Economists and local business leaders will gather at The Commons in downtown Columbus on Nov. 18 to lay out what 2027 might look like for the regional and national economy, as part of a statewide tour put together by Indiana University's Kelley School of Business. The Columbus stop, known as Futurecast 2027, kicks off with lunch at 11:30 a.m. followed by panel presentations at noon in the Nugent-Custer Performance Hall and Upper Lobby of The Commons at 300 Washington St.
An 11-City Tour Rolls Into Columbus
Futurecast 2027 is an 11-city statewide economic outlook tour that begins Nov. 4 in downtown Indianapolis, according to Indiana University. The tour runs through Nov. 20 and brings together Kelley School economists, researchers and faculty alongside local experts to examine the economy from multiple angles, per the Indiana Business Research Center. The Columbus event is hosted jointly by the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce and the IU Columbus Division of Business, as reported by The Republic.
Interested attendees can register through the Columbus Chamber website, the university's announcement notes. Individual tickets cost $75, and registration includes a hot buffet lunch along with the program, according to Mojo 102.9. Proceeds from the Columbus event support scholarships for business students at Indiana University Columbus, that same report states.
What Economists Expect to Discuss
Much of 2026 has been marked by persistent inflation, escalating energy costs and macroeconomic headwinds such as higher interest rates and geopolitical conflict, Indiana University says. Yet the university also notes that Indiana and Indianapolis have fared better than the nation, with local business momentum continuing to fuel Hoosier communities. Futurecast panelists are expected to discuss predicted trends in gross domestic product growth, inflation, interest rates, employment, industry and global markets, the university's Kokomo campus adds in a separate announcement.
Forecasts tied to the Futurecast series rely on research from the Indiana Business Research Center, which has translated data into decisions for Indiana since 1925 and is now entering its second century, per the center's own materials. That research has found that Indiana employment growth is forecast to average 0.89 percent per quarter during the forecast period, trailing the expected U.S. pace of 1.03 percent, according to the Indiana Business Research Center's forecast summary. The same analysis projects Indiana's unemployment rate will stay below the national rate, with an average gap of negative 0.4 percentage points, while Indiana income growth is expected to trail the nation by an average of 0.6 percentage points over the full forecast period.
A Tradition Dating to 1972
The Kelley School has presented national, state and local forecasts every year since 1972, according to Indiana University. Lunch at the Columbus event will be served at 11:30 a.m., with panel presentations beginning at noon and a public question-and-answer session to follow, per the Indiana Business Research Center's Columbus outlook page. Futurecast is designed to help Hoosiers understand past and potential future economic conditions by examining the trends, risks and opportunities shaping the economy and their region in the year ahead, the center notes.
Columbus is not the only Indiana community hosting a Futurecast stop this fall. The tour also comes to IU Kokomo at 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 10, according to Indiana University's Kokomo campus, though that event is free with preregistration required by Oct. 27 and seating limited. Both stops reflect the broader statewide effort to bring Kelley School forecasting directly to local business communities before the start of 2027.
