October 20–22, 2026 | Vancouver Island Conference Centre, Nanaimo

This October, leaders from business, government, First Nations, education, industry and community organizations will come together in Nanaimo for the 20th Annual State of the Island Economic Summit, hosted by our partner, the Vancouver Island Economic Alliance (VIEA).

For two decades, the Summit has created a place for people from across Vancouver Island and the rural islands to step outside their individual organizations and sectors, compare perspectives, build relationships and have the conversations that shape our regional economy.

For members of the project management community, many of those conversations will feel particularly familiar.

The challenges facing Vancouver Island increasingly cross organizational and jurisdictional boundaries. Housing intersects with land use, infrastructure, workforce and policy. Economic growth depends on energy, transportation, industrial land and supply chains. Artificial intelligence is changing how organizations operate while introducing new questions about data, infrastructure and governance.

None of these challenges belong to a single organization, and no single discipline can address them alone. That is exactly why the Summit brings such a broad cross-section of Vancouver Island together.

The 2026 program is taking shape

Eight new concurrent sessions have now been announced, exploring some of the biggest opportunities and challenges facing the Island economy.

Untangling Housing looks beyond individual interventions to examine the interconnected land economics, policy, politics and industry practices that have shaped the housing challenge, and how we can deliberately untangle those structural barriers.

AI & the Island considers what artificial intelligence means for Vancouver Island as it reshapes work and business, including questions around privacy, data sovereignty, infrastructure, policy, and the opportunities and risks ahead.

Energy Futures for VI explores the growing relationship between reliable, affordable and sustainable energy and economic competitiveness, including generation, transmission, Indigenous leadership, electrification and Vancouver Island's future energy resilience.

Next Generation Economy brings emerging voices into the conversation about work, affordability, business, growth and opportunity, asking what Vancouver Island needs to get right if we want the next generation to build their futures here.

The program will also explore industrial land and economic development through Land to Build an Economy; agriculture and food sovereignty through Farming Between the Rules; the Island's growing maritime economy through Maritime Momentum; and supply chains and international trade through Beyond the Dock.

Beyond the sessions themselves, the Summit is an opportunity to meet and exchange ideas with people working across sectors and communities throughout the region.

Why this matters to project professionals

Project managers often work at the point where strategy must become execution.

Whether the work involves infrastructure, technology, organizational transformation, construction, public policy, economic development, or community initiatives, projects increasingly operate within interconnected, fast-changing systems.

The Summit offers an opportunity to look beyond the boundaries of an individual project or organization and better understand the larger forces shaping Vancouver Island: where investment is happening, where barriers remain, what communities need, how industries are changing, and where collaboration may create new opportunities.

It is also a chance to build relationships beyond the traditional project management community, with business leaders, policymakers, Indigenous leaders, entrepreneurs, economic developers, educators and others responsible for turning ideas into action across the Island.

If your work involves helping organizations navigate complexity and deliver meaningful change, there should be plenty to talk about.

Be part of the conversation

The 20th Annual State of the Island Economic Summit takes place October 20–22, 2026, at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre in Nanaimo.

Explore the program, speakers and registration options at vieasummit.ca.