The TribalNet Conference & Tradeshow is returning to Las Vegas for its 25th annual iteration that’s expected to set another consecutive attendance record. The conference hosted by TribalHub, the largest community of technology-minded professionals from tribes across the U.S., is scheduled for Sept. 16-19 at Westgate Las Vegas.
TribalNet is for general managers and technology-minded leaders, other gaming and hospitality executives, IT and cybersecurity teams, telecommunications and marketing staff, and human relations teams. Those from both the tribal and commercial gaming sector attend.
The Las Vegas conference is expected to attract more than 700 attendees from tribes and tribal gaming and showcase more than 200 exhibiting companies on the trade show floor. You can register here.
An entire educational track with multiple sessions will be focused specifically on tribal gaming and hospitality. Attendees can also choose from 30-plus additional sessions under five other tracks dedicated to cybersecurity, general technology, leadership and management, tribal government technology, and tribal health information. This year features a new track on the revolution in artificial intelligence with several sessions.
Some of the most highly anticipated sessions on the tribal gaming track are the Gaming Systems Panel and Cashless/Digital Wallet.
The Gaming Systems panel will feature representatives from IGT, Aristocrat, Light & Wonder, and CasinoTrac and be moderated by Virgil Debrosse, IT senior account manager at Chickasaw Nation, and Patrick Tinklenberg, vice president of IT at Sycuan Casino. They’ll be discussing the current and future technology surrounding core casino gaming systems.
The Cashless/Digital Wallet session will feature representatives from Everi, Acres Manufacturing, and Koin and will be moderated by Antonio Perez, general manager at Rolling Hills Casino.
The gaming agenda also includes sessions on uncovering value from gaming-floor data, A/V content management systems, and hospitality operational efficiency.
Mike Day, executive officer at TribalHub, said the conference has had steady growth and by continuing to set another record in attendance, it demonstrates how technology is driving organizations.
“It’s the most important driver of new revenue new opportunity and this event is at the heart and soul of it,” Day said. “TribalNet attendees are tasked with creating technology strategies and making those selections and figuring out what you’re going to do. It’s a critical difference maker in organizations, especially for tribes. Technology strategy and selections for tribes are increasingly complicated and important for tribes, where they’re changing what they do, how well they do it, and whether they are successful or not.”
Day said the new track on artificial intelligence showcases how it’s changing and disrupting businesses. But TribalNet is more than just a technology conference; its sessions on leadership are also popular. “You have to be technology savvy to be a great leader today.”
The theme for 2024, how technology is changing rapidly, fits into the 25-year anniversary, Day said. It’s about how difficult it is to stay up to date and keep up with the pace of technology.
“Technology changes exponentially and humans change in a linear fashion,” Day said. “The theme of this is by working together and expanding your network with more organizations and people, you have a better opportunity to wrap your arms around what’s happening. No one can do it alone.”
Day said the conference will highlight how technology has changed over 25 years and what’s coming in the future, especially artificial intelligence.
“We’re looking at what AI and some of the things happening will be five, 10, 15, and even 25 years in the future,” Day said. “Is there any way to predict and show that? We want to let our audience know that’s what we’re positioning. TribalHub can help you in the future with staying in front of this game, which is very difficult to manage.”
The Gaming Systems panel will feature the top gaming technology companies and where they’re going in the future. The Cashless session will discuss the latest with that technology, where it’s heading, and how successful it’s been. The Hospitality panel will look at whether the technology that resorts are putting in their hotels is working, paying dividends, and improving the guest experience.
A Data session will cover coming up with a single source of truth for gaming and hospitality information, which Day said is a struggle for all properties.
The session on A/V Content Management deals with what properties are doing with thousands of video screens.
For gaming-industry people, Day said the cybersecurity, AI, and leadership tracks should have takeaways for them. Gaming and hospitality people will address cyber.
Agenda topics for these tracks include the life cycle of a ransomware event, disaster recovery, vulnerability management, and security awareness. There will even be a tabletop experience for the executive team if a cyberattack occurs.
AI sessions will deal with customer and marketing data. There will be a high-level overview of what’s happening and what needs to be put in place.
“Even the policy, government, and cyber piece leads you to the building blocks of what you need before you start introducing AI,” Day said.
TribalNet did a call for speakers and more than 200 companies and organizations applied to participate in panel sessions, which are curated by the organization’s industry boards.
The first TribalNet conference took place in 2000 in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, with 15 people and will feature more than 1,500 participants this year, including vendor representatives, in what Day said is a testament to the growth and of how important technology has become for organizations.
“The backstory is in 1999, I got a list of nationwide tribal offices. I sent out a letter and asked who was interested in getting together and talking about technology challenges instead of trying to rebuild the wheel for every single tribe on their own,” Day said. “Fifteen tribes showed up in year one and IBM was our big sponsor. Everybody decided we needed to grow this idea and community and our small team, volunteers, and engaged members have built this to what you’re seeing now. It’s a testament to the people who see and understand the value it continues to bring to themselves, their tribal enterprises, and to all tribes through networking and information sharing.”
