Jamie Reed
Executive Director and Co-Founder, LGB Courage Coalition
2027 January 29–31 · Ocean Shores, WA
Roanoke Conference
Est. 2009
A yearly gathering for open dialogue on political issues — and no-barriers networking among elected officials, prominent political thinkers, college students and grassroots activists.
The 2027 conference begins January 29, 2027.
The must-attend event for … Republican leaders
The Seattle Times
The conference by the numbers
- Attendees at capacity
- 600
- Established
- 2009
- Days each January
- 3
- Rising Stars honored
- 16
About the conference
A retreat on the coast, built for real conversation.
The idea was hatched between close friends over drinks at the Roanoke Inn on Mercer Island — a retreat-style weekend for up-and-coming people serious about public policy. The name stuck.
The first gathering drew 265 attendees. By 2015 it had passed 500, and in 2023 it set a record at 600. The conference now sells out at roughly 600 registrants every year, and by its second year The Seattle Times had already named it the must-attend event for Republican leaders in Washington state.
What keeps people coming back is the format: no velvet rope between the keynote speaker and the college sophomore, and three days of honest argument about where the state is heading.
The 2027 conference
- DatesJanuary 29–31, 2027The final full weekend of January, as always
- VenueOcean Shores Convention Center120 W Chance a La Mer NW, Ocean Shores, WA
- LodgingQuinault Beach Resort & CasinoRoom block from $139, plus four partner hotels
- RegisterOpens October 2026The conference has sold out in recent years
What to expect
Four things that make the weekend work
Roanoke is deliberately small, deliberately informal, and deliberately hard to fake your way through.
Open dialogue
Panels and keynotes on the issues actually moving the state, with room to disagree out loud rather than in the hallway afterwards.
No-barriers networking
Legislators, county commissioners, consultants, activists and students share the same bar, the same hallway and the same dinner tables.
The next generation
Students attend at a discount — or free, by volunteering — and get the same access to elected officials as everyone else in the room.
Political Science Theater 3000
A Roanoke institution: a humor show, often subtle, genuinely funny, and the reason a lot of people stay up far too late on Saturday.
Speakers
Who takes the stage
The 2027 speaker line-up is being assembled now and will be published alongside the agenda. Here is who headlined in 2026.
Mary Katharine Ham
Fox News contributor and podcast host
Lodging
Stay where the conference stays.
The Quinault Beach Resort and Casino is our preferred hotel, with a discounted room block, complimentary shuttle service and on-site after parties.
- Non-view rooms from $139, ocean view from $169
- Four partner hotels in Ocean Shores offering 10–20% off
- Everything within a short drive of the convention center
Book the room block
Call the Quinault Beach Resort and Casino directly and ask for The Roanoke Conference rate.
Sponsors are crucial to our success
Packages run from $500 to $10,000 and include complimentary registrations, display booths, recognition from the podium and, at the top tiers, time in front of the room.
Calling all students
Discounted registration with a valid student ID, plus the option to volunteer at the conference and attend at no cost — working shoulder to shoulder with the board.
January 29–31, 2027
We will see you on the coast.
Registration for the 2027 conference opens in October. Roanoke has sold out in recent years — tell us where to send the notice and you will hear first.