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SUPPLY CHAIN PLANNING & FORECASTING CONFERENCE
w/ Fundamentals of Forecasting & Planning Workshop
Scottsdale, Arizona, USA
April 30 - May 2, 2025
Register Now
Super Early Bird Rate – Expires in 23 days 17 hours
(on February 28, 2025).
Why Attend?
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    Why Attend

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    About Us

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    Pre-Conference Tutorial

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    CPF® Certification

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    S&OP Certificate

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    Supply Chain Planning Certificate

Reserve Your Space Without Obligation

This event was very informative and there were great ideas presented that I will be using to improve our forecasting process.
Barbara Thomas, Demand Planning Manager, Ecolab, Inc.

IBF’s Supply Chain Planning & Forecasting Conference in Scottsdale is the premier global event for professionals dedicated to enhancing their planning capabilities and networking with leaders in supply chain planning, S&OP/IBP, demand planning, business forecasting, and predictive analytics.

Key Benefits:

  • Unparalleled Networking Opportunities
    • Connect with the largest gathering of global professionals from leading brands across diverse industries.
    • Meet experts in S&OP/IBP, supply planning, demand planning, forecasting, and analytics/data science.
    • Engage with peers from Sales, Marketing, Finance, HR, Executive Management, and other key functions in the S&OP/IBP process.
    • Build relationships during our Round-Robin Round-Table Discussions and the after-conference cocktail reception.
  • Practical Insights & Learning
    • Gain step-by-step guidance from real-world lessons and case studies shared by renowned global companies.
    • Discover how to drive organizational change for improved supply planning and forecasting.
    • Master the path to achieving Integrated Business Planning (IBP) within your organization.
  • Achieve Best-in-Class Performance
    • Elevate your organization’s planning and forecasting capabilities to best-in-class levels.
    • Get actionable feedback on your specific challenges through interactive discussions.

    Join us in Scottsdale to transform your planning capabilities and propel your organization toward excellence in supply chain planning and forecasting.

Event Speakers
Joseph Eschenbrenner, ACPF
Joseph Eschenbrenner, ACPF
Verifone
VP Global Planning & Procurement

Joe is the VP of Global Planning, Procurement, and Logistics at Verifone, and has 30+ years of experience in supply chain management across industries like automotive, medical, footwear, and payments. He specializes in demand planning, data connectivity, and supply chain optimization. Joe is an IBF Advanced Certified Professional Forecaster (ACPF), holds an MBA and Master’s in Finance from RPI, and a Bachelor’s in Mathematics and Statistics from UConn. Passionate about mentoring, Joe believes, "Every day we teach and every day we learn."

Tara Tarazi
Tara Tarazi
DUDE Wipes
Vice President of Supply Chain

Tara Tarazi oversees inventory planning, forecasting, and DUDE Wipes' global contract manufacturer network. Her supply chain expertise ranges from optimization and strategy, to scaling high growth organizations. Her prior experience includes Califia Farms and Accenture Strategy. She earned a BBA from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business.

Craig Faulkner
Craig Faulkner
W.L. Gore & Associates
Sales & Operation Planning Leader

Craig Faulkner leads the Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) efforts for the medical products division of W.L. Gore & Associates. With over 30 years of experience in manufacturing and operations, he has successfully advanced Gore's S&OP process to Best-in-Class standards. His extensive expertise includes facilitating S&OP alignment and leadership reviews, global inventory management, distribution requirements planning, master planning, and the development of decision support systems. Additionally, Craig has optimized the integration of S&OP with lean methodologies and ERP systems. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Arizona.

Eric Wilson, ACPF
Eric Wilson, ACPF
Institute of Business Forecasting & Planning
Director of Thought Leadership

Eric is a predictive analytics and business planning innovator, author, teacher and speaker. As Director of Thought Leadership at IBF, he brings over 20 years of experience, previously leading demand planning at Escalade Sports, Berry Plastics, and Tempur Sealy. Eric is an IBF Advanced Certified Professional Forecaster (ACPF) and received IBF’s Excellence in Business Forecasting & Planning award in 2016. He is a frequent speaker and panelist who has published extensively in The Journal of Business Forecasting and APICS Magazine. Eric is also the author of Cultural Cycles, Predictive Analytics for Business Forecasting & Planning, and Practical Guide to Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP/ IBP).

