TT&S Annual Conference & Vendor Showcase

We look forward to you joining us for the next TT&S Annual Conference and Vendor Showcase on February 17-19, 2026 at the Bismarck Hotel!

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2026 KEYNOTE PRESENTER:

Brian D. Newby, Broadband Program Director of NDIT

Brian Newby was named the North Dakota Information Technology Division Broadband Program Director in March 2023 after working in the North Dakota Secretary of State’s Office since December 2019.

Newby came to North Dakota after completing a four-year term as the Executive Director of the United States Election Assistance Commission (EAC).  Previously, Newby spent 19 years at Sprint in various executive positions, including operations, sales, public relations, marketing, business development, and strategic planning. 

At Sprint, Newby led the sales initiative to sign three of Sprint's 25-largest contracts, as well as the marketing of Telecommunications Relay Service from start-up to market share leader with annual revenues of more than $65 million. He was also part of the Sprint Wholesale executive leadership team that doubled annual revenue from $600 million to $1.2 billion in three years. 

His last position at Sprint was director-strategic planning and industry analysis where he worked as the business division's planning point person for Sprint's restructuring as it transformed from separate wireless and wireline units to holistic business and consumer divisions.

 

Accompanied by 

Brian Nybakken, Broadband Program Manager of NDIT

Brian Nybakken joined the North Dakota Information Technology Division (NDIT) as Broadband Program Manager in April of 2024 after working in the North Dakota Secretary of State’s Office since January of 2018.  He is responsible for managing North Dakota’s broadband-for-all initiatives through administration of more than $150 million in federal broadband grants.  Nybakken spent 5 years working at the North Dakota Attorney General’s Office as a Project Manager/Program Specialist.  Previously, Nybakken spent 9 years at Aetna Insurance.  Nybakken holds a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education as well as Social and Behavioral Sciences from the University of Mary.

 

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Wireshark Capture the Flag Coming to the 2026 Conference!

 

We’re excited to announce that this year’s conference will feature a Wireshark Capture the Flag (CTF) competition organized and judged by our Wireshark expert, Andrew Walding of Cellstream. This will be an interactive and hands-on challenge designed to put your packet analysis skills to the test!

Whether you're a seasoned network sleuth or just starting your journey with Data Networking and Wireshark, this competition will challenge your problem-solving abilities, enhance your data networking and protocol knowledge, and sharpen your ability to uncover hidden clues in packet captures.

What to Expect:

• A series of forensic-style questions/challenges based on real-world traffic captures
• These will be timed challenges with increasing levels of difficulty
• Bragging rights (and maybe a prize!) for top scorers
• A fun, competitive way to deepen your Wireshark and networking skills and compete against others just like you

Details and rules will be shared at the start of the conference. Bring your curiosity, bring your laptop, and get ready to capture some flags!

If you're not ready, be sure to register for the Wireshark workshop scheduled for December!

 

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Connecting the World:

Introduction to the Broadband Services Industry Mini-Conference for Students

 

Learn about the industry that connects the world through a multitude of devices--computers, televisions, gaming, cell phones, and more! Excellent opportunities with great pay and benefits await.

In this free mini conference concurrent with our Annual Conference and Vendor Showcase, select students from schools in our member company territories have the opportunity to learn from some of our best industry instructors in broadband technology and fiber optics training and try some hands-on work. Students will gain insight into the companies that connect their devices to the world and the work behind it in consideration of their career goals. TT&S is working to make this a fun educational opportunity for students, including the chance to visit with our employees in attendance at our annual conference and the vendors in our vendor showcase. 

If you are a teacher or homeschool parent with a student or are a student interested in attending, please visit our Student Mini-Conference page for details.

Watch for updates in the fall for the 2026 event!

 

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Event Program Guide

We no longer provide a printed program for our conference.

Our Annual Conference & Vendor Showcase program guide is only accessible through this website. In that, you can customize your conference schedule, view exhibitor/sponsor and presenter profiles, register for our contests, and rate and review the conference. It's just a few easy steps!

Click here to download instructions

 

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Upcoming conference dates:

(Bismarck Hotel & Conference Center)

2026 = February 17-19

2027 = February 14-16

2028 = February 15-17

2029 = February 13-15

 

updated 9/9/2025