Berlin Club: Upbeat Rhythms in Macao’s Nightlife Entertainment

Pousada de Mong-Há Awarded 2010 Macao Green Hotel Award

	IFT Takes New Role in PATA Macau Chapter
	IFT Provides Consultancy Services to UNESCO
	Signature Drink Developed by IFT Tourism Retail and Marketing Management Students
	IFT Students’ Work Experience at UNWTO
	Brussels Exchange Trip
	Summer International Exchange Programme 2011
	New Mainland, International and Exchange Students for Fall 2011/12
	IFT Students’ One-year Dual Recognition Degree Exchange Experiences during 2010/11
	IFT Students’ Experience during Spring 2010/11
	Dean’s List of Spring 2010/11
	2009/10 Degree, Diploma and Certificate Programme Graduates’ Employment Survey

	Courses and Seminars Offered by THS from October to December 2011
	First Step towards the Pastry Dream
	Court of Master Sommelier Asia Accreditations – Macao (First Run)
	IFT’s Sharon Fong Wins Artist in Residence

Fanny Vong, PhD
President

澳門各式各樣的晚間娛樂和文藝節目漸見高雅，伴隨着會展業的發展，配合政府部門長期作出的努力，吸引旅客延長留澳的時間，但這方面還有更多發展空間。

 

TM: It’s the original east-meets-west, with the wall and a lot of people remembering the divide.  So, in Macao a lot of people are in the middle of left and right, forward and backward.  It’s an interesting name for an interesting place!

TW:  So, how have you been steering Berlin in growth and establishing itself in Macao’s evolving entertainment market? 

TM:  We’ve been aiming at a very local market with live music, local DJs, local talent; when we have dancers, a lot of them are local girls.  Marketing-wise we hadn’t done too much due to getting our license the end of July.  We’re using mostly social media; Facebook’s our key one.  Word-of-mouth has come in quite handy, and people texting and letting others know what’s going on. 

TW:  How do you encourage return customers?

TM:  Always trying to give them a good time.  If it’s packed and they’re unable to get to the bar, or need to wait a couple minutes for their drink, just make sure they’re enjoying the music, enjoying the atmosphere.  A couple people I know don’t even drink and they’re here regularly having a good time!

TW:  Both of you project a lot of contagious energy on and off the job!  How do the two of you generate new ideas and put events together? 

DW:  It’s really casual, it’s good to brainstorm; each of us looks at what hasn’t been done in the market - as a first step.  Then, share ideas on what could be done differently.

TM:  Yeah, we also talk to people and ask what they want?  Other places only cater for certain markets, or get repetitive, and we don’t want to do that.  We’re trying to offer something new, something different.  Sometimes things will hit, sometimes miss.  Devin and I have the opportunity to try out things.  If it works, we build on it.  If it doesn’t, well, back to the drawing board. 

TW:  What kind of successes would you say you have had so far?

TM:  Brazilian night; that was a big one.

DW:  Brazilian night; also 80s night.

TM:  Yeah, that was big; even the 70s.  Our theme nights.

TW: Do you guys see the night entertainment scene here in Macao as dynamically different from that in Hong Kong? 

TM:  I think Macao has its own way.  People will come out a little later.  The general style of music people will listen to is not exactly the same.  In Hong Kong, it’s a bigger market, bigger place to fill. 

DW:  I would say there’s a core crowd of foreigners -- at least that’s the group we know best right now - that sort of gets divided between a few main places around Macao.  It kind of polarises Macao. 
In Hong Kong people have a bar-hopping attitude.  It’s not just one or two places a night; there’s a constant movement.  So it’s different how you try to capture your audience.  There (HK) you need to focus on keeping people in the club through peak hours, when they’ll be spending the most and the music is more upbeat.

TM:  Yet here, we’ve found that people will come to Berlin at 11:00 and won’t leave until 6:00 in the morning.  They’re not going from here to anywhere else and onward; they’re staying here, which is good.

TW:  Dev, what is it about Berlin that attracts you as a DJ?  What is it about Berlin, or the events, that attracts audience?

DW:  One thing I have here is more flexibility of the music I play. It is hard to find other clubs in Macao with the same ingredients that Berlin has.  Location is prime.  It’s a great size; the space can be adapted.  In Macao, you’re fighting over a core market of people that are going out, so it’s important that you adjust your size because if you’re in a really big club it’s easy for it to look empty all the time unless you’re really filling it.  So I think Berlin is great, in that it’s adaptable.

TM:  The curtains upstairs cordones it off a bit; keeps the crowd together.  Like if you had 80 people in here, close it off and it feels packed.

TW:  Dev, what sort of interactions are you generating with other DJs here in Macao - and what do you see as the positive gains from such commraderie?

