After a successful first two years in Cincinnati, Black Tech Week is set to return to the Queen City for the next three years.
The three-day networking event celebrates entrepreneurs and encourages more Black people to enter the tech sector. Black Tech Week first came to Cincinnati in 2022 when Cincinnati-based venture capitalist Candice Matthews Brackeen acquired the event. She says the event has grown each year in Cincinnati, which is why in 2024 and 2025 it will be held inside the Aronoff Center for the Arts
"We started our first few years at Music Hall but started busting at the seams and needed to make certain that our decision to grow the conference could continue here in Cincinnati and Cincinnati really outshined them all," she said.
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Last year the event welcomed more than 3,000 attendees. It featured around 120 speakers, headlined by actor, producer, and tech investor Issa Rae and Revolt Media CEO Detavio Samuels.
Matthews Brackeen says the city has embraced the event, and with the new venue set for 2024, she says Black Tech Week has plans for continued growth in Cincinnati. She wants the event to continue to expand its reach and take another big step by 2026.
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"We doubled the conference last year. That's the goal for next year," Matthews Brackeen said. "Hopefully we see a doubling or at least close to it for next year, but really going toward a 10,000-person conference and to be able to do that we'd be in the convention district coming up in a couple years."
Black Tech Week is set for July 15-18, 2024. The event has welcomed major celebrities to speak like tennis legend Serena Williams, but no speakers for the upcoming event have been announced yet. It was previously held in Miami for its first several years.
