The cost of attending the upcoming Indian Gaming Association Tradeshow & Convention in San Diego is not inexpensive. There are travel, lodging and meal expenses, plus fees if one is an exhibitor.
That’s why Frances Alvarez wants to ensure attendees get their money’s worth through TribalBond.
“They can have tons of traffic through their booths,” says Alvarez, who leads TribalBond, and is the President of the Native American Hall of Fame and Gaming Commissioner for the Wilton Rancheria Gaming Commission. “But that doesn’t equal the right connections.”
TribalBond is a networking initiative designed to connect tribal casino executives with solution providers through structured, speed networking sessions. It’s based on the same premise as speed-dating – meeting multiple partners in a short period of time – to see whether there are possible shared interests. Launched at IGA’s 2025 Tradeshow, it proved to be so popular that it’s not only returning, but expanding meeting times from five to 10 minutes.
“At the five-minute mark, they were just getting into a conversation about what that service is,” Alvarez says. “So, we increased that to 10 minutes this year. …There is that first impression – they know right away, but it takes at least five minutes for them to identify it.”
TribalBond is geared to casino executives and tribal decision makers, including leaders and council members, who are looking for contacts and ways to provide better services at their operations.
“We pride ourselves in connections, in getting the right opportunity in front of our exhibitors,” Alvarez says. “They pay for this (TribalBond is free to attend for executives; exhibitors pay a small fee) and we want to make it worth their while.”
Attendees are guaranteed 12 connections over two days – April 1 and 2 – of TribalBond, with four sessions each day. Exhibitors are invited to select two of the sessions that they want to participate in, and in each session meet six executives.
Alvarez realizes the constant motion and flow of IGA sometimes precludes making connections. A Vice President of Marketing may not be available for a certain TribalBond session, but the Vice President of Human Resources can step in.
“They’re advocates for each other,” Alvarez says. “If they meet with someone who they find would be a unique solution for their property they’re going to advocate, and they’re going to take that information to their partners.”
Alvarez says TribalBond is worthwhile particularly for vendors who are engaging with Indian country for the first time. But it’s also valuable for seasoned exhibitors.
“We get on this cadence of going to these conferences every year, and we know exactly what we’re going to do,” Alvarez says. “We’re going to attend a couple of education sessions, and we’re going to hit the trade show and set up a few meetings.
“I consider (TribalBond) an elevated experience. I encourage tribal leadership and our executives to attend. It is no cost to them. In fact, we value their time, and we show that in the way that we treat them. It’s an opportunity to experience IGA in a way that they’ve never experienced before.”
