Upcoming events with speaking opportunities

There is a range of different events at which to speak - including conferences and forums-throughout the year, and across different global locations. Click here for our events schedule and choose the date and location most suitable for you.

Event Subject Matter

The topics our speakers cover is broad. They typically cover issues in (but not limited to) S&OP, Forecasting, Demand Planning, Supply Chain, Predictive Analytics, Machine Learning, and Big Data. Essentially, they fall under People, Process, Analytics, Technology, and Data. There are many personal journeys and success stories that speakers share. Our team can help you develop topics, and you can see "Suggested Speaking Topics" below on the left.

Benefits of speaking at IBF events

By speaking at IBF conferences and other events, you give something back to the community and help others, whilst pushing forward the forecasting and planning disciplines. Speaking also helps develop your presenting skills and raises your profile within the industry.

  • Enjoy all the benefits of being our guest as a paid attendee, a savings of up to $1,899 USD (speakers are only responsible for their travel & accommodation costs)
  • Gain visibility, recognition and credibility for you & your company
  • Add to your credentials and advance your career
  • Opportunity to bring your teams with a significant 20% discount
  • Help foster the growth of S&OP/ IBP, demand planning, forecasting, analytics, and supply chain with your contribution
  • Instantly expand your professional network globally
  • Earn points towards re-certification for IBF and other well recognized professional certifications if applicable
  • To be considered/what we need

    There are no specific requirements to speak at IBF events. All we ask is that you’re involved in the Forecasting, Demand Planning, S&OP or Analytics fields. Our speakers range from young, entry-level planners and forecasters to veterans, thought-leaders and executives at the world’s biggest companies. All we need from you is your details, an overview of the speech and a short biography.

    Submit your overview and biography here

    Share Your Knowledge with The Community

    IBF is a global network of leading forecasters and business planning professionals. Speaking allows you to expand your professional network, build credibility, and get instant feedback on what you're working on. At the same time, your contribution helps grow the field, while helping others to become more effective in their roles. We are looking for people to share experiences, best practices, challenges, successes, and thoughts for the future in the field. You don’t necessarily have to be an ‘expert’ – we want to hear your lessons learned, sharing insights that stimulates discussion and debate.

    How To Apply To Speak

    To apply to speak, simply select an event below, and share topics you can share. Please provide as much detail as you can. We will get back to you if there appears to be a good fit. Giving back is at the core of what IBF does, and we invite you to help other professionals by proactively sharing your experience in the field Demand Planning, Forecasting, and Supply chain by becoming a speaker at IBF's events. For more information about IBF events, click here.


    SUGGESTED SPEAKING TOPICS (Partial List):


  • Forecasting and planning during a pandemic and economic downturn
  • Amazon and other E-tailor collaborative planning & forecasting best practices
  • Engaging your CEO to support S&OP
  • Life-Cycle mangement best practices
  • Optimizing revenue for End-of-Life (EOL) planning & forecasting
  • Product portfolio optimization and SKU rationalization strategies
  • Planning for short Life-cycle products
  • Leveraging E-Commerce data and signals for improving operations planning
  • Role of Consumption Based Data (POS and/or Syndicated) in Demand Planning
  • How to get full involvement of Sales & Marketing in S&OP
  • How to teach Sales & Marketing to forecast and engage in the process
  • Talent Management: How to build a more effective Demand Planning & Forecasting team
  • Measuring Forecasting & Planning performance to gauge demand planning & S&OP effectiveness
  • Predictive Business Analytics, Big Data, and Data Mining
  • Determining how many Demand Planners/ Forecasters are needed
  • How to effectively deliver bad news such as lower forecasts
  • Keeping aspirational forecasts in check
  • How to re-start or re-vitalize your Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) Process
  • Improving S&OP: key factors and considerations
  • Global S&OP process considerations
  • How to properly leverage social media data (facebook, twitter, etc.) for better planning and forecasting
  • Leveraging demand signals for better forecasting and planning
  • How to energize the S&OP meeting and keep management committed to the process
  • Collaborative Planning, Forecasting & Replenishment (CPFR) and lessons learned
  • How Forecasting & Planning can improve your Supply Chain Management (SCM) strategy
  • How to collaborate with your customers such as Wal-Mart, Carrefour, Home Depot, Tesco, Target, or another major retailer for effective demand planning and forecasting
  • Practices of Demand Shaping, Demand Sensing, and influencing Demand
  • Calculating and explaining the cost of Forecast Error to gain buy-in from management
  • Techniques for improving longer term Forecasts
  • Mergers & Acquisitions: merging processes and sustaining successful Forecasting and S&OP during a merger
  • How to incorporate market intelligence into statistical modeling
  • New product Forecasting & Planning: issues, experiences, and success factors
  • Using leading indicators as predictors
  • Calculating safety-stock levels with Forecasts
  • Calculating ROI on new Forecasting & Planning initiatives
  • Strategies for improving inventory and customer service for your business
  • Role of Forecasts & Plans in managing inventory
  • Organizational design/ Ownership; where should the Forecasting & Planning Function reside
  • Managing politics/ biases in Forecasting & Planning
  • How to tie Forecast Error to the bottom line
  • Synchronizing the Supply Chain with Consumer Demand
  • Technology: How to choose the right forecasting and planning system or plug-in, what features to look for
  • How to prepare your business for implementing a forecasting & planning system package
  • How to prepare your data for use in a system
  • Running an Effective Demand Review
  • Creating and managing expectations of Forecasts & Plans
  • Goals & Plans vs. Forecasts - why is this important?
  • Centralized vs. decentralized Forecasting & Planning: pros and cons
  • Qualitative vs. quantitative Forecasts: considerations, pros and cons
  • Cost of Forecasting vs. benefit of Forecasting: The Economic Trade-Off
  • Error experience by industry: trends, differentiating factors, and implications
  • Creating a Forecasting & Planning continuous improvement process
  • Managing the Forecast consensus meeting: agenda & action items
  • Demand Management: getting the best Demand outcomes for your company
  • Proving your Forecasting Departments worth: is it adding value?
  • Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) and Forecasting
  • Lean Forecasting & Forecast Value Add (FVA)
  • Event based Demand Planning & Forecasting
  • Promotional Planning & Forecasting
  • Forecasting & Planning for Intermittent Demand
  • One Number/ consensus Forecasting
  • Data cleansing and data Grooming, turning data into useful Information
  • Forecasting over different time horizons: short, intermediate, and long term
  • Fostering collaboration & consensus both inside and outside the organization
  • Learn how to integrate your customers & suppliers within your S&OP process for greater rewards
  • How to manage multiple processes, including demand and supply planning for S&OP on a global level
  • Worst Practices in Forecasting & Planning
  • How to effectively develop your company's demand planning capability
  • How to develop a new product with S&OP
  • How to plan and launch a new product for best results
  • How to forecast the demand for a new product
  • Retail Planning & Forecasting
  • Change Management in Planning
  • Supply Chain Risk Management and Mitigation
  • Lean Techniques in Planning & Forecasting, Reaching Success with Less Resources
  • Leveraging Predictive Analytics and AI
  • Forecasting For eCommerce and Omnichannel
  • New Forecasting Models For Predictive Analytics