At the Official Opening Ceremony of Studio City, “Asia’s King of Dance” Aaron Kwok took the stage to entertain VIPs, the media and special guests at Studio City Event Center as the warm- up for his upcoming concert at Studio City.
Before Asia’s “King of Dance” Aaron Kwok took the concert stage on Nov. 7 to officially christen the newly-opened $3.2-billion Studio City Event Center (SCEC) in Macau, China, a Who’s Who of Hollywood’s finest enjoyed the red carpet treatment on Oct. 27 before hundreds of global and regional media. It all added up to glowing reviews for the Hollywood-themed studio-concept resort that, in addition to a 5,000-seat arena, features the world’s highest figure-8 Ferris wheel.
“We were very pleased with the response for the opening,” said Mr. Sunny Yu, senior vice president, entertainment and projects of Melco Crown Entertainment, owner and operator of casino gaming and entertainment casino resort facilities in Asia. “Thousands of music lovers across the region filled the Studio City Event Center for the first show. Many fans were blown away by the top-notch acoustics and the overall luxurious environment of this spectacular venue.”
Managed by Spectra, the state-of-the-art arena offers theater-quality acoustics, a dedicated control room and satellite broadcasting infrastructure and is the centerpiece of Studio City’s live entertainment offerings. The first-class premium seating level offers 16 private VIP suites, some 242 luxury club seats and features a deluxe club lounge.
Kwok is arguably the most versatile of Hong Kong entertainment’s legendary “Four Heavenly Kings” and has been a dominant force in the world of music and dance for more than 30 years. His show continued to push the choreographic envelope on the high-tech world-class stage.
“We believe SCEC is a stage any world-class live entertainer would be delighted to perform on, and we are incredibly proud to present the top of the top concert series to music lovers moving forward,” said Yu.
He added that the artist was looking for a venue where he could stage the biggest and most technically ambitious concert of his music career. Kwok’s production team had specially designed a high-tech mobile stage exclusively for this show that allowed fans to dance along with him in a uniquely intimate standing zone around an extendable V-shaped stage.
“With SCEC’s world-class facility and a skillfully designed space, we were able to accommodate the requirement of the artist, the function of the stage as well as the safety of the audience,” said Yu. “With world-class technology and stage-to-seat configurations never seen in Asia before, we have a venue that will be a favorite for artists and concertgoers alike. We strongly believe that this center will present the ultimate music journey for people from across the region.”
While not sharing per caps, Yu said that all services were provided in-house by Melco Crown Entertainment and that “the Spectra team worked very closely with all the internal teams to ensure high standards of service delivery.”
“The food and beverage team provided a bespoke menu for all the VIP guests at our Club Lounge and the VIP suites at the premium level with a wide array of options, from Chinese, Southeast Asian to other international cuisines,” he added. “There were also concession stands serving a plethora of food and beverages to all guests.”
Yu said that with a large number of fans coming to the concert, the team coordinated with security, parking and local authorities to ensure the audience traffic flowed smoothly and swiftly.
“The staff at Studio City is fully and professionally trained in all areas of venue services from security to environmental services to box offices, making sure all events are delivered seamlessly and professionally,” he said.
Looking ahead, Yu said that a full series of concerts is scheduled for the opening month.
“The megastars secured for the upcoming concert season are all dynamic entertainers who have influenced millions with their music and performances including Madonna, Taiwan’s Mando-Pop super idols including Show Lo, JJ Lin, A-Lin and Hebe Tien who will headline the Taiwan Music Series at the SCEC.
“The fact that Studio City can attract and fully accommodate live performances from the world’s biggest stars on their world tour circuit demonstrates our commitment and desire to support Macau’s leisure entertainment destination proposition.
“Partnering with Spectra, we believe SCEC is an ideal venue for hosting the biggest international and regional concert tours, leading theatrical productions, top sporting events, award shows and other world-class events.”
As for the pomp of the red carpet night, Kwok performed along with Mariah Carey. Others who made the walk included Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio, Martin Scorsese, acclaimed producer Brett Ratner and a number of other dignitaries.
Interviewed for this article: Sunny Yu, (853) 868-7316