Photo November 2008 at the ZAIA Theater – Venetian Macao.

Manchester United visited Cirque Du Soleil’s ZAIA Theater in Macau, China as part of their promotion for the new Manchester United Interactive Football Experience located at the Venetian Macao. Here is the photo of MU with the ZAIA cast (I’m on the far right in the top photo).

Update December 2008: Manchester United wins the World Cup!

Manchester United Interactive Football Experience comes to the Venetian Macao
Macau can now experience what it is like to be at Manchester United (MU), as Asia’s first interactive football experience, MU Experience is opened at The Venetian Macao, launched by two former United stars, Bryan Robson and Brian McClair, joined by Mr Stephen Weaver, President of Asian Region, Las Vegas Sands Corp.

“I think the Experience is superb, it really captures the spirit and the atmosphere of this great club. The amazing way in which they have used technology makes it really feel like you are in the United dressing room or lining up with the players in the tunnel.” said Robson, former MU captain who was the longest serving captain in the club’s history.

During MU Experience, fans will have the chance to experience the drama and excitement of the build-up to a match at MU, including hearing Sir Alex Ferguson’s voice, without having to travel to Old Trafford.

“11,000 To Lose Casino Jobs in Macau” – front page featured news at CNN.com today. They are referring specifically to the Sands Venetian.

Well now, not the best news for us working at the Venetian in Macau – but insiders have known it was coming. The dream to make Macau the Vegas of Asia does not come without an element of risk. Granted, Macau IS currently the largest gambling destination in the world, having already surpassed Las Vegas. But a 12 billion or so development project (just to START) by the Sands is monstrous.

There are things I can say and things I can’t say. But about the mood of us over here working at the Venetian? Some are a little nervous wondering what the future brings, and others see ourselves as pioneers like the old Wild West. Not everyone made it in those wagon trains…

Me? I’m of the pioneer mindset. I follow paths to see where they lead. Sometimes it’s fun to do that, sometimes it’s not. But I can’t live without knowing which it is – so I’m in.

I believe in the vision of Adelson – and I think he will stop at nothing to see it through. And I believe in the vision of Cirque Du Soleil. I don’t mind bumps in the road – it tells me I’m still above ground…

CNN Article:
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/BUSINESS/11/13/macaus.sands.ap/index.html

EXCERPT:

The Macau sites, which have cost $1.16 billion so far, are part of the company’s $13 billion master plan in Cotai. Sands is trying to arrange between $1.5 billion and $2 billion in financing to continue building in Macau, but Weaver said it’s not clear how long that will take or when construction might resume, though he’s confident it will.

“We’ve got $1.2 billion sunk in to the ground, we’re not going to walk away from it,” he said. “I think there’s no possibility that it’s never going to start again.”

Weaver wouldn’t rule out further layoffs in Macau.

“We can’t promise that there won’t be people that ultimately are laid off,” he said. “But at this point no decision has been made.”