Wes Womer, CPIM
Wes Womer, CPIM
P1 Dental Partners
Director of Financial Planning & Analysis

Wes Womer, CPIM, is the Director of Financial Planning & Analysis for P1 Dental Partners. Though Finance is his first love, he spent 5 years as a Demand Planning Manager at Stanley Black & Decker during which time he joined APICS and became a CPIM. Since S&OP and Finance (and almost everything else) aims to incorporate big data and machine learning, he recently earned a Master of Science in Data Science from Indiana University.

Gerald Verno
Gerald Verno
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA)
Director of Supply Chain Planning & Analytics

Gerald is the Director of Supply Chain Planning & Analytics at WMATA, where he leads the team responsible for managing data governance and analytics for the entire supply chain, working with the procurement department to source materials globally to support the 8th largest transit agency in the United States. Gerald holds a degree in Business from Queens College, NY, and several supply chain certifications from ASCM, and is also the President of the DC Metro ASCM Chapter.

Miwa Hattori
Miwa Hattori
Microsoft
Principal Data Scientist Manager

Miwa Hattori is a Principal Data Scientist Manager at Microsoft's Cloud & AI Division. Her role at Microsoft ranges from designing frameworks to solving problems, and from experimental design of predictive models to supply chain planning, through forecasting, optimization, and digital twinning. She earned a Master of Science in Economics from the University of Texas at Austin. She has previously spoken at IBF and Gartner webinars on supply chain analytics.

Andrea Szilagyi
Andrea Szilagyi
The Clorox Company
Business Planning Manager

With over 20 years of experience in supply chain and business planning, Andrea has held leadership roles at several companies, including The Clorox Company and Kite Hill. Currently serving as Business Planning Manager at Clorox, she oversees the Cleaning business unit and leads a team of planners, leveraging artificial intelligence for forecasting and process improvements. Previously, as VP of Supply Chain at Kite Hill, she implemented the S&OP planning process, managed key customer relationships, and achieved significant reductions in inventory and lead times. Andrea’s earlier roles include leadership in demand planning and production planning at companies such as Harmless Harvest, Procter & Gamble, and Grundfos, where she drove operational efficiency and innovation in global supply chains.

Renee Severin
Renee Severin
DUDE Wipes
Senior Demand Planning Manager

Renee Severin began working in quality assurance in ethanol and pharmaceutical manufacturing. At Mars Inc. her responsibilities grew from food safety, to manufacturing supervision, to demand planning. She continued her career in demand planning at Vital Proteins, and for the past year has been at DUDE Wipes as Sr. Demand Planning Manager. Renee has a BS in Microbiology from the University of Iowa and an MS in Systems Engineering from Kennesaw State University.

Jess (Jihyun) Lee
Jess (Jihyun) Lee
Microsoft
Data & Applied Scientist 2

Jess (Jihyun) Lee is a Data & Applied Scientist 2 at Microsoft, specializing in leading advanced machine learning projects for Cloud Supply Chain. She combines deep technical expertise with a focus on driving a resilient supply chain. Her prior experience at Dell includes award-winning work in supply chain simulation, explainable AI, and large-scale anomaly detection. Jess holds a Master of Science in Business Analytics from the University of Texas at Austin.

Manuel Rendon
Manuel Rendon
Nestlé Health Science
Sr. Manager Integrated Business Planning (IBP)

Manuel Rendon has significantly improved operational efficiency, achieving a dramatic increase in fill rates from 59% to 95% and spearheading cost-saving initiatives. His career spans roles at top companies like Nestlé, Gerber, Baxter International, and Viakable, where he successfully led projects that optimized inventory management, reduced lead times, and enhanced customer service. Manuel holds a Micromasters in Supply Chain Management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Orlando Chaparro
Orlando Chaparro
SLB
Planning & Supply Chain Manager
Event Speakers
Joseph Eschenbrenner, ACPF
Joseph Eschenbrenner, ACPF
Verifone
VP Global Planning & Procurement
Tara Tarazi
Tara Tarazi
DUDE Wipes
Vice President of Supply Chain
Craig Faulkner
Craig Faulkner
W.L. Gore & Associates
Sales & Operation Planning Leader
Conference Schedule
  • Pre-Conference Workshop
    Apr 30, 2025
  • Conference Day 1
    May 1, 2025
  • Conference Day 2
    May 2, 2025
April 30, IBF Members Only
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
TUTORIAL REGISTRATION
1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
FUNDAMENTALS OF FORECASTING & PLANNING TUTORIAL (IBF MEMBERS ONLY– FREE)

ROLE OF FORECASTING IN THE ORGANIZATION

  • Benefits and its impact on supply chain, management decisions, financial plans
  • Responsibilities/Accountability
  • Consensus development and management support
  • Relationship to other decision and planning processes
  • Cross-function participation and involvement
  • Data Cleansing
  • Data identification and definition
  • Structure of time series data
  • Data collection and analysis
  • Identifying and adjusting for anomalies

