[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"conference-blog-article-black-tech-conferences-2026":3},{"id":4,"author":5,"authors":16,"title":18,"subTitle":14,"excerpt":19,"slug":20,"body":21,"categories":22,"tags":36,"featuredMedia":41,"publishedAt":50,"publishedAtGMT":51,"updatedAt":52,"updatedAtGMT":53,"type":54,"listicle":55,"disableContentGate":56,"disableListicleNumbers":56,"canonicalUrl":14,"socialThumbnail":14,"readingTime":57,"customFields":58,"additional":59,"acf":60},268221,{"id":6,"avatar":7,"firstName":8,"lastName":9,"displayName":10,"email":11,"username":10,"normalizedUsername":12,"description":13,"htmlBio":14,"twitter":14,"facebook":14,"instagram":14,"registeredAt":15},193,"https:\u002F\u002Fsecure.gravatar.com\u002Favatar\u002F5a600afdf30f16d9b250586c02dc5824b75c1cf8b4ad104c9d205bb1ea394dcc?s=1024&d=mm&r=g","Hayley","Hynes","Hayley Hynes","hayley.hynes@blavity.com","hayley-hynes","Hayley Hynes is a freelance Canadian creative who covers astrology, entertainment, and culture\u002Flifestyle content at 21Ninety, Blavity, AfroTech, Travel Noire and Home & Texture. She also co-managed HotNewHipHop for two years, but in 2024, Hayley stepped down from that role to launch her own website. There she offers tarot\u002Fenergy readings, informative astrology content, and personal reflections on her own spiritual healing journey. Find her on Instagram @hayleyhynes for more info!\r\n\r\nHayley graduated from Vancouver's Blanche Macdonald Centre after studying Fashion Marketing. She studied Journalism and Marketing at Mount Royal University in Calgary while writing for Narcity before that and is passionate about helping others heal through storytelling, understanding\u002Fbeing understood, and creating positive change.","","2024-04-17T19:16:58+00:00",[17],{"id":6,"avatar":7,"firstName":8,"lastName":9,"displayName":10,"email":11,"username":10,"normalizedUsername":12,"description":13,"htmlBio":14,"twitter":14,"facebook":14,"instagram":14,"registeredAt":15},"Top 10 Black Tech Conferences To Attend In 2026","The 10 best Black tech conferences in 2026, from AfroTech in Houston to NSBE. Dates, cities, and who each one is for.","black-tech-conferences-2026","\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Finding a room where you’re not the only Black person in tech still takes effort. These 10 conferences fix that. They’re where \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fafrotech.com\u002Fjaneen-uzzell-nsbe-ceo-afrotech\">Black engineers\u003C\u002Fa>, founders, and product leaders go in 2026 to get hired, get funded, and meet the people who can move their careers, whether you’re job hunting, raising a round, or going to your \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fafrotech.com\u002Fcollege-sophomores-how-landed-interviews-at-afrotech-conference\">first conference ever\u003C\u002Fa>.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">AfroTech sits at No. 1 because nothing else operates at its scale. The rest of the list runs from national career fairs to founder summits to regional developer events, sorted by what you can actually walk out with.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>Which Black Tech Conference Is The Biggest?\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Ch2>\u003Cb style=\"font-size: 20px;\">1. AfroTech Conference, Houston, TX, November 2 to 6\u003C\u002Fb>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fafrotechconference.com\">AfroTech Conference\u003C\u002Fa> is the largest gathering of Black tech professionals in the world. It started in San Francisco in 2016 with 650 people. By 2024 it drew more than 37,500, and the 2025 conference passed 40,000. The 2026 edition, its 10th year, is built around 40,000+ attendees, 300+ speakers, 15 tracks, and 11 stages at the George R. Brown Convention Center.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What separates it from everything below is who shows up to recruit. Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, NVIDIA, Anthropic, OpenAI, JPMorgan Chase, and Netflix are among the companies on the floor, and they come to hire. The conference runs \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fafrotech.com\u002Ftalent-infusion-connects-employers-to-diverse-talent\">Talent Infusion\u003C\u002Fa>, a platform that matches attendee resumes to open roles, and the hiring is direct enough that recruiters have offered interviews to attendees on the spot.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It works. James Miles II went to AfroTech in 2018 looking to change companies, and went on to land a senior HR role at the restaurant-tech company Toast. About 65% of attendees are mid-career or above, and roughly 18% sit at the director, VP, or C-level, so the people who can hire you, fund you, or refer you are in the same building for four days.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>What Are The Best Black Tech Conferences For Hiring And Recruiting?\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Ch2>\u003Cb style=\"font-size: 20px;\">2. NSBE Annual Convention, Baltimore, March 18 to 22\u003C\u002Fb>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The National Society of Black Engineers runs one of the largest career fairs in engineering, drawing thousands of students, professionals, and corporate recruiters. NSBE offers scholarship and volunteer passes that cover registration, which is why it remains a primary pipeline for Black engineers entering the field.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cb>3. NBMBAA, Los Angeles, September 23 to 25\u003C\u002Fb>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The National Black MBA Association’s career expo connects Black MBAs and senior professionals with \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fafrotech.com\u002Fkaren-carter-dow-inc-ceo\">Fortune 500\u003C\u002Fa> recruiters. By industry concentration, it generates a high volume of executive-level hiring conversations, so it’s the stronger pick if you’re targeting a senior or management move.