casino| Testimonials

"I had some hesitations when I enrolled in the Executive Development Training with UNR and UNLV. Would I be able to leave my work and my family for that long of a training? When I packed my bags to leave it, seemed like yesterday that I had unpacked them. Would it be worth the price of the training? The answer turned out to be I could not-not afford to go.

EDP was the most fun and challenging training I have ever attended in my 18 years in the gaming industry and I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to take their career to the next level. An extra bonus was making lifelong friends in the Casino world that are always a phone call or email away."

"One of the few things I’ve have always wanted to learn as I develop into the role as an Executive was to always have the ‘know-how-to’ attitude, well I guess in layman’s term it would mean Confidence.

When I first heard of the EDP through my other contacts who held senior executive positions in the industry, I was very keen on attending but I was told it was only for VP’s and above ( I was only an AVP at time).

Nevertheless, I never gave up on striving to be better and gaining more with time. Finally, in March 2016, I earnt my promotion to Vice President of Gaming, after spending a little of half a decade in VIP junket, Premium Mass & Mass operations as an AVP.

When I heard that the next EDP session would be in November of 2016, I was very excited and was ready to give it a go! Unfortunately, due to heavy work commitments following the months ahead, I had to leave it for the following year.

The time arrived, November 2017 – EDP Lake Tahoe, here I come!! I was strongly recommended by my superior to participate and I am very grateful for being given the opportunity of a lifetime to attend this program.

The ‘energy’ experienced at the Cocktail reception was enormous, gaming professionals & executives from all round the world, and the US-filled the room with unbelievable vibes. One memorable phrase I will always remember during the night was…. “The busiest 10 days you’ll ever love!”….and it was so true!!

Like they say, time flies when you’re having fun and by the time you know it, it was nearing the end of the program. What I found rewarding was the collaboration of leading executives from all aspects of the Hospitality industry (from Gaming to Finance, to Marketing to Security, Surveillance, F&B and others!) and experiences they had, formed an unbelievable synergy during all classroom sessions and the assignment filled with ‘powerful’ brainstorming moments. There were disagreements amongst the teams initially but as leaders and professionals, everyone eventually ironed out the differences and grew their strengths to unite and complete their assignments. At the end of the day, you‘ll realized that it takes a team of executives to work together, in harmony, with a strategic and diplomatic approach to achieve the ‘challenge’ of running an Integrated Resort, smoothly.

The speakers were great and highly motivational. They shared stories and experiences one can only imagine to collect in several decades as a gaming professional. But to listen to them speak and connect, was definitely a true experience. Dr. Bo was phenomenal! One truly inspirational and well versed speaker, knowledgeable facilitator and a great presenter! I truly enjoyed just listening to him speak and all of the other facilitators who contributed!

In summary, a Gaming Program not to be missed, especially for up and coming young executives who wants to learn more about the operational Challenges of an Integrated Resort and to excel at their management style! In our industry, we have to learn to be Ad-hoc, to prioritise as to optimize Time-Management because that’s the nature of our job!. And at this course, one will definitely learn that for sure!

People say, “It’s not what you know but who you know”. What I’ve learnt in my 26 years in this industry is, it is not who you know but what you do. And what you do, is who you know!

Let the games begin!"

"EDP provided an experience that was both professionally and personally rewarding. The ability to network with moderators, classmates and speakers made for an enriched learning and networking opportunity that is unrivalled in our industry. I would highly recommend EDP for any high potential leaders in your organization."

"I attended and graduated from the class of 2017 Executive Development Program. Several executives from Skycity had attended previous programs and gave me a little bit of a heads up on what to expect, not a lot but just enough to whet the appetite. I can honestly say that their description did not even come close to the uniqueness of the experience I found.

I have described my time on the program to others as challenging, exciting, thought provoking, definitely hard work, rewarding and satisfying just to give a few descriptions but at the end of the day, for me, it was about developing and building relationships with leaders and peers within the casino industry. It was about learning and gaining insight from the numerous presenters on a raft of subjects that we know off but may have never touched on in our careers. From the hilarious but very thought provoking way on how you need to be aware of dealing with the media to what does the future hold for a modern day casino or resort.

The facilitators and administrative staff are brilliant. I found the program well organised with the aim to challenge you from day one but to also make sure that you have fun whilst doing it. Look out for some of the extracurricular activities that are organised by the teams from Reno and Las Vegas, there are definitely some with that big competitive streak!!

I would encourage those that can attend to apply, you will find it worthwhile. If you are attending the program then I wish you all the luck as one of the quotes that sticks in my mind from the first day is this “you will have meltdowns, it has happened in previous classes so don’t think it will not happen to this class”. It is like anything in life, you will get out of things what you are willing to put in. I wish all the future attendees the best of luck and hope you enjoy the program as much as I did.

For 9 days we worked hard, and learned a lot, but most importantly, we became part of the EDP family, and this is a privilege in our industry."

"I would attend the EDP program over and over again. Knowledge, networking, and friendships make this short span of less than 2 weeks immensely satisfying. EDP provides a rare opportunity to interact with some of the most brilliant and inspiring minds in the industry.

No matter which level you are at, or what function or business you oversee, this program is for everyone who seeks to get ahead in life. EDP is intense, exhilarating, and extremely rewarding."

The Executive Development Program was an eye‐opening experience to meet Executives in the Gaming Industry from around the world. As the only 2017 participant from a manufacturer, this experience gave me exposure to the operations side of the business that provided an invaluable experience to be able to put myself ‘in my customer’s shoes’ and be a better resource for my customers."

"By working in some business area, sooner or later you came to conclusion, that you know already everything about this field, but time spent in EDP turned this statement upside down. I discovered a lot of new business related knowledge delivered by real professionals.

Time spent in this program was really tough, but prized with great people around. Lectures, group works, individual researches, preparation and events- all this kept me 8 days within the building. Attractive and interesting managed program motivates you to participate in discussions and act with full acceleration, energy and passion. I met amazing people, and with full responsibility I can call them now - Friends. Thanks to friends, our team was nominated as The Best Group and achieved 1st place in project contest. During the educational process, you should not care about anything - all your daily needs are perfectly managed by professional team; so all you need to care about is - to learn, learn and learn. By choosing and finishing EDP, you will reach a new level of understanding and leadership skills."