HOW TO FORECAST WITH TIMES SERIES MODELS – THE MOST WIDELY USED METHOD OF FORECASTING

  • Importance of pattern identification
  • Time series model development
  • When to use time series models
  • Advantages and disadvantages of time series
  • Event adjustments and when to use
  • Underlying assumptions
  • Widely used time series methods – averages, naïve model, exponential smoothing, decomposition, trend, seasonal, and other time series methods

OTHER FORECASTING MODELS AND APPLICATIONS

  • An Overview of Regression Analysis for Scenario Planning and What-if Analysis
  • Application in estimating effects of promotions, pricing, advertising, and other program actions
  • New Product Forecasting
  • Overview of Quantitative and Qualitative forecasting methods
  • Demand sensing

SALES & OPERATIONS PLANNING (INTERNAL & EXTERNAL COLLABORATION)

  • Overview of the S&OP process and why it is important
  • Fundamental process building blocks
  • Review meetings overview, timing and participants
  • Meeting Inputs/Outputs
  • Maintaining the S&OP process with Management organizational changes
  • Roles, who is supposed to do what and how?
  • Proven implementation steps and keys to success
Presented By:
Speaker photo
Eric Wilson, ACPF
Institute of Business Forecasting & PlanningDirector of Thought Leadership
Pricing
Super Early Bird Rate
(Expires in 23 days 17 hours)
SILVER PACKAGE
$2,099.00
$1,899

Member’s discount: -$100

GOLD PACKAGE
$2,374.00
$2,174
4th FREE - GOLD GROUP
Best Value (Group) (4 persons for price of 3)
$7,122.00
$6,522
GOLD CPF CERTIFICATION PACKAGE
Best Value (+CPF Certification)
$3,774.00
$3,574
ADD-ON: Certificate in S&OP/ IBP
$899.00
$899
ADD-ON: Certificate In Supply Chain Planning
$899.00
$899
SUPPLY CHAIN FORECASTING CONFERENCE
MAY 1-2, 2025
EVENING COCKTAIL RECEPTION
MAY 1, 2025
FORECASTING & PLANNING WORKSHOP
APRIL 30, 2025 (ACTIVE IBF MEMBERS ONLY)
BREAKFAST & LUNCH
IBF MEMBERSHIP (1 YEAR)
CPF CERTIFICATION EXAMS
BOOK: FUNDAMENTALS OF DEMAND PLANNING & FORECASTING
(FREE SHIPPING)
CERTIFICATE: S&OP/ IBP - INCLUDES EXAM FOR KNOWLEDGE-CHECK
CERTIFICATE: SUPPLY CHAIN PLANNING - INCLUDES EXAM FOR KNOWLEDGE-CHECK

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ADD-ON

ADD-ON

Exhibitors
Pomerol/Qlik
Pyplan
Put the IBF to Work for You!

Become an IBF Member and Start Improving Your Forecasting & Planning Performance Today.

The IBF Advantage:

IBF members include well-known company professionals that span a broad array of business sectors. By joining our organization, you can make certain that your company sets up the right forecasting & planning process and uses the best techniques available. Moreover, you can be sure that your forecasting and demand planning staff has the proper knowledge and skill set for success.

As an IBF member you receive:

  • A subscription to the Journal of Business Forecasting, which is primarily written by and geared toward practitioners.
  • Our Research Reports which include valuable benchmarking information and provide you with eye opening information on various topics in Business Forecasting and Planning.
  • Special discounts on our Conferences, Workshops, Training Seminars, Certification Program, as well as on any new products and services we will offer in the future.
  • Access to Journal of Business Forecasting Past Articles (FREE)Access to our growing online Knowledge section & Action Templates
  • Complimentary 1-day Tutorials at select Global events ($1000 USD Value)
Upcoming Events & Trainings
May 7, 12, 14, 22, 28, 30, 2025
Online
Preserve cash, achieve new product forecasting success, optimize Inventory & supply chain efficiency and more....
March 12–14, 2025
Chicago USA
w/ Hands-On Predictive Analytics and Use Of Big Data Workshop...
Event Location
Embassy Suites by Hilton Scottsdale Resort
+1.480.949.1414
5001 N. Scottsdale Road
Scottsdale, Arizona
85250 USA
$199/night + tax + $25 mandatory resort fee (fee includes hot breakfast & more)
Book My Accomodation