I recently participated in a panel at G2E. For those of you not in the casino industry, G2E is a huge collection of vendors, sessions and socializing.
The panel was “Social Media 101 for Casino Operators”. I shared that panel with Stacy Hamilton of SK+G and Greg Cannon of the Palms Casino. It was great fun, and we were able to share insights from the agency side, from the destination market side as well as the small regional gaming side. I hope we encouraged everyone in the room to give this world of social media a try.
As I prepared for the conference, I couldn’t help thinking about the person who got me into this crazy business. Her name is Nancy Trosclair Collier. I met her when I was doing non-profit work. She was a high-energy volunteer. She was something called a “host” at a Mississippi casino. We eventually became friends working on a few events for the New Orleans chapter of the March of Dimes.
One rainy and cold Mardi Gras day she called me with the offer of a job at a new casino wrapping up construction in New Orleans. Something about the timing made me say, “Why not?” Less than a week later, I had my first casino job as a group sales coordinator. Ten weeks later, the casino closed in bankruptcy! Yep! Ten weeks.
But when everyone ran from any future casino career, I ran TO one. It’s then that I realized this business isn’t meant for everyone. You have to love it. It kind of runs in your veins. I’ve worked in riverboats, land-based, corporate and the little boutique we like to call Wynn Las Vegas. The energy is the same even if it pulses to a different rhythm.
I hope you love what you do, too.
By the way, you can follow Stacy and Greg on Twitter. I encourage you to do so. They’re both really smart!
