The tribal gaming industry is full of innovation, technology, entertainment, and some of the best people anywhere. As we prepare to welcome you to Oklahoma City, we’re dialed in, attending to every detail in order to ensure that our annual conference and trade show is an engaging and valuable experience for everyone.
Our traditional opening event, the John Marley Golf Tournament, will be on Monday, July 20, with its legendary breakfast buffet, restorative libations, plenty of bragging rights, and fun for all. The tournament is completely sold out, and we thank our sponsors and golfers for that. Proceeds benefit OIGA’s scholarship program, which we are proud to say has benefited dozens of young and adult scholars seeking to further their educations. Should you need to register for the conference and trade show, or modify an existing reservation, you can do that from noon to 4 p.m. Monday evening is our welcome party, complete with our poker and blackjack tournaments (7 p.m. – 9 p.m.), dancing, dining, and drinks (9 p.m. – midnight). Getting around downtown OKC will be easy thanks to our shuttle, which will take you from your hotel to the party and back
Tuesday morning will be filled with conference sessions. At 8:30 a.m., we’ll start with a powerful panel of national leaders, including Matthew L. Morgan, OIGA Chairman; James Siva, CNIGA Chairman; and David Bean, IGA Chairman. Their followed is titled “The State of Tribal Gaming: A National Update.” This will be followed by the first two rounds of sessions. At noon, we will converge at the exhibit hall entry for the ceremonial opening of the trade show floor and walk-around buffet lunch. The Awards and Scholarships Presentation will take place on the floor at 1 p.m., and the floor will remain open until 5 p.m. The Walk Around Happy Hour is the last event of the day, on the trade show floor from 3 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Sessions start on Wednesday morning at 9 a.m., and there will be three rounds of sessions that day, wrapping up at 12:30 p.m. Lunch will be from noon to 1 p.m. on the trade show floor, which will remain open and lively until 3 p.m. Our show is exciting right up to the very end of each day, when the cash drawings begin.
When you arrive, you’ll enjoy the fruits of many months of labor. In the months leading up to the show, the OIGA staff and volunteers put in countless hours making sure our sessions are robust, interesting, and useful to our attendees, no matter where they are on their career path or what sector of the tribal gaming business they work in. Whether you’re working in F&B, cybersecurity, marketing, facilities, regulatory/government affairs, or anything else, we’ve got something you’ll enjoy, plus plenty of quality networking.
All of this fun, fellowship, learning, and networking is in support of our exciting, ever-changing, and important industry. In Oklahoma, the tribal gaming industry and ancillary businesses create tens of thousands of good-paying jobs in cities and towns across our state, expanding public and private opportunities by adding infrastructure like roads, power, and internet access. We drive investment in education, government programs and services, and economic development that provides for the well-being of our communities. We prioritize giving back through our philanthropic giving that supports programs across the state.
Hard to believe OIGA was founded almost 40 years ago — and there’s much more to come. OIGA was formed in 1986, two years before the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) was passed. Back then, our entire conference and trade show — the vendors, the sessions, the networking — fit in one conference room. It’s important for us to ensure that, while we continue to evolve and grow, that feeling of fellowship and family you experience when you are at an OIGA conference and tradeshow event is just as strong as ever.
We’re excited to see each and every one of you soon!
