By Edmond Ortiz
Downtown San Antonio will be the setting this weekend for a conference where creators, entrepreneurs, investors, technologists and community leaders will discuss how creativity contributes to the evolution of San Antonio and other major cities.
What you should know
The inaugural Creative Futures Conference, happening April 10 and 11, will offer keynotes, panels, workshops, immersive activations, networking opportunities, wellness activities, pitch competitions and happy hours.
The programming at the Creative Futures Conference, organizers said, is designed to foster collaboration and exchanges of ideas about storytelling, design, film, fashion, digital culture, civic technology, AI, data, smart systems, community and cultural impact, entrepreneurship and economic growth.
According to a 2025 report released by the San Antonio Department of Arts and Culture, the city’s creative economy produces a $5.18 billion economic impact, and employs nearly 21,000 people locally. The creative economy covers sectors that run the gamut, from visual, performing and culinary arts to writing, design, advertising, educational institutions, and museums.
Members of San Antonio’s diverse arts community have worked with local leaders and partners to further raise the city’s reputation as a destination and a hub for creatives. San Antonio is one of six U.S. cities to have recently hosted an Artists Thrive conference.
What they are saying
“Building Worlds” is the theme for this first edition of San Antonio’s Creative Futures Conference. Event founder Ja’el Thompson said the conference brings together a variety of stakeholders who want to be involved in helping to build the city’s future and its creative economy.
“San Antonio’s creative economy is thriving, but there has never been a dedicated space at this scale for our creative community to connect, share ideas and accelerate new opportunities,” Thompson previously said in a statement. “This conference is about unlocking that potential and positioning San Antonio as a leading creative city.”
The details
Here are some select activities scheduled during the conference. Most activities are taking place at Geekdom, 110 E. Houston St., Geekdom Event Centre, 131 Soledad St., Legacy Park, 103 W Houston St., and 300 Main, 300 North Main Ave.:
Creative Futures Brunch Powered by Whataburger and The Down Market (7:45-9 a.m. April 10)
Local creatives, founders, students, and civic leaders will gather for conversation, and to hear opening remarks from Luis Martinez, a current mentor with Austin’s Capital Factory and a former director of Trinity University’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
Keynote from Steven Darby (9-9:40 a.m. April 10)
Darby, creative director at local design studio Heavy Heavy, will deliver the confab’s kickoff speech.
30 Years of Public Art as Civic Infrastructure (1:30-2:15 p.m. April 10)
Kimberly Mirelez, the city’s public art administrator, will moderate a panel discussion about how public art has served not only as a piece of civic infrastructure, but in helping to shape neighborhoods, supporting cultural equity, influencing development, and integrating creative voices into the public realm.
Branding, Media, and Politics: The Stories We Believe (2:45-3:45 p.m. April 10)
Political strategist Saadia Mirza leads a discussion with State Rep. Diego Bernal (D-San Antonio), Democratic gubernatorial nominee Gina Hinojosa and Marcos Vélez, Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor. Together, they will talk about how political narratives are developed, amplified, and sometimes weaponized in the contemporary media landscape.
The Nite-CCAP (7-7:45 p.m. April 10)
Founders, creatives, and technologists gather in an after-hours networking salon to discuss how ideas become companies, platforms, and cultural movements.
Nite-CCAP Mixer and The $500 Napkin Pitch (7:45-9:15 p.m. April 10)
Attendees are invited to form a team of two or three people, including one creative and one technologist, and invent an AI-powered app or concept that connects their industries. Participants will draw the user interface and map the logic on a single cocktail napkin, and then use a microphone to openly pitch their idea within one minute. The pitch contest-winning team will receive $500.
April 11 Mural tours
Two guided, 3-mile e-bicycle rides will let participants check out 20-plus murals in historic neighborhoods and revived industrial corridors.
Activating Downtown: How Local Creators Are Reimagining San Antonio’s Urban Core (Noon-12:45 p.m. April 11)
Shek Vega & Burgundy Woods with the San Antonio Street Art Initiative, Lauren Beckman of Mixtli restaurant, and Kevin Mancha of The Local SATX will be in a panel, addressing how local creators, artists, hospitality leaders and mobility innovators are helping to transform the central part of town through street art, food, markets, nightlife, increased walkability, and alternative transportation.
Adobe Presents: Keynote Panel with Hallease Narvaez: Making the Work, Keeping the Voice (3-4 p.m. April 11)
The filmmaker Narvaez will talk about building a creative career while keeping a proper perspective.
Admission for the summit starts at $35. There will be free activities, such as a run club and yoga classes April 11, a free hands-on workshop for children April 11, and a free, immersive art gallery present both days at Legacy Park.
Additionally, a pre-conference event will be held 5-9 p.m. April 9 at the bar Sojourn Trading Co., involving networking, conversations, refreshments, and a chance for attendees to pick up their conference badges and meet organizers and speakers. Admission is free.
