A prominent tech industry gathering is returning to Houston this fall, bringing thousands of professionals, entrepreneurs, and innovators together in the heart of downtown.

AfroTech Conference 2026 will take place November 2-6 at the George R. Brown Convention Center, officials confirmed in a press release. Last year's event drew approximately 40,000 attendees. 

Celebrating the conference’s 10-year anniversary, the five-day event will bring together leaders from technology, business, healthcare, entrepreneurship and culture under the theme “Build What’s Next,” with more than 300 speakers across 15 tracks and 11 stages.

Programming will span artificial intelligence, health innovation, entrepreneurship, smart cities, exeutive leadership and the creator economy.

In the release, AfroTech said it's advancing its commitment to train one million people in AI, building on a year-round community of more than 75,000 professionals and 150 global companies.

Confirmed speakers include Vanessa E. Wyche, director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center; Dr. Timnit Gebru; Dr. Jessica Shepherd; Louis Carr, president of BET; and entrepreneur and bestselling author Andrew Yang. 

For Houston’s hospitality industry, the event represents another opportunity to welcome visitors to the city while showcasing Houston as a destination for major conventions and events. AfroTech is a highlight of the GRB"s fall convention calendar. 

As AfroTech celebrates a decade of connecting leaders and innovators, its return to Houston puts the city and the GRB at the center of conversations about the technologies, industries and ideas shaping what comes next. Houston is home to nearly 155,000 tech workers and more than 7,600 tech-related firms, according to data released by the Greater Houston Partnership from the research group CompTIA. Houston-area companies have raised more than $12.7 billion in venture capital across nearly 2,300 deals over the last five years with VC investment totalling $2.1 billion in 2025 alone. 

For more information on AfroTech 2026, see the full press release here.

Photo Credit: Victoria Engblom (via AfroTech webiste)

Written by Mike Horton