It was a dream event indeed, the grand launch of the latest entrant to the fast-growing hotel and gaming industry in the Philippines, City of Dreams. The presence of its A-list owners—Lawrence Ho, Melco Crown Entertainment cochairman and CEO; James Packer, co-chairman; and executives from partners SM Group and Belle Corporation—immediately punctuated the event with a mega-dose of power. Top entertainers—Ne-Yo and Kelly Rowland from the US and Jed Madela, Zsa Zsa Padilla, and Gary Valenciano from the Philippines—stamped the event as world-class. A programme chockablock with amazing offerings—from an outdoor mini concert to a fireworks display to a black-tie dinner— characterised it as fun. The city’s glitterati hobnobbing with high-rollers from all over the region was a preview of the dream that has just begun.