BELLEVUE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE • PRESENTED BY BANK OF AMERICA
2026 ECONOMIC
FORECAST SUMMIT
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2026 • 7:00 - 9:00 AM
Hyatt Regency Bellevue | 900 Bellevue Way NE
Register NowEarly bird pricing ends October 16
THE PROGRAM
One Morning on the Year Ahead
Every November, several hundred Eastside business leaders start a workday at the Economic Forecast Summit to hear where the economy is headed before the new year begins. Joe Quinlan, who leads market strategy for Bank of America's Chief Investment Office, has delivered the keynote every year since 2008, and the 2025 Summit sold out at more than 500 seats.
Check-in and networking open at 7 a.m., the program starts at 7:30 and wraps up around 9. Expect Joe's outlook on growth, interest rates, markets and trade, a conversation with Chamber President and CEO Joe Fain, and questions from the room.
The National and Global Outlook
Where growth, inflation, interest rates and markets are headed in 2027, and the trade and geopolitical risks behind the numbers.
Washington and the Eastside
The Summit starts close to home. Thomas Gilbert of the University of Washington's Foster School of Business returns with the regional picture on jobs, housing, growth and what the state's economy means for an employer here.
Questions from the Room
Joe Quinlan in conversation with Chamber President and CEO Joe Fain, taking questions from the audience before the program closes at 9.
ON STAGE
Joe Quinlan and Thomas Gilbert Return for 2026
Bank of America's head of market strategy, the Summit's keynote every year since 2008, and the University of Washington economist who opened the program last year.
Keynote
Joseph Quinlan
Managing Director and Head of Market Strategy, Chief Investment Office, Bank of America
Joe Quinlan leads market strategy for the Chief Investment Office at Bank of America, supporting Bank of America Private Bank and Merrill. He is an author, co-author or contributor to more than twenty books and has published more than 125 articles on economics, trade and finance. November 18 will be his nineteenth consecutive Summit keynote.
“Pessimism sells. Optimism pays.”
— Joe Quinlan, closing the 2025 Economic Forecast Summit
Guest Speaker
Thomas Gilbert
Associate Professor of Finance and Business Economics, Foster School of Business, University of Washington
Thomas Gilbert has taught finance and business economics at the University of Washington's Foster School of Business since 2008. At the 2025 Summit he opened the program with a read on the state economy, optimistic about the region's edge in innovation and blunt about housing permits that are not keeping up with population growth. He opens again this year with the Washington and Eastside picture before Joe takes it national and global.
TICKETS
Save Your Seat
Every ticket includes the full program. Prices step up twice: early bird pricing ends Friday, October 16, regular pricing runs October 17 through November 6, and late registration opens November 7. Tables are anticipated to sell out.
Early Bird • Best Value
Through Friday, October 16
Individual
$95
member | $135 non-member
Table of 10
$850
member | $1,250 non-member
Regular
October 17 through November 6
Individual
$120
member | $160 non-member
Table of 10
$1,100
member | $1,500 non-member
Late Registration
From November 7
Individual
$145
member | $185 non-member
Table of 10
$1,350
member | $1,750 non-member
Member pricing is for employees of Chamber member companies. Late table registration closes November 12.
Registration takes about two minutes.
A BELLEVUE TRADITION
About the Economic Forecast Summit
The Economic Forecast Summit is the Chamber's annual economic outlook, held each November with Bank of America as presenting sponsor. Business leaders, elected officials and policymakers from across the region fill the room for a read on the year ahead, from the Eastside out to the global economy.
Joe Fain takes the room's questions to Joe Quinlan, 2025.
Table conversation before the 2024 program at the Hyatt Regency Bellevue.
THE NUMBERS BEHIND THE FORECAST
Economic & Community Metrics
Each year the Summit comes with the Chamber's Economic and Community Metrics guide: jobs, housing, growth and cost of living in Bellevue and the region, in one booklet. Flip through the 2025 edition here.
Coming November 18
The 2026 edition is released at this year's Summit. Be in the room for the first look.
THANK YOU TO
Our 2026 Sponsors
Presenting Sponsor
Major Sponsors
Corporate Sponsors
Supporting Sponsor
Interested in sponsoring the Summit? Email Jennifer Clark, VP of Sponsorship & Sales, at jennifer@bellevuechamber.org
GOOD TO KNOW
Frequently Asked Questions
What time should I arrive?
Check-in and registration open at 7 a.m. at the Hyatt Regency Bellevue, 900 Bellevue Way NE. The program starts at 7:30 and ends around 9.
When does early bird pricing end?
Early bird pricing ($95 member, $135 non-member for an individual seat; $850 and $1,250 for a table of 10) runs through Friday, October 16. Regular pricing ($120 and $160; tables $1,100 and $1,500) runs October 17 through November 6, and late registration ($145 and $185; tables $1,350 and $1,750) opens November 7.
Do I need to be a Chamber member to attend?
No. Non-member tickets are available for every option. Members save $40 per seat and $400 per table, and membership pays for itself quickly if your team attends Chamber programs through the year.
Can I bring my team?
Yes. Tables of 10 are the best way to host clients or bring your leadership team, and they are anticipated to sell out. Early bird tables are $850 for members and $1,250 for non-members through October 16; late table registration closes November 12.
I have a dietary restriction or allergy.
After you register, complete this short form so we can serve you better.
What is the cancellation policy?
The Chamber's event cancellation policy applies to every ticket. If your plans change, email events@bellevuechamber.org as early as you can.
Other questions?
Email events@bellevuechamber.org and our events team will get you an answer.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2026
Start November 18 with the Forecast
Joe Quinlan's outlook for 2027, a conversation with Joe Fain, and several hundred of the Eastside's business leaders in one room at the Hyatt Regency Bellevue.
Register NowHyatt Regency Bellevue | 900 Bellevue Way NE, Bellevue, WA 98004
Questions? Email events@bellevuechamber.org