Calendar

Central Alberta, get ready. Something big is landing in Red Deer, and it’s powered by community, creativity, and a whole lot of nerd energy.

The first-ever Central AB Nerd Expo is happening February 21–22, 2026, at Red Deer Polytechnic’s Cenovus Centre, and the response has been nothing short of electric. Nearly double the number of vendors and community groups applied than we could fit, proving one thing loud and clear: Central Alberta has been craving a homegrown pop-culture event like this.

This isn’t just an expo. It’s a statement.

We don’t need to road trip to Edmonton or Calgary every time we want to celebrate comics, cosplay, gaming, anime, or fandom culture. We can build something incredible right here and keep the passion (and the support) local.

And this is only the beginning.

​Interactive Arts Alberta is excited to welcome Jason Della Rocca to Edmonton for a masterclass session.

Who is Jason?

​Jason Della Rocca is a game business consultant, investor, funding advisor, and ecosystem strategist. As a co-founder of Execution Labs, Jason was a hands-on early-stage investor to 25 independent game studios from North America and Europe. In parallel Jason helped launch GamePlay Space, a non-profit hub to support indies and guide them toward business success, whose alumni have generated over $300m in game sales and funding. We at Walkthrough take heavy inspiration from Jason’s pioneer work in this space to make indie an option. Between 2000-2009 Jason served as the Executive Director of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) and was honoured for his industry-building efforts with the inaugural Ambassador Award at GDC. In 2009, Jason was named to Game Developer Magazine’s “Power50”, a list that profiles 50 of the most important contributors to the state of the games industry. As a sought-after expert on the games industry, Jason has lectured at conferences and universities worldwide.

The all-day masterclass will include five modules:

• ​Funding Models (project vs venture financing)

• ​Competitive Analysis (understanding the market)

• ​Traction (building evidence that success is possible)

• ​Community Validated Deployment (building launch momentum)

• ​Pitching to publishers (process and pitch deck template)

​Please note that we have a small cost associated with this event due to the physical limits of our space to ensure that all of the spaces available will be full. If you require assistance to ensure that you are able to attend this event due to financial or systemic barriers, we will be running our Equity & Access program for this event as well. Please email hello@interactiveartsalberta.org directly to coordinate with us.

The North American Games Industry Summit Powered By Xsolla (NAGIS) launches June 18–19, 2026 in Edmonton, Alberta — alongside Game Con Canada, Canada’s largest gaming convention, happening June 19–21, 2026 at Edmonton EXPO Centre.

NAGIS is a high-impact B2B industry summit designed to accelerate partnerships, investment, and growth across the North American games ecosystem.

For two focused days, senior leaders, creators, publishers, investors, and innovators from some of the largest gaming technology companies will gather in Edmonton, Alberta, for:
·               Executive keynotes
·               Strategic industry panels
·               Curated networking & pitch sessions
·               High-level partnership opportunities
·               Developer-to-publisher pitch sessions featuring top publishers from around the world
·               Meals prepared by Celebrity Chef Shane Mederic Chartrand

We’re honoured to welcome Nolan Bushnell, founder of Atari, as our first announced Honorary Keynote Speaker.
For full details, visit nagis.ca

Don’t miss NAGIS 2026 & Building What’s Next!