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Event Highlight 53 MAY-JUN 2019 MEETINGS & CONVENTIONS MCMAG-ASIA.COM In brief A wash of purple lights illuminated the facade of the Ruins of St. Paul's. Nearby stood life-like replicas of Guia Fortress, Taipa Houses-Museums and A-Ma Temple. These were the sights that greeted delegates at the Sheraton Grand Macao Hotel, Cotai Central, during a familiarisation tour that took planners around all seven integrated hotels within the Sands Resorts Macao. Organisers decked out the hotel ballroom with Macau's colourful cultural and heritage sites during a themed banquet lunch for a group of 120 international meeting planners, as well as members of the media. The scene was set for delegates to experience and relive old Macau in the 1960s. Cultural feast Macau's unique Chinese-Portuguese heritage was the main theme of the sumptuous banquet menu, with iconic Portuguese and Macanese dishes as the main highlights. Guests tucked into Macau-inspired dishes like octopus salad, Portuguese grilled seafood, roasted Portuguese-style suckling pig, white clams in Vinho Verde, Portuguese rice pudding and serradura (Portuguese for "sawdust") – a layered pudding with whipped cream and crumbed biscuits. A fun twist during the banquet was when the staff passed around canapés, such as piri piri popcorn and Portuguese egg tarts, decked Sheraton Grand Macao Hotel, Cotai Central hosted a feast for the senses, from interactive food stations to life-sized replicas of heritage sights. FAST FACTS Event: The Ultimate Download familiarisation tour Venue: Tianshan ballroom, Sheraton Grand Macao Hotel, Cotai Central Date: June 25–28, 2018 Event size: 120 guests Contact: sales.macao@ sheraton.com Macau Sets The Stage For Cultural Encounters WORDS NAOMI NEOH out in traditional Portuguese folk dance costumes. Meanwhile, other staff dressed as local fishermen and pranced about the banquet hall with baskets of Portuguese finger food, such as bacalhau (codfish) croquettes and sardine crostini. Delegates were also served sangria straight from a terracotta barrel by a "Macanese villager" riding a trishaw. Engaging traditions Enlivening the event were various activity stations allowing delegates to experience Macau's traditional crafts. For example, there was a Chinese calligrapher, who penned delegates' names in Chinese, a Chinese knot artist, as well as a shadow-cutting artist who made paper silhouette cut-outs of guests for them to bring home. For the curious (and daring), there was also a fortune teller who provided delegates with personalised readings and advice about their lives and careers. Macau's Latin heritage also meant plenty of lively performances, from salsa dancing to fado, a traditional genre of Portuguese music . Above: Each table featured a centrepiece of giant hand-painted Rooster of Barcelos, the national emblem of Portugal. Left: The main stage featured a replica of the iconic Ruins of St. Paul's, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.