For the better part of 30 years, Gail Fitzgerald has made sure that incentive groups at her hotels in Las Vegas have received the best service and experience possible. She first managed incentive accounts while in convention sales at the Flamingo and the Las Vegas Hiltons in the late 1970s, a time when "Las Vegas was seen as a low-end incentive destination, not the place for top performers," she says. "It was there that I realized what incentives wanted to accomplish and that participants couldn't walk away having had a normal experience."

Previously, Fitzgerald headed up the resort division of the Del E. Webb Corporation. At that time, the gaming industry was dominated by men—Fitzgerald was the only woman in charge of a revenue division at the company. "Most other women were in human resources or administration," she recalls. "Then Steve Wynn took over the Golden Nugget and hired the first female general manager in Las Vegas, followed by a female president of Excalibur. He was committed to making sure qualified women were in qualified positions."

At Wynn's Mirage, Fitzgerald helped establish a new height of service in the 14 years she worked there, first as director of hotel marketing and later as vice president of hotel sales and marketing. At the Bellagio, which she joined in 1998, Fitzgerald introduced VIP check-in for incentive guests—hotel staff would meet and greet winners at their limos and take them directly to their rooms, bypassing check-in.

Fitzgerald personally took over the incentive accounts at both properties, because she placed such a high importance on that business. "Only after we had trained people specifically for that market segment did I let anyone else handle those accounts."

Fast Fact: While working at a travel agency between college semesters, Fitzgerald discovered how affordable it is to travel, so she headed to Latin America and explored for nine months. When she returned, she went back to school. And back to work at a travel agency. She's been in the industry ever since. This page is protected by Copyright laws. Do Not Copy