The Government would convene a meeting of an interdepartmental task force, to review arrangements for a concert held during the two days of the past weekend at the Olympic Sports Centre Stadium in Taipa, said the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Ms Ao Ieong U. Such review would help optimise the arrangements for future concerts.

Speaking on the sidelines of an event on Monday (22 January), Ms Ao Ieong noted the concert had attracted a large crowd, benefitting the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the area. However, people living in the nearby neighbourhood might have been affected. It was necessary to strike a balance of interests.

The planned interdepartmental meetings would review the traffic arrangements, crowd management, volume control, performance schedules, and stage construction of the event. It aimed to take in future any optimisation measures deemed necessary, to facilitate better coordination among departments, said Ms Ao Ieong.

The Secretary said any decision on whether to hold further, similar, events within the community would require the consensus of society. However, if concerts were exclusively held within integrated resort and leisure facilities in Cotai, that might not necessarily benefit the city’s SMEs. The Government must consider the need to attract visitors to community areas, balancing that with the day-to-day lives of residents, and minimising any negative impact on them. In this regard, residents and SMEs were welcome to share their feedback and suggestions.

The Olympic Sports Centre Stadium had held numerous major concerts before the COVID-19 pandemic, noted Ms Ao Ieong. Relevant public departments were experienced in dealing with them and had considered matters appropriately when granting permits for such concerts. Additionally, as it had been anticipated such concerts would appeal to people from outside Macao, relevant departments had made plans regarding traffic management, crowd control, and orderly exit from the venue, for those attending. These efforts had ensured the safe and smooth execution of events, said Ms Ao Ieong.