AfroTech Conference 2026 Opens in Houston: Five Days, About 129 Sessions and a 10th Anniversary at the George R. Brown
Downtown belongs to tech this week. AfroTech Conference 2026 - produced by Blavity Inc. for Black professionals in technology - runs Monday through Friday at the George R. Brown Convention Center, with about 129 sessions, a new HealthStack track, and more than 60 companies on the expo floor. The city has closed Avenida de las Americas southbound from McKinney to Lamar around it.
HOUSTON - One of the largest gatherings in Black technology opens in downtown Houston on Monday. AfroTech Conference 2026 returns to the George R. Brown Convention Center for its 10th anniversary edition, with programming running Monday through Friday, Nov. 2-6, across approximately 129 sessions, according to the conference's listing in a Nov. 2 creator-economy event calendar.
The conference, produced by Blavity Inc., centers on professional development, startup culture and corporate recruiting for Black professionals in technology. This year adds a HealthStack Conference track alongside specialized workshops and continuing education credits. More than 60 companies are confirmed on the expo floor, including NVIDIA, Microsoft, Goldman Sachs, Netflix, Amazon, Capital One, LinkedIn, Walmart, Disney and Riot Games. Confirmed speakers include Shannon Womack, Delta Air Lines' head of global brand and creative; Monique Idlett, co-founder and general partner of Reign Ventures; and Deloitte's Larry Quinlan.
Downtown Houston's own calendar lists Monday's opening programming from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. under the banner 'Build What's Next,' and the City of Houston's special-events calendar carries the footprint drivers will actually meet: an AfroTech street closure on Avenida de las Americas - southbound from McKinney to Lamar - posted from 4 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Monday around the convention center.
The conference runs through Friday at 1001 Avenida de las Americas. For downtown workers and the Rockets crowd crossing the district Monday night, the practical news is the closure; for Houston's tech community, the week is the headline - five days of sessions in a city that has made the convention a recurring stop.
