In this Alumni Voices episode Pedram Pakneshan, Vice President of Convention Sales at Wynn Las Vegas, shares how he built a 20-year career in hospitality sales starting from food service roles in college. Pedram discusses the power of networking, the value of structured mentorship, and the importance of personal branding for students entering the industry. His story is a masterclass in determination, humility, and readiness.

📌 Key Takeaways:

• Pedram started his career in entry-level campus dining roles, gradually advancing through leadership positions that taught him organization, attention to detail, and communication.
• A summer at UNLV and a hands-on event experience in Las Vegas sparked his passion for the scale and energy of the hospitality industry in that city.
• He landed his career-making opportunity at Wynn through strategic networking, follow-through, and taking initiative — including a cold follow-up to a contact from Dr. Jones.
• Though he didn’t complete a formal internship, he created a customized experiential learning plan with a supervisor, mirroring the best aspects of an internship model.
• Pedram now mentors students and interns, emphasizing that internship experiences should be tailored to each individual’s learning goals — and that employers should listen, not just teach.
• He encourages students to develop their personal brand, do their research, and polish their professional presentation — these basic yet powerful steps often set candidates apart.
• If he could do it again, he would pursue a rotational internship to better understand all departments — from front desk to housekeeping — as preparation for cross-functional leadership.