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cb>4. Black Is Tech, Houston, April 20 to 24\u003C\u002Fb>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Draws 5,000+ for a career fair, workshops, and recruiting, with programming built to connect early-career Black technologists to employers. Pricing tends to run lower than the mega-conferences, which makes it a realistic first conference for students and career changers.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>Which Conferences Are Best For Founders And Executives?\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Ch2>\u003Cb style=\"font-size: 20px;\">5. Women of Power Summit, Las Vegas, March 11 to 15\u003C\u002Fb>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Black Enterprise’s summit programs executive panels, skills workshops, and curated networking for \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fafrotech.com\u002Fnew-index-reveals-the-first-200-us-based-black-women-founders-to-raise-1m-in-vc-funding\">Black women executives\u003C\u002Fa> and founders, with speakers drawn from Fortune 500 companies and funded startups. It targets the group most underrepresented in tech leadership.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cb>6. ForbesBLK Summit, Atlanta, October\u003C\u002Fb>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Held at Morehouse College, an HBCU, the summit convenes Black executives, founders, and creators around economic empowerment, with keynotes and curated networking aimed at investor and decision-maker access.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cb>7. Black Tech Week, Cincinnati, July 14 to 16\u003C\u002Fb>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Founder-first programming: workshops, founder showcases, and investor access in a smaller setting than the national conferences. Useful if you want face time with corporate partners and investors without competing for it against 40,000 people.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cb>8. DiversiTech, Philadelphia, March 19 to 22\u003C\u002Fb>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Connects Black and Latinx founders and technologists to the wider tech ecosystem through founder-focused sessions, workshops, and networking.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>Which Conferences Are Best For Engineers And Developers?\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Ch2>\u003Cb style=\"font-size: 20px;\">9. RenderATL, Atlanta, August 12 to 13\u003C\u002Fb>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A developer-focused conference that pairs technical sessions on engineering tools with Atlanta’s Black tech community. Programming spans emerging technologies, leadership, and developer tooling.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cb>10. AABE National Conference, Louisiana, April 12 to 15\u003C\u002Fb>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The American Association of Blacks in Energy serves \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fafrotech.com\u002Fblavity-media-group-the-gathering-spot-exclusive-collaboration\">Black professionals\u003C\u002Fa> in a sector where data, software, and infrastructure increasingly overlap, and where Black representation in technical roles stays low. A focused pick if you work where energy meets tech.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>How Do You Pick The Right One?\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Most of these do one job well. The reason AfroTech sits at No. 1 is that it covers several at once, and the programming is split by audience so you’re not paying for a room that isn’t yours.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you’re job hunting, the recruiters on the floor come specifically to hire Black talent. If you’re building a company, AfroTech runs pitch hours, dealflow office hours, and founder firesides, so founders are a listed audience, not a side room. If you’re moving into leadership, Executive Stage programming and invite-only roundtables run Tuesday through Thursday. If you’re early in your career or still in school, AFROTECH U and the Student Summit run Monday through Wednesday with resume workshops, recruiter receptions, and HBCU programming.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cost doesn’t have to be the blocker. AfroTech offers student programming and discounted pathways for early-career attendees, and there’s an employer sponsorship page with a copy-and-paste email template you can send your manager to expense it as professional development.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The shorthand: match the event to your goal. NSBE or NBMBAA if the goal is a job. Women of Power or ForbesBLK if it’s leadership. Black Tech Week if it’s funding. And if you want all of those in one trip, that’s the event at the top of the list.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Register for \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fafrotechconference.com\">AfroTech Conference\u003C\u002Fa> early — partner hotel blocks near the convention center tend to sell out by October.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n",[23,28,32],{"id":24,"name":25,"slug":26,"description":14,"image":27},15187,"Career","career",null,{"id":29,"name":30,"slug":31,"description":14,"image":27},323,"News","news",{"id":33,"name":34,"slug":35,"description":14,"image":27},15189,"Professional Development","professional-development",[37],{"id":38,"name":39,"slug":40,"description":14,"image":14},8304,"AfroTech Conference","afrotech-conference",{"url":42,"thumbnail":42,"credit":43,"title":44,"alt":45,"type":46,"width":47,"height":48,"mimeType":49},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.afrotech.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2026\u002F07\u002Fpexels-pavel-danilyuk-8761723-scaled.jpg","(Pavel Danllyuk\u002FPexels)","Black Tech Conference","Confident Black woman in business attire sitting in a conference room with notepad and ID badge.","image",160,107,"image\u002Fjpeg","2026-07-29T16:36:54-04:00","2026-07-29 20:36:54","2026-08-31T17:37:26-04:00","2026-08-31 21:37:26","default",[],false,4,{"disableConnatixPlayer":56},{"disableAd":56,"disableConnatixPlayer":56,"enabledComments":56,"headScript":27,"hidePhotoAttribution":56},{"reviewer_name":14}]