The Breakpoint 2026, in pictures

Keynotes, workshops and conversation from Friday and Saturday at Moody Gardens, Galveston.

Recap

Thank you for being there

The Breakpoint 2026, the AAF District 10 Summit hosted by AAF Houston, took place October 8–10 at Moody Gardens in Galveston, Texas. After Thursday’s welcome reception, Friday and Saturday filled the summit with keynotes, workshops and good conversation. Here’s how it looked.

TBD
Attendees
4
States represented
16
Sessions
22
Speakers

Friday · Immerse

Day 2 · October 9

Friday was the full program: an opening keynote, two workshops, a keynote luncheon and six breakouts and panels.

8:30 am
5 photos

Breakfast & opening keynote

Alex “AJ” Nydick of AI Digital opened Friday with “More Agency Than You Think.”

Keynote at 9:00 am

Keynote
Main Room (D & E)
Wide view from the back of a ballroom of round breakfast tables facing a podium, a projection screen and two teal glass sculptures.Wide view from the back of a ballroom of round breakfast tables facing a podium, a projection screen and two teal glass sculptures.
Attendees settled in over breakfast for Friday’s opening keynote.
Smiling host in a white top and jeans speaking into a handheld microphone in the ballroom.Smiling host in a white top and jeans speaking into a handheld microphone in the ballroom.
Friday morning opened with a warm welcome from the stage.
Two attendees in glasses smiling at the camera from a breakfast table.Two attendees in glasses smiling at the camera from a breakfast table.
Smiles at the breakfast tables on Friday morning.
Attendee in a red fedora and red blazer reading the Breakpoint 2026 program, open to its sponsor thank-you page, at a breakfast table.Attendee in a red fedora and red blazer reading the Breakpoint 2026 program, open to its sponsor thank-you page, at a breakfast table.
An attendee turned to the sponsor thank-you page in the Breakpoint 2026 program.
Keynote speaker in glasses laughing at a wooden podium with a teal glass sculpture behind.Keynote speaker in glasses laughing at a wooden podium with a teal glass sculpture behind.
Friday’s opening keynote, ‘More Agency Than You Think,’ took on AI and advertising.
Morning
2 photos

Foyer & sponsor tables

Coffee, conversation and sponsor tables outside the Moody Ballroom.

Sponsors
Outside Ballroom
Busy pre-function foyer with attendees holding coffee at sponsor tables beside a Moody Ballroom sign.Busy pre-function foyer with attendees holding coffee at sponsor tables beside a Moody Ballroom sign.
Coffee, conversation and sponsor tables filled the foyer outside the Moody Ballroom.
Smiling woman in a black shirt beside a merchbyGS ‘Branded Merchandise’ banner, with an attendee holding up a phone.Smiling woman in a black shirt beside a merchbyGS ‘Branded Merchandise’ banner, with an attendee holding up a phone.
A friendly hello at the merchbyGS display in the foyer.
10:30 am
5 photos

Morning workshops

Hands-on workshops on picking the right AI tools and building a LinkedIn content roadmap.

2 sessions · Rooms C & F

Workshop
Rooms C & F
View down the center aisle of a classroom-style breakout room toward a smiling presenter at a podium, a slide screen and a large glass flower sculpture.View down the center aisle of a classroom-style breakout room toward a smiling presenter at a podium, a slide screen and a large glass flower sculpture.
Rows of attendees settled in for the ‘Reading the Break’ AI tools workshop.
Two attendees, one in an orange jacket, turned toward each other in conversation at a session table.Two attendees, one in an orange jacket, turned toward each other in conversation at a session table.
Attendees compared notes during a Friday morning workshop.
Overhead view of a hand writing notes with a red pen next to the orange Breakpoint program reading ‘At the edge of what’s next.’Overhead view of a hand writing notes with a red pen next to the orange Breakpoint program reading ‘At the edge of what’s next.’
Notes on LinkedIn strategy took shape beside the summit program.
Presenter in a floral dress smiling from a wooden podium with a laptop.Presenter in a floral dress smiling from a wooden podium with a laptop.
Smiles from the podium at a Friday morning workshop.
Attendee in glasses and a beige vest laughing at a session table with a coffee cup.Attendee in glasses and a beige vest laughing at a session table with a coffee cup.
Laughter broke out during a Friday morning workshop.
12:00 pm
5 photos

Keynote luncheon

Russell Ybarra of Gringo’s Tex-Mex in a fireside chat with Richard Cisneros of Creative Consumer Research.

