San Diego Sparks Growth for Indian Gaming Tradeshow

Summary:

The Indian Gaming Tradeshow & Convention saw a notable boost in attendance this year, and organizers are crediting San Diego for the upswing.

After a successful 2025 event, which drew 7,500 participants and marked a 10% increase over last year’s show in Anaheim, the focus is now on how to build on that momentum when the show returns to California once again in San Diego in 2026.

“It Wasn’t Just a Trade Show, But a Statement.”

During a post-event webinar on Wednesday, organizers broke down the numbers and shared insights on what made this year special, despite some big hurdles.

Conference Chair Victor Rocha stated,

It wasn’t just a trade show, but a statement. At a time of political uncertainty and economic pressure, this event arranged the direction, energy, and a renewed purpose

Rocha also noted that some tribal representatives couldn’t attend due to cuts in federal funding.

According to IGA Executive Director Jason Giles, looming concerns about a possible government shutdown just weeks before the show created real anxiety, especially since federal speakers typically account for a significant portion of the lineup.

“We dodged a whole bunch of bullets”, Giles said, explaining that none of the usual 35 to 50 federal speakers could attend, which likely held back even stronger attendance.

The San Diego Return, a “Breath of Fresh Air”

Despite that, San Diego proved a draw. “It’s a breath of fresh air going back to San Diego”, said Ed Gallo, Clarion’s director of sales and attendee programs.

“(Anaheim) is never happening again”, Gallo praised the location, the buzz on the floor, and the strong exhibitor turnout, noting that the Gaslamp Quarter’s hotels and restaurants make San Diego hard to beat.

This year’s event featured nearly 400 exhibitors across 100,000 square feet of trade show floor space, including 101 new exhibitors.

Highlights included the Digital Play Summit and the debut of TribalBond, a structured networking platform for tribal casinos and vendors. “Not one person complained”, said Gallo. “Everybody was happy with the quality that they were introduced to”.

Rocha added that even though key agencies like the National Indian Gaming Commission couldn’t attend, IGA set up Zoom presentations with support from FanDuel and DraftKings. “You gotta keep moving forward”, said Gallo.

Looking ahead, the goal is to reach 10,000 to 12,000 attendees. “Let’s do this together”, Gallo said. “We’re winning here”.

I want it to be a midway, where there’s excitement like a carnival, and not like a tradeshow

Rocha said, expressing his view that they are “close” to that goal.