Ken Ratigan, senior director of Las Vegas Hilton Convention Services and Catering, has a big smile, a hearty laugh and an easy-going manner, which all make meeting planners and exhibitors alike feel at home within the confines of the Hilton’s convention space.

In a culture where people move from job to job, Ken has spent more than half his life at the Las Vegas Hilton. A friend and classmate at Las Vegas’ Valley High School shared a job opening with him in 1973, and after landing the job of cook’s helper, Ken still looks forward to waking up and going to work at the Hilton 37 years later.

Ken’s love of cooking led him to the property. After the stint as cook’s helper, he became a cook in the Las Vegas Hilton’s coffee shop. From there, Ken went to room service as a broiler cook before working in the employee cafeteria for two years. He smiled and said working at the cafeteria “was a great opportunity to meet everyone who worked at the property.”

A 21-year-old Ken was happy in his role as a cook and looked up to Chef Jim Crawford, who had taken on the role of mentor while Ken was working and going to school at UNLV.  Ken laughed when he mentioned his propensity to add too much seasoning to dishes and recalled Jim’s words, “Enough is good. A lot doesn’t make it better.” He has applied that philosophy not only to his love of seasonings, but to life as a whole. Jim’s other advice to Ken was that he should make a change from cooking in order to further his career at the hotel.

This advice led Ken to a waiter position in room service and eventually the role of room service captain. After seven years in room service, a banquet manager position opened up and the Las Vegas Hilton president at that time suggested Ken for the job. Though he enjoyed room service, Ken took a chance and accepted the new position. In his new role, he worked for 160 days straight without a day off, and then proceeded to work another 84 days with only one day off in between.

Ken has retained his humor and a strong work ethic, taking on the banquet manager position for nearly a decade before moving to the role of catering manager. In 1997, Ken made a move to the Tropicana to run the property’s catering and convention services departments. However, he missed the Hilton, and three short years later he returned to the Las Vegas Hilton as director of catering, where he spent the last decade before becoming senior director of Convention Services & Catering last year.

Though Ken has become a fixture at the Hilton, he grew up far from the bright lights of the Las Vegas Strip. He was raised along with his eight brothers and sisters at Fort Buckner and Kadena Air Force bases in Okinawa, Japan. His mother worked there as a civilian after leaving her home in Hawaii, where she met Ken’s father, who was running the postal exchange.

Ken moved to Las Vegas when he was 13, and smiled when he recalled his time in Japan and his childhood dreams of flying airplanes in the military. “My one regret of my time in Japan was not learning to speak Japanese,” he said.

Coming from a large family, it’s not surprising that Ken places so much value on his relationship with his wife, Lisa, and their two daughters. Ken reminisced about how he met his wife at the Hilton. “She was in charge of group billing and we would attend the pre-cons together. She was always nervous speaking in front of me.” 

He laughed when mentioning that one of his wife’s favorite things about him is his prowess in the kitchen. His office is filled with photos of his family, and the pride he feels is evident when speaking of his 11-year-old and 14-year-old daughters and their musical and athletic abilities. “My favorite part of the day is when I leave work and know I did the best job possible and head home to my second job with my family.”

Ken’s first job revolves around filling the nearly 200,000 square feet of meeting space at the Las Vegas Hilton. “We have a great service team. Our job is to be there for our guests to ensure everything flows smoothly,” Ken emphasized in regard to the personal touches that are so important to his team. “In our line of work, there are a lot of hours. It is important to be dedicated and love what you do.”

Located adjacent to the Las Vegas Convention Center, the Las Vegas Hilton is a prime location for conventioneers, with luxurious accommodations available in the recently renovated, business-friendly North Tower Suites. From the 70,000-square-foot Hilton Center and 35,000-square-foot Hilton Ballroom to its conference rooms and board rooms, the Hilton can host meetings of all sizes. 

Throughout his years at the Hilton, Ken has experienced large trade shows like Comdex and CES, interacted with Elvis’s entourage and met lifelong friends. One of his favorite memories was of a young Mike Tyson, whom he met shortly after winning a boxing match. Ken laughed when he mentioned his failed attempt at offering to buy a drink for the young boxing champion. “Tyson turned me down and when I asked why, he said he hadn’t turned 21 yet.”

Ken has been at the Las Vegas Hilton for many years, and so have his colleagues. His banquet manager has been on property for over 20 years, and the food services team as a whole averages over 20 years. One of his catering managers has been at the Hilton more than 30 years and both catering administrative assistants have spent over 20 years at the hotel. “There are a lot of years in this office. It is a serious business, but we laugh a lot and it is a fun job.

Based in Las Vegas, Edlen Electrical Exhibition Services (www.edlen.com) is the nation’s leading independent temporary utility contractor for the trade show, convention and special event industry. National Sales Manager Julie Pazina can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .