(PR NEWSWIRE) Diversity and Its Role in the Gaming Industry Discussed
Panel to Explore and Highlight Diversity Programs and Practices Employed
By the Gaming Industry at American Gaming Summit
LAS VEGAS, Jan. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- A panel of industry experts will explore
the issues surrounding the development of proactive diversity programs as well
as highlight the best practices currently employed by the gaming industry next
week at the American Gaming Conference in Las Vegas.
The two-day conference at the Bellagio begins Wed., Jan. 10th with a
welcome ****tail reception followed by two days of presentations and panel
discussions by gaming industry leaders on Thursday and Friday, Jan. 11 and 12.
"Designs for Diversity: Minorities & the Gaming Industry" is the topic of
a panel discussion set for 11 a.m. Friday, Jan. 12, the closing day of the
conference.
"The gaming industry has recognized that a diverse workforce is good
business sense," said Rose McKinney-James, panel moderator and president of
Government Affairs, Faiss Foley Merica. "It not only promotes a sense of
community, but it enhances business and economic development opportunities."
McKinney-James said diversity panelists will discuss the different
approaches and initiatives taken to hire, retain and promote minorities as
well as the challenges the industry faces in identifying potential minority
suppliers and contractors.
"The American Gaming Summit organizers have gathered a distinguished team
of experts in this field for the panel," McKinney-James said. "The panel
consists of a diverse group of individuals who have worked and lived in the
gaming arena - and who have faced the very challenges associated with
implementing diversity programs."
Diversity panel speakers include Rick Colvin, vice president, Marnell
Corrao; Tony Gladney, vice president, Diversity, MGM Mirage; Yvonne Lewis,
Community Affairs coordinator, Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino; Valerie Murzl,
vice president, Human Resources, Station Casinos; Judy Patterson, senior vice
president & executive director, American Gaming Association; and John Wallis,
director of Purchasing, Atlantic City, Park Place Entertainment.
Because of these kinds of issues, the American Gaming Summit is considered
a "must attend" event for top-level gaming executives, said Glenn Fine, Group
Publisher for the Casino Journal Publishing Group. Established in 1994, the
Summit draws up to 1,000 national and international attendees from the gaming
and hospitality industries.
The American Gaming Summit is produced by Casino Journal Publishing Group,
the leading information provider for the gaming industry, Bear, Stearns & Co.
Inc., one of the nation's premier financial institutions, and Lionel Sawyer
Collins, Nevada's largest law firm.
The 2001 Summit will honor MGM MIRAGE Executive Vice President J. Terrence
Lanni with a Lifetime Achievement Award during the keynote dinner on Jan. 11.
In addition to honoring gaming greats such as Lanni, the Summit also names the
"Most Innovative Gaming Product of the Year" at the keynote lunch on Jan. 12.
For more information on attending the American Gaming Summit, call
800-394-2467. Attendees will receive a special room rate for Bellagio -- one
of the world's great hotels -- during the convention. Special sponsorships
and exhibiting opportunities are available for a limited time. For more
information call 800-229-8516.
SOURCE Casino Journal Publishing Group, Inc.
-0- 01/04/2001
/CONTACT: Tony Lewin of Casino Journal Publishing Group, Inc.,
702-736-8886/