Russell Ybarra · Gringo’s Tex-Mex

Luncheon
Main Room (D & E)
Two speakers in striped armchairs on a low stage with handheld mics, lunch tables with iced tea in the foreground.Two speakers in striped armchairs on a low stage with handheld mics, lunch tables with iced tea in the foreground.
Friday’s keynote luncheon featured a fireside chat over lunch.
Attendee at a lunch table holding up a phone to photograph the stage, with plates and iced tea in front.Attendee at a lunch table holding up a phone to photograph the stage, with plates and iced tea in front.
An attendee captured the luncheon conversation on his phone.
Smiling attendee clapping with her tablemates at the luncheon.Smiling attendee clapping with her tablemates at the luncheon.
Applause for Friday’s luncheon conversation.
Three attendees chatting in a carpeted pre-function corridor with exhibitor tables behind.Three attendees chatting in a carpeted pre-function corridor with exhibitor tables behind.
Conversations spilled into the hallway between Friday sessions.
Two people holding the book ‘Enchilada Entrepreneur’ in front of its banner while an attendee photographs them on a phone.Two people holding the book ‘Enchilada Entrepreneur’ in front of its banner while an attendee photographs them on a phone.
Guests posed with ‘Enchilada Entrepreneur’ at the book signing after Friday’s luncheon.
1:15 pm
8 photos

Afternoon breakouts

AI and copyright, AI in market research, “Bots Without Brains Are No Bueno!” and the Lopez Negrete Communications H-E-B story.

4 sessions · Rooms C & F

Breakouts & panels
Rooms C & F
Panelist in a navy top speaking into a handheld mic between a moderator in a red hat and a smiling panelist in a white shirt.Panelist in a navy top speaking into a handheld mic between a moderator in a red hat and a smiling panelist in a white shirt.
Friday’s panel on copyright protection for AI-generated content.
Panelist in a white shirt smiling and gesturing while speaking into a handheld microphone.Panelist in a white shirt smiling and gesturing while speaking into a handheld microphone.
A panelist made a point during the AI copyright discussion.
Speaker in a white cowboy hat and burgundy blazer smiling at a podium beside a ‘Knowledge Base’ slide.Speaker in a white cowboy hat and burgundy blazer smiling at a podium beside a ‘Knowledge Base’ slide.
‘Bots Without Brains Are No Bueno!’ made the case for giving AI a knowledge base.
Attendee in glasses and a brown houndstooth blazer reaching toward the front of the room from a session table with a laptop, a second attendee soft behind him.Attendee in glasses and a brown houndstooth blazer reaching toward the front of the room from a session table with a laptop, a second attendee soft behind him.
An attendee jumped into the discussion during a Friday afternoon breakout.
Panelist in a white top speaking into a microphone while two fellow panelists turn to listen, sponsor drinks on the table.Panelist in a white top speaking into a microphone while two fellow panelists turn to listen, sponsor drinks on the table.
Panelists traded insights during Friday’s four-person AI and market research panel.
Panel moderator in a camouflage-print jacket, seated with a handheld microphone and notes, speaking toward the audience.Panel moderator in a camouflage-print jacket, seated with a handheld microphone and notes, speaking toward the audience.
The moderator steered Friday afternoon’s AI and market research panel.
Two presenters seated on a low stage with handheld mics beside a ‘Built from Culture, Not for It’ slide with the Lopez Negrete and H-E-B logos.Two presenters seated on a low stage with handheld mics beside a ‘Built from Culture, Not for It’ slide with the Lopez Negrete and H-E-B logos.
‘Built from Culture, Not for It’: how Lopez Negrete Communications made H-E-B the Texas Latino home team.
Eight smiling attendees posing together beside an AAF-branded Ballroom E sign.Eight smiling attendees posing together beside an AAF-branded Ballroom E sign.
Smiles all around after the Lopez Negrete Communications case study on H-E-B.
4:00 pm
3 photos

Late-afternoon breakouts

Friday’s last two breakouts, including Hollie Maxymillian of Innovative Environments.