DW:  I’m trying to network with other local DJs.  I don’t know the Chinese side as much as I would like to and I’m making a few key connections.  Trying to bring folks together; we’ve got lots of folks who’ve been trying to do their own thing, some more successfully than others.   I think it’s important and it’ll help everyone if we can bring together and consolidate these different crowds and these different tastes because there are a lot of good DJs here and lots of people who appreciate the music.  Berlin fits as a venue that can accommodate that well!

TW:  Tom, Berlin seems unique to me.  The place has head room for one.  What mental image of an overall experience would you like potential customers to have when considering Berlin?

TM:  I would like them to picture a very relaxed atmosphere because that’s the way it is.  Very enjoyable, everyone gets along.  There’s no beef; there’s no trouble.  Nothing like that.   It’s an environment where you can come in and just be yourself.   

TW:  Is there anything else you would like to say to industry folks in particular?

TM:  Come and enjoy Berlin!  Let us know if you’ll be in town, and if we’ve got a party on, you can come and join in!  I recommend, go to other places first, and then come here; see what you think.

 

Tom Wilhelm
Chief Editor

柏林會為客人提供一個舒適且放鬆的享樂環境。計劃到柏林會玩樂的你腦海應該浮現一處充滿歡樂且人們和平共處的地方。在那裡你可以做自己，抛開煩擾。至今，柏林會成功舉辦的主題之夜有 - 巴西之夜，80後之夜及70後之夜等。

Thanks to support from industry partners, IFT has acted as Chairman of the PATA Macau Chapter since 1 July 2011. This responsibility will be borne by the Institute until 30 June 2013.

The PATA Macau Chapter is one of the largest and most historical tourism associations in Macao, involving both public and private sectors. It was formed by the Macau Government Tourist Office. There are 76 industry members covering a variety of sectors such as aviation, hotel, education, events, government, restaurant, travel agency and ground transportation. These members have laid a solid and sound foundation for the chapter in the past.

In the future, we are committed to facilitating exchange of ideas, forging cooperation among members, and building a better future for our region.

To know more about the chapter and PATA, please visit www.patamacauchapter.org and www.pata.org.

Tourism College

旅遊學院由本年7月1日至2013年6月30日期間出任亞太旅遊協會澳門分會主席，學院將致力推動會員間的意見交流及合作，促進區內相關行業的發展。

In cooperation with the Macau Just Café / Vui Ut Company Ltd, IFT Tourism Retail and Marketing Management Year 2 students developed a refreshing signature coffee drink,  “M2 Kick Espresso”, launched for sale on 20 August  at Just Café. Team members who developed the drink include: Ben, Bruce, Kenny, Stephanie, Sandra, San, Lok Man and Melon.

The brand-new signature drink was created during a series of marketing activities carried out by IFT students in collaboration with Just Café. The activities were divided into two parts:

The first part had students developing a signature coffee drink with a unique taste to suit the summer. Coffee courses delivered by Just Café deepened students’ understanding of several varieties of coffee. With students’ innovations and repeated trials, a superior signature drink was finally approved by students and course instructors.  M2 Kick Espresso emerged as the representative drink to be marketed.

The second part involved students writing a business proposal regarding the signature drink. This proposal is part of the course, which is designed to provide students with a rich platform for realistic business contacts in practice in order to develop their innovative thinking and commercial acumen. Such a valuable experience accents students’ personal development.

With the increasing development of the Macao gaming industry and the growing number of tourist arrivals, Macao’s tourism retail industry shows signs of rapid development. In view of this, IFT offers its Tourism Retail and Marketing Management Degree Programme in order to cultivate future leaders in this growing industry. Apart from the retail-related theories learned in class, a 4-week practicum and a 6-month internship programme help enrich students’ working experience in the retail industry. The Institute has always encouraged students to apply theories learnt from the course to an actual business environment. Therefore, the Institute and course instructors strive to become the bridge between students and industry representatives in order to provide students with more opportunities to interact within the industry.

由旅遊零售及市場推廣管理專業二年級學生聯同澳門Just Café研發的夏日消暑咖啡特飲 - 「蜜蜜斟M2 Kick Espresso」於8月20日正式發售。該特飲是於3月至5月期間學生們與Just Café合辦的一系列的市場策劃活動所研發的產品。活動為學生提供一個富真實感的平台與真實商業活動接觸，在實踐中培養其創新思維及商業觸覺，為學生將來的個人發展累積寶貴的經驗。

聯合國世界旅遊組織為三名旅遊學院學生提供實習機會，三名學生將遠赴西班牙的馬德里及安道爾進行實習。

Genevieve Ho, Hotel Management Year 4
Terence Poon, Tourism Business Management Year 4
Sharon Cheong, Heritage Management Year 4

這次旅程為我們的學士生涯畫上了一個完美的句號，並帶給我們難忘的體驗。其中與歐盟總部工作人員之交流讓我們獲益良多，到訪當地也讓我們對歐洲以及布魯塞爾的文化有了更深入的了解。能參與這次的交流訪問團，我們實在感到非常榮幸。

Technical and Academic Support Division

		Chan Tim Fa, Adriana (middle) at NHTV Breda University of Applied Sciences, the Netherlands Year 4 student of Tourism Business Management It has been a valuable experience; I have learnt to appreciate different cultures and how to think and live in a positive way.
Wong I Teng, Tiffany at NHTV Breda University of Applied Sciences, the Netherlands Year 4 student of Tourism Business Management This overseas study opportunity is one of the most unforgettable experiences in my life!

