Doing business & staying in touch

Businesspeople are generally expected to dress smartly. Western business courtesies should be observed, although Americans tend to be less formal than Europeans. Appointments and punctuality are expected procedure and business cards are widely used. Dates in America are written month-day-year.
 

In Las Vegas the entertainment industry, although professionally run, is influenced by the liberal attitudes it encourages among its clientele. While conducting business in the entertainment industry, a lunch or dinner at one of the lavish hotels would not be unlikely.

The city's traditional industries are run by residents, many of whom are Mormon and eschew drinking and gambling. In these circumstances, meetings are more likely to be business lunches than dinners, and alcohol at meetings (unless initiated by the host) should be avoided. It is not usual to be invited into someone's home for business purposes.

During introductions, it is common to shake hands and address colleagues by their surname. On a day-to-day basis, however, people tend to address one another by first names. Gifts are not expected in business situations but are appropriate at the close of a deal or at Christmas and New Year.