Mr. Orlando Monteiro da Silva, former president of FDI World Dental Federation, recently received his Letter of Appointment from Secretary for Economy and Finance, Leong Vai Tac, to act as one of Macao´s six “Conference Ambassadors”. Mr. da Silva believes that, due to several factors, such as an excellent geographical location, convenient transportation, perfect conference facilities and relatively high level of safety, Macao could attract more international conventions. Furthermore, Mr. da Silva stressed that he will actively develop his own charisma in order to boost the development of Macao´s convention industry, helping the city to find more business opportunities. Thanks to his assistance, ICD Macao Congress 2018 will be held here next year.
Aiming to attract a greater number of international conventions to Macao, and thus promote the exchange between Macao and other parts of the world, and also in order to direct and guide the development and growth of different business sectors, Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) launched the “Conference Ambassador” programme. In the first phase, it invited six international and local prominent personalities and authorities in the fields of medicine, civil construction, sport, information technology and chemistry to be “Conference Ambassadors”. They are: Mr. Liu Chung Laung, a member of the Advisory Council of the Macao Science and Technology Development Fund, Mr. He Jintang, Fellow of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Mr. Li Ning, Founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Li Ning Company Limited, Ms. Zhu Lilan, former Minister of Science and Technology of the People´s Republic of China, Mr. Orlando da Silva Monteiro, former President of FDI Dental Federation and Professor Tsui Lap-chee, a respected specialist in molecular genetics.
Macao has laid a solid foundation for hosting international conventions
Mr. da Silva says that he feels honoured and excited at his appointment as a “Conference Ambassador” and stated that he is fully aware of his sense of mission. He promised to make full use of his influence in the dental industry to help attract more conventions of his specialty field to Macao as a way to boost the development of the local MICE industry. He believes that the different “Conference Ambassadors” will exert their influence in their respective fields, to articulate and actively promote the growth and development of Macao´s different business sectors.
According to Mr. da Silva, Macao´s excellent conditions and a solid base, including its excellent geographic position, being adjacent to a large economy – Mainland China – coupled with several other advantages, namely strong government support, cultural integration and a high level of social security, as well as perfect convention support facilities., are factors that will attract different types of international conventions to Macao. Furthermore, Macao, being a service platform for trade co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries and in view of the excellent and friendly relations between Mainland China and the afore-mentioned countries, will also help to attract a greater number of convention participants from those countries.
“Conference Ambassador” attracts international conventions to Macao
Mr. da Silva is already developing his role as a “Conference Ambassador”, having successfully acted as an intermediary so the ICD Macau Congress 2018 will be held in Macao. He pointed out that the said event is an international congress of specialists that will attract dental specialists from all over the world to the city, and that the successful holding of the said event will raise Macao´s reputation and status, in addition to playing a positive role in attracting other international conventions to Macao in the future.
According to the President of ICD Section XV, Dato´ How Kim Chuan, ICD Macau Congress 2018 is jointly organised by the China and Asia-Pacific regions of the International College of Dentists. It is the first time such an event will take place, and therefore it is of great significance. Regarding the selection of the location for the event, the Organiser considered several locations. In the end, Macao was chosen due to its location as an important hub along the “Beltand Road”, coupled other factors, such as the strong support of the local government, perfect convention and exhibition facilities and Macao´s extensive experience in hosting conventions. The said Congress is expected to attract over 500 dental experts from 15 countries and regions and will play a positive role in promoting the development of Macao´s dental industry, while also boosting the development of local event organisers and the tourism industry. Mr How expressed his gratitude to IPIM for the valuable support and collaboration provided to ensure that the preparatory work was carried out in such an efficient manner and hopes that in the future he will have more opportunities to hold events in Macao.