		Cheong Mei Leng, Rita (middle) at IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems, Austria Year 2 student of Tourism Event Management My experience opened my mind to the world and allowed me to realise that I can go a lot further.
Lao I Kei, Winnie (2nd from right) at University of South Carolina, USA Year 2 student of Tourism Event Management A very worthwhile experience which can let you meet lifelong friends.
		Lei Un Kei, Aki (far right) at HAAGA-HELIA University of Applied Sciences, Finland Year 2 student of Hotel Management An invaluable experience that has become an unforgettable life memory.
Lok Sin Ieng, Dorothy (left) at NHTV Breda University of Applied Sciences, the Netherlands Year 2 student of Tourism Event Management I saw myself as a new person and realised the unlimited possibilities in my life.
		Cao Yang, Mozel at Hanze University Groningen, University of Applied Sciences, the Netherlands Year 2 student of Hotel Management The new life style tells me that people should always stay true to their dreams.

July
Adelina, Lou Vai Man, Assistente Técnica Administrativo, Technical and Academic Support Division
Connie, Wong Iat Heng, Assistente Técnica Administrativo, Technical and Academic Support DivisionFlorence, Lei Ka Wa, Adjunto-técnico, Purchasing Team

August
Kay, Kuan Wai Kei, Adjunto-técnico, Purchasing Team

Andrina, Lou Tip Si, Lecturer, Tourism College
Andrina joins us as an English Lecturer.  She has had a long-term interest in curriculum development and materials design for Chinese learners of English. Before joining IFT, Andrina taught English and assisted local secondary students in their transition from Chinese to English-medium schools.  For four years, she’s also been involved in teaching general English, tourism English and academic writing skills to undergraduate students at local universities.

Oralia Maribel Cardenas, Instructor, Tourism College
Oralia joins us as an Instructor in Culinary Arts.  She will be pioneering the first year bachelors Culinary Studies classes along with the Food and Beverage team.  In addition to her twenty-five years of hospitality experience, she has taught at Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Institution, Estrella Mountain College, Avondale Arizona and Mesa College, Phoenix Arizona.  With her vast knowledge in culinary preparation and instruction she will be a basket full of mise en place to complete our brigade.  “Food is art that contributes to all senses…enjoy”

Paule Loan Chau, Lecturer, Tourism College
Paule joins us as an English lecturer.  Paule earned her MA and BA degrees from California State University San Bernardino.  She has taught at California State University San Bernardino, Central Washington University, and Axia College of the University of Phoenix. She is working on a doctorate in Composition and TESOL from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Currently, Paule is working on a project examining language policies and the linguistic landscapes/soundscapes of Hong Kong and Macao.

Thea Edith Vinnicombe, Assistant Professor, Tourism College
Thea joins us as an Assistant Professor in Economics.  Thea received her Ph.D. from the University of Queensland in 1998 and has been teaching economics to business students since then.  She comes to us from the University of Applied Sciences in Fulda, Germany, where she has been working for the past four years. 

September
Kou Ieng Wai, Kitchen Assistant, Food and Beverage

以上為7至9月加入旅遊學院的同事。

2010年麵包及西餅製作文憑畢業生李佩祺和陳彥君分享作為社會新鮮人的創業經歷。

During the 6th Évora International Printmaking Festival, our Graphic Design teacher, Sharon Fong, won the “Artist in Residence” award.

The festival is a biennial event jointly organised by Teoartis Artistic and Cultural Activities Association and the Évora City Council.  With the objective to promote art and the exchange among international artists, this grand event always attracts printmaking artists from all over the world to compete for its ten awards.  Sharon, as a winner, was then invited to display her works in the 7th Évora International Printmaking Festival.  Her exhibition, ‘An Ocean Across The Seeds’, was held successfully this August in the Historic Centre of Évora, Portugal. 

Let us send our congratulations to her!

Tourism and Hotel School

熱烈祝賀方惠萍老師獲頒第6屆埃武拉國際版畫節駐場藝術家獎，並獲邀於本年8月葡萄牙文化遺產埃武拉歷史城區第7屆埃武拉國際版畫節中作其個人版畫展。