A true one-stop solution where groups can meet, stay, and play under one roof, Sands® Resorts Macao has become a go-to destination for global events.
The annual Destination Wedding Planners (DWP) Congress is universally recognized as the world’s premier event for destination wedding and luxury celebration organizers. Organized by QnA International, it’s frequently dubbed “the Olympics of the wedding industry.” And when it came time to plan the 12th edition, held April 22–24, 2026, organizers had one destination in mind: Sands® Resorts Macao.
Parent company Sands China Ltd. refers to Sands® Resorts Macao’s three interconnected resorts as a “city within a city,” where ultra-luxury accommodations (10,000-plus hotel rooms and suites), more than 150 dining options, and entertainment venues all sit in one central location. In addition, that footprint offers nearly 1.6 million square feet of meeting and exhibition space, including one of Asia’s largest exhibition centers, the 764,000-square-foot Cotai Expo. This impressive package means that planners and eventgoers never have to leave the property, even if it’s a complex, multi-day international event like DWP Congress.
The 2026 edition of the DWP Congress showed how a city-based, integrated resort can deliver a hyper-personalized, luxury experience at scale for a complex, multi-day congress.
While space wasn’t a challenge for DWP Congress, time was of the essence. QnA International finalized its venue choice less than five months out, leaving Sands China’s MICE team with a compressed timeline. But it was no sweat for the team, which has more than two decades of experience hosting 7,200-plus meetings and 640-plus expos.
Ultimately, more than 300 of the world’s most influential, high-net-worth wedding planners, designers, hospitality leaders, and luxury brand visionaries came together at 2026 DWP Congress, titled “The New Silk Road to Weddings,” and the experience took full advantage of Sands® Resorts Macao’s extensive venue offerings. To mirror the destinations highlighted at the congress, Sands China and QnA International created the sensation of international travel by holding functions in multiple spaces with each embodying a different destination. This journey gave attendees the sensation of “traveling” across potential wedding locales as they moved through the event program.
Hosted within the stately ballrooms of The Londoner® Macao, DWP Congress’ data-driven ‘matchmaking’ brought together buyers and suppliers in pre-scheduled, one-on-one meetings, an intentional format that removes the guesswork from networking.
The congress kicked off with a cutting-edge welcome experience at teamLab SuperNature Macao, an immersive art space in The Venetian® Macao, followed by an alfresco, Parisian-themed opening cocktail reception on the observation deck of the Eiffel Tower at The Parisian® Macao. Off-site guided excursions took eventgoers through the romantic lanes of Travessa da Paixão and the beautifully preserved Taipa Houses, a colorful representation of Macao’s Portuguese-colonial history and architecture.
The success of the DWP Congress only reinforces the impressive capabilities of the Sands China team when it comes to high-stakes events and creative problem-solving. Whether it’s an event for 200, 2,000, or 20,000 people, Sands® Resorts Macao can make it happen.
