The agenda for the TribalNet Conference & Tradeshow slated for Sept. 20-24 in Dallas has been unveiled with an enhanced emphasis this year on artificial intelligence and cybersecurity.
Now in its 27th year, TribalNet will offer attendees sessions in eight focused educational tracks, including tribal gaming and hospitality, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, general technology, tribal-health info management, leadership, tribal-government member services. and highly technical sessions.
The sessions and speakers are still being finalized for the conference, which brings together IT professionals, gaming and hospitality executives, and healthcare teams from tribal governments and enterprises across the country, along with industry partners, for a week of education and networking.
“There’s no lack in how much technology is changing the game for every organization,” said Mike Day, CEO of TribalHub, the organizer of the TribalNet Conference. “It’s a part of every operation. Can you think of one thing that’s not dependent on or highly influenced by technology these days?”
Day wants attendees to know that technology doesn’t just belong to the information technology department. It’s a strategic leadership issue.
“You don’t have to be a technologist to be a part of the decision and strategy of what you’re going to do now,” Day said. “We’ll be speaking a lot about it. You don’t have to be technical to use AI. A lot of things changing the game are technology-based, but belong to leadership. We added a lot to our AI track. We have four advisory boards, one of them a leadership board made up of industry leaders who are not in IT, and they’ve added a lot to our agenda. The Leadership track specifically is meant to talk about the strategy and roles that people not in IT have to play now if they want the organizations to be successful. Technology is going to define what level of success you’re going to reach and whether you are going to be able to compete and do better than your competitor.”
Day said conference attendance will be strong this year. The event is on track to sell out its 250+ booths as part of the tradeshow component at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas. Registration is up almost 30% year-to-year. The event brings about 2,000 attendees, including exhibitors and speakers.
“One session of note for those working in tribal gaming and hospitality is our gaming-system-providers panel,” Day said. “This year, IGT, Aristocrat, Light & Wonder, and CasinoTrac will talk about the future of tribal gaming and where they think the industry is headed.”
That session, which will be moderated by Patrick Tinklenberg, vice president of IT at Sycuan Casino Resort, will examine new advancements in gaming systems, how gaming systems are staying secure in an age of increasing cyberattacks, and how casinos can better leverage their casino-management-system capabilities.
Another gaming sessions will discuss technology for better guest experiences and feature Rohith Kori, the senior vice president of product strategy and food and beverage at Agilysys, and Xavier Grace of Quick Custom Intelligence (QCI).
The concept is that guest experiences are a differentiator for properties and patrons expect immediate friction-free service from check-in to cash-out. The session will explore cutting-edge technologies transforming the guest journey.
There is a session on the relationship between regulatory bodies and IT departments, which is often viewed as a balancing act between technological innovation and strict compliance. It will discuss strategies for fostering a collaborative partnership between tech teams and gaming regulators and provide insight into the reasoning and motivation behind the actions of tribal gaming regulatory authorities, according to Day. The chairman of the National Tribal Gaming Commissioners & Regulators Association (NTGCR), Jamie Hummingbird, will be one of the speakers at this session.
There is a gaming session on mobile apps. While every property desires a single integrated app, launching a successful one requires a strategy that goes far beyond a simple download link. Guests and players expect mobile apps to seamlessly handle booking, communications, mobile gaming, digital keys, cashless and loyalty rewards all in one place.
“This session tackles the operational realities of mobile-app management,” Day said. “People will learn methods and strategies for avoiding app fatigue and keeping customers engaged long after they leave your property.”
One of the speakers at that session is from Chickasaw Nation, who holds one of the most robust apps for their properties, including WinStar World Casino and Resort, the world’s biggest casino.
This is the third year that artificial intelligence has had its own track and Day said they built it up even larger this year.
“It’s the thing that everybody is talking about,” he said. “We want to prepare people for what’s coming as much as anything. AI tools are being pushed out that not only find but bubble up all of the cybersecurity vulnerabilities in many products. These things are being released in the wild now and putting gaming and hospitality (and their games) and everybody else at great risk. You need to stay up to date on what you need to do to be in front of this.”
Day said beyond the gaming-specific sessions, the casino industry will be interested in other panels. There will be more sessions that any attendee is able to take in, which is why most people bring multiple attendees from one organization.
“We know with the gaming and hospitality people that we were pretty careful this year with our leadership, cyber, and AI topics; they’ll are want to be in there,” Day said. “There’s a huge gaming business component that is critical to that entire industry. If you are a gaming person, you can fill your schedule outside of gaming.”
Get more information on the conference agenda and register here.