2 sessions · Rooms C & F

Breakout
Rooms C & F
Presenter at a wooden lectern with a laptop, smiling and gesturing while speaking into a handheld mic.Presenter at a wooden lectern with a laptop, smiling and gesturing while speaking into a handheld mic.
A presenter shared ideas from the lectern in a Friday afternoon breakout.
Presenter in a white blouse smiling and gesturing with a handheld microphone, a speaker badge on her lanyard.Presenter in a white blouse smiling and gesturing with a handheld microphone, a speaker badge on her lanyard.
Hollie Maxymillian of Innovative Environments brought the energy to a Friday afternoon breakout.
Presenter in a plaid shirt smiling behind a studio microphone.Presenter in a plaid shirt smiling behind a studio microphone.
A presenter smiled at the mic in a late-afternoon Friday breakout.
NextSaturday · Decide

Saturday · Decide

Day 3 · October 10

Saturday brought an opening keynote, breakouts, a luncheon fireside with Cynthia Cooper and the closing keynote.

Morning
3 photos

Saturday morning

Morning sessions, including “Creative Inspiration in the Digital Age” with Carlos Hernandez of Burning Bones Press.

2 sessions · Room C & Main Room

Keynote & breakouts
Wide view from behind seated attendees of a speaker in a wide-brim hat at a podium beside a screen showing a KISS album cover.Wide view from behind seated attendees of a speaker in a wide-brim hat at a podium beside a screen showing a KISS album cover.
Album-cover art filled the screen at Saturday’s ‘Creative Inspiration in the Digital Age’ talk.
Speaker in a wide-brim hat, glasses and band T-shirt laughing at a wooden podium with a handheld mic, album art on a screen at left.Speaker in a wide-brim hat, glasses and band T-shirt laughing at a wooden podium with a handheld mic, album art on a screen at left.
The ‘Creative Inspiration in the Digital Age’ speaker shared a laugh from the podium.
Speaker in an olive button-up shirt gesturing with a slide clicker at a wooden lectern.Speaker in an olive button-up shirt gesturing with a slide clicker at a wooden lectern.
A speaker took the lectern on Saturday morning.
12:00 pm
3 photos

Keynote luncheon

A fireside chat with Cynthia Cooper of the Houston Comets.

Fireside chat

Luncheon
Main Room (D & E)
Interviewer and guest smiling out at the audience from striped armchairs, with a luncheon table and iced tea in the foreground.Interviewer and guest smiling out at the audience from striped armchairs, with a luncheon table and iced tea in the foreground.
Both speakers smiled out at the room during Saturday’s keynote luncheon fireside chat.
Over-the-shoulder view of the fireside guest in a white shirt and glasses answering a question and gesturing, the interviewer blurred in the foreground.Over-the-shoulder view of the fireside guest in a white shirt and glasses answering a question and gesturing, the interviewer blurred in the foreground.
The guest made her point at Saturday’s keynote luncheon fireside chat.
Three smiling women posing arm in arm: one in a green top with a lanyard badge, one in a white open shirt over a black top, and one in a black AAF District 10 shirt with a lanyard badge.Three smiling women posing arm in arm: one in a green top with a lanyard badge, one in a white open shirt over a black top, and one in a black AAF District 10 shirt with a lanyard badge.
The keynote luncheon guest posed for photos after Saturday’s fireside chat.
1:15 pm onward
3 photos

Afternoon & closing keynote

Breakouts with Haddie Djemal and Sally Lechin, then the closing keynote from Stephen Ives of the YMCA of Greater Houston.

3 sessions · Rooms C, F & Main Room

Breakouts & keynote
Rooms C, F & Main Room
Speaker in a black top and green trousers smiling and gesturing toward the audience with a handheld microphone.Speaker in a black top and green trousers smiling and gesturing toward the audience with a handheld microphone.
Haddie Djemal reached out to the room during a Saturday afternoon breakout.
Speaker in a blue blazer at a wooden podium with a laptop, looking out at the audience.Speaker in a blue blazer at a wooden podium with a laptop, looking out at the audience.
Saturday’s ‘WOW Marketing’ session walked through a B2B case study.
Speaker in a plaid blazer holding a handheld microphone in front of a blue projected slide with bullet points.Speaker in a plaid blazer holding a handheld microphone in front of a blue projected slide with bullet points.
The YMCA of Greater Houston delivered the closing keynote, ‘From Mission to Message.’
Photo credit

Photos by JMG Creative

JMG Creative, one of our sponsors, photographed Friday and Saturday. See more of their work at jmg-photos.com.

Spot a photo you’d like taken down? Email adclub@aaf-houston.org and we’ll remove it.

Keep exploring

Relive the sessions or thank the partners who made it possible.

Revisit the agendaThank our sponsors