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Pinoy Abroad

Pinoy ‘Renaissance Man’ named floral director at Wynn casino in Macau


Jerry Sibal, a designer of all things majestic, meaningful, and magical, will undertake probably one the biggest projects of his life.

 
Jerry Sibal. The FilAm photo
In April, the Wynn headquarters in Las Vegas announced his appointment as the Design, Development and Floral Director for Wynn Palace Cotai in Macau, which means that in Steve Wynn’s latest empire halfway around the world, Jerry will be designing the casino ballrooms with moods and concepts and lots of flowers that make the customers’ experience soar with excitement.

On April 29, Jerry was at the Wynn headquarters in Las Vegas for training. He dropped by New York briefly this week to wrap up some unfinished projects at his Jerry Sibal Design Fusion office in the Flatiron district. He will be in Macau by September.

“I need to interview people in China, Singapore, the Philippines, etc. for job positions,” he told The FilAm. “I need to set up my department.”

Wynn Palace Cotai is the latest addition to tycoon Steve Wynn’s chain of luxury hotel-casino-resort complexes that includes Bellagio, the Golden Nugget, The Mirage, Treasure Island, Wynn, and Encore in Las Vegas. Wynn Palace Cotai is his second casino in Macau. It is scheduled to open in the middle of 2016 as a sprawling destination with 1,700 rooms, an eight-acre lake, and large-scale floral sculptures.

“What an experience,” said Jerry of his Vegas visit for training. “We were picked up in a Rolls Royce limo to and from the airport. We were given a five-star treatment.”

In announcing the opening of Wynn Palace, the company promises “superbly designed gaming spaces” among its spectacular features. That’s where the artistry of Jerry comes in. His design portfolio has the elements of thrill and theater as seen in his large-scale weddings, bar mitzvahs, charity balls and other Manhattan socials. His book, “An Event to Remember,” was published in 2009, specifically to capture the beautiful and unforgettable events he has created for his clients over the years.

A graduate of architecture, Jerry came to the U.S. in the early 1990s. In New York, he worked as a floral designer for event and wedding planner Preston Bailey, a notion of beauty already within himself but further enriched by his experience and exposure through travel. He was Preston Bailey’s chief floral designer for many years until he founded Design Fusion with Edwin Josue, a real estate professional, and his partner of 23 years.

Gloria Vanderbilt, Richard Branson, and Celine Dion, count among his celebrity clients. He has designed events for The New York Yankees and the Museum of Modern Art, among top corporations and charities. He has also presented at the Macy’s Spring Flower Show.

Before Preston Bailey, Jerry was a performer of indigenous Philippine dances, and taught traditional Chinese brush painting. A long-time friend, CEO and philanthropist Loida Nicolas Lewis, recognizing Jerry’s many abilities and talents has called him a “Renaissance Man” when he did an impromptu Ifugao dance number to entertain her dinner guests.

It was Lewis who commissioned Jerry to design the set and costumes for “Noli Me Tangere,” billed as the first Filipino opera staged in New York. The 2013 production had a minimalist scenery where a capiz window was the central focus while digitally engineered lightning predicted the time and season as well as the musical’s high moments.

As a designer, Jerry has been known to orchestrate “architecture, lighting and audiovisual systems, interior decor, tabletop arrangements, and his trademark floral extravaganzas to create gloriously spellbinding environments,” according to his book

“Jerry’s creations are so unique, his flowers, his costumes, his sceneries,” said Lewis. “He is truly a world-class artist.” —The FilAm
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