For almost 30 years, Raving NEXT’s annual conference has focused on conversations, issues, and strategies about the tribal gaming industry.
But in 2026, the native-owned hospitality and gaming firm’s meeting will take place online. Raving NEXT CEO Deana Scott says the switch is a reflection of the times.
“What we found is you really have to be mindful of what’s going on in the marketplace, and things are changing,” Scott told CDC Gaming. “Business is tough. Expenses are high. We have high employee turnover. We are very electronically focused screen people, and so we needed to start thinking about how we deliver our education and training and how we connect people in the industry.”
Raving NEXT: Casino Strategy & Operations Summit will take place February 3-4. Registration is free.
Scott noted that holding the meeting online will open up the event to more attendees. Travel and lodging expenses are nil, and tribal operators no longer have to budget for Raving’s conference
In the past, “a lot of employees missed out on professional development,” Scott says. “We decide we were going to change up this conference and give us the opportunity to expand access to professional development for every level of gaming employee, from tribal to commercial racinos.”
Scott noted that the conversations and meetings that take place at Raving NEXT are necessary and important to tribal agendas. It’s important to provide a venue for the exchange of ideas, especially now with so many issues demanding attention from artificial intelligence to prediction markets.
“We have a lot of ways people can connect with us, via in person with our training or at a conference or online, virtually,” Scott says. “We thought we needed to have a signature virtual event, and we decided to switch up Raving NEXT to give those who don’t always get a chance to travel an opportunity to have quality professional development.”
The conference also will include virtual breakout rooms, where attendees can gather to discuss topics and issues.
Because the conference is virtual, Scott envisions that a more diverse roster of training and education sessions will be available, and attendees will hopefully be more diverse.
“Since there’s no charge and there’s no travel cost, we’re hoping that we can get more people from one property,” Scott says. “That way they have the opportunity to have shared learning, which also has a huge value.”
Scott emphasizes that Raving will still host in-person events. The organization’s signature casino and marketing conference will take place in person July at Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, California.
But by going virtual, Raving NEXT’s February conference will provide more opportunities for a wider audience.
“We feel like expanding this reach and getting more people to the table helps us to have a broader audience that is exposed to all of the other things we offer as well,” Scott says. “And let’s face it, we’re a digital community now, and we need to be part of it. We need to have programming that speak to that. Raving NEXT virtual is the way to do that.”