Students at the International Gaming Institute at the University of Nevada Las Vegas recently were told to write proposals for an integrated resort to be built in Japan. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the students exceeded expectations.
The assignment came from UNLV Professor Bo Bernhard, who told the students to write mission statements, develop design elements, add marketing and branding strategies and put them in context within Japanese cultural norms. Students also had to consider an important issue for the Japanese—how to minimize problem gambling.
The students were required to explain their solutions in 20-minute oral presentations to a panel of judges who included Las Vegas casino executives whose companies are likely to bid on a Japan casino license.
When student Gin Sheng made her presentation on a development to be called the Mirai Tower Resort & Casino, “We had celebrity judges from MGM in the crowd,” said Bernhard. “The judges said that they arrived at the exact same market conclusions as she did in her analysis of the various locations for a Japan integrated resort—which is pretty remarkable, when you think about it, that she produced what a very-well-resourced major multinational did—as a grad student.”
Another student, Nguyen Tran, got an A+++ from one of the resort judges. “I know you’re not allowed to give multiple plusses, but please make an exception in this case,” the judge said. “I wish he could give our presentation when we do this for real in Japan!”
