The 29th Annual BABC Economic Forecast Luncheon welcomed 130 guests to The City Club of San Francisco for an enlightening and lively discussion. We were delighted to welcome our expert panel of: Jonathan Hall (
Uber), Nadia Soboleva (NERA Economic Consulting) and Sean Randolph (Bay Area Council Economic Institute) and our moderator Nick Unkovic (BABC Chairman). The event covered several topics and provided attendees with some expert insight into the state of global and local economic affairs, sharing varied opinions and foresight for the year ahead.

As the discussion was off the record we’ll keep the details brief. The panelists gave a positive view of the current state of the economy, continuing the momentum of 2018, and had a healthy discussion on several topics, including data protection and regulations; challenges facing large tech companies, , the gig economy, the continuing growth of the tech sector and competition and consolidation in the industry, California Governor; Gavin Newsom, and his governmental initiatives (including those related to housing and education) and risks to the economy on the horizon.

There was reflection on how the BABC 28
^th Annual Economic lunch was dominated by Fintech, Brexit and China, which led to an interesting discussion of whether there will be a sea of change in overseas investment, particularly from China. This led to addressing the interdependencies of countries and how this will affect global economies, particularly relevant with the Brexit deal looming. Closer to home pertinent questions from audience members, led the panel to talk about autonomous vehicles, what cities are good examples of encouraging housing development and economic growth and the possibility of a recession at the tail end of the year, and specifically how this would affect the gig economy.

Our thanks again go out to our Presenting Sponsors 
Squire Patton Boggs, ACCA USA and Platinum Sponsor Vistra for their support in making this event happen, and of course to our panelists and to all our guests. We’re already looking forward to next year where we shall be celebrating the 30^th Annual Economic Lunch!