Mark Horan, the tower's new general manager, and the first GM of the Regent Grand Palms casino resort in Las Vegas, said a slot-machine hall with about 220 electronic games will open in the tower this summer.

The hall has been in the cards since the opening of the tower, owned by Sociedade de Turismo e Diversoes de Macau (STDM) and operated by Shun Tak Holdings 3½ years ago, but hasn't put into play since the center towered above its competition.

That will no longer be the case as this month will see the completion of the East Asian Games Dome in the Cotai reclamation area between Taipa and Coloane islands. Built for this autumn's international meet, the dome features a two-level exhibition center.

American convention king turned casino tycoon Sheldon Adelson is set to unveil details today about his own Cotai conference complex. Adelson's US$1.8 billion (HK$14.04 billion) Venetian Macau resort is to include a one-million-square-foot convention center, a 316,000 sqft congress center and a 430,000 sqft event center. At least six more resorts are set to go up around the Venetian, each with their own Adelson-run conference facilities.

Even Stanley Ho, who with his children controls STDM and Shun Tak, is hedging his bet on the Macau Tower by including two large meeting spaces within the Fisherman's Wharf shopping and dining development that he is to open next to the ferry terminal.

Horan, who served as Shun Tak's corporate director of food and beverage, business management and development for the past two years, expressed confidence in the tower's ability to stay in the game.

``The key is putting customers into the comfort zone,'' he said. ``We're of a personable and manageable size, which people like, we know who the players are, and we make a practice of under-promising and over-delivering.''

The tower's strategy proved successful with the hosting of a 10-course state dinner for President Hu Jintao and 360 VIP guests in December. Next month, the tower will host the annual conference of the Pacific Asia Travel Association next month, an event that will draw at least 1,500 attendees. Horan said he is upgrading the tower's restaurants and has added a new ballroom.

For visitors looking for more excitement, the tower in July will add another attraction from New Zealand bungee-jump pioneer AJ Hackett called Sky Jump.

Sky Jump, modeled on a program Hackett offers at the Auckland Sky Tower, will give visitors the opportunity to jump off the Macau Tower and speed down to the ground at 60 kilometers per hour guided by a cable rolling out at a controlled rate. Hackett's firm now offers nine activities at the Macau Tower, including Skywalk X, a harnessed stroll around the tower's outer rim, 233 meters above the ground.

Horan said he also expects the tower to get a lift from the 2.7 million sqft mixed-use project Shun Tak is building nextdoor.

Comparing the HK$1.5 billion development to Hong Kong's Pacific Place, Horan said it will include high-end office space, deluxe residential units, an upscale hotel, shops and a casino with 180 tables. macaueditor@singtaonewscorp.com