more than 400 local suppliers have secured new orders which amount to approximately MOP200 million in total.  He congratulated SJM on today’s Business Matching Session, and hoped that different communities will work together to increase support to local SMEs for a win-win situation for the Macau economy.

Mr. Chui Yuk Lam, Vice-President of the Board of Directors of MCC, remarked that SJM would continue to support the development of “Micro Enterprise”, “Made in Macau” and “Young Entrepreneur” businesses, and help them find more business opportunities amid the economic adjustment period. He stated that SJM would prioritise the collaborations with local SMEs in purchasing, and provide them with a higher chance of success for the benefit of the moderate diversification of Macau’s economy.

Ms. Angela Leong, Managing Director and Chief Administrative Officer of SJM said in her speech that SJM has always prioritised local enterprises with regards to purchasing, and is now expanding this initiative by providing more opportunities for local medium-, small- and micro-sized companies, as well as “Made in Macau” and “Young Entrepreneur”, exemplifying the company’s principle of “from society to society”. The Business Matching Session is one of the many channels through which SJM increases collaboration opportunities with the local SMEs.  Talking about the “Grand Lisboa Palace Dealer Uniform Design Contest”, she said, “The objective of the contest is to support local designers and promote the development of Macau’s cultural and creative industries.  Over 30 local designers have enrolled in the contest, and their works will be reviewed in late September.”

SJM arranged staff from respective purchasing departments to meet with representatives of SMEs at today’s Business Matching Session.  The face-to-face conversations provided opportunities for the suppliers to introduce their products and services, and at the same time, to learn more from SJM about procurement procedures and tender terms, with an aim to cultivate long-term cooperation between SMEs and SJM.  In addition, SJM also invited representatives from the Bank of China (Macau Branch), Banco Nacional Ultramarino, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (Macau), and China Construction Bank (Macau Branch), to be on site to present financial products that may assist with SMEs’ development.

SJM firmly believes that the development of local enterprises and brands will help boost Macau’s economy, and enhance the city's international presence.  SJM will launch more themed business matching sessions in categories of Hotel Operating Supplies, Food and Beverage, Gaming Operations, Information Technology, Marketing, Service, and Maintenance and Renovation in the near future, aiming to expand more business opportunities for SMEs.  For more information, please refer to the website of “SJM and Macau SME Procurement Partnership Programme” at www.sjm-sme.com.