What The Conference Board does

The Conference Board is a global nonprofit think tank and business membership organization, founded in 1916 and headquartered at 875 Third Avenue, New York, with regional offices in Brussels, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Beijing. It delivers proprietary economic indices — most notably the Consumer Confidence Index, Leading Economic Index (LEI), and Employment Trends Index (ETI) — alongside survey products (CEO Confidence, CHRO Confidence, C-Suite Outlook) and benchmarking platforms (TCB Benchmarking, Data Central, CMO+CCO Meter Dashboard). Its research is organized around five centers: The CEO Center (formerly the Committee for Economic Development), Economy/Strategy/Finance, Governance & Sustainability, Human Capital, and Marketing & Communications, producing reports, podcasts (C-Suite Perspectives), webcasts, and proprietary data products rather than software or technology platforms.

The organization serves C-suite executives, corporate boards, HR and marketing leaders, governance and sustainability professionals, and higher education institutions globally, with a stated focus on "the world's leading companies." Its go-to-market is sales-led and membership-driven, with tiered annual subscriptions (Executive, C-Suite, Leadership Team, Council, Higher Education) that bundle research access, data tools, invitation-only Executive Councils, member-exclusive programs, and event participation. Secondary revenue comes from event registration (Annual CHRO Summit, CLO Governance Forum, M&A Summit, Reimagine Asia), publication sales, and program sponsorship. The organization is incorporated in New York as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, governed by a board of trustees with no parent company, and operates 251-500 employees. It has one disclosed subsidiary relationship (Conference Board of Canada) and one prior acquisition (Society for New Communications Research, 2016).

Name

The Conference Board

Legal name

The Conference Board, Inc.

Website

https://conference-board.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1920

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

The Conference Board is a global nonprofit think tank founded in 1916 that delivers proprietary economic indices, survey-based research, benchmarking platforms, and invitation-only executive councils to C-suite leaders, corporate boards, and HR executives of the world's largest companies via tiered annual memberships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Business Research & Economic Intelligence

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sponsorship, Exhibitor & Partnership Management Services (THAHACAK), Scholarly Societies & Conference Proceedings Publishing (MPAJABAK), Meeting & Conference Planning & Coordination (HSACADAA)

Keywords

• Business research services
• Economic indicators
• Executive membership
• Leadership councils
• Benchmarking data

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership subscriptions providing access to research, data, events, councils, and peer networks. Multiple tiers available including Executive, C-Suite, Leadership Team, and Council memberships.
2. Event Revenue: Registration fees for conferences, summits, and events including the Annual CHRO Summit, CLO Governance Forum, and various regional programs.
3. Publication Sales: Sales of research reports, policy briefs, and data publications to non-members and members seeking additional content.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Conference Board is a global nonprofit business membership and research association that sells access to proprietary economic indicators (Consumer Confidence Index, Leading Economic Index, Employment Trends Index), executive survey products, benchmarking data platforms, governance and proxy season research, invitation-only Executive Councils, and ticketed conferences/webcasts. Its core deliverable is subscription-based access to trusted economic research, peer executive networks, and data tools used by C-suite leaders and corporate boards for strategic planning.

Product overview

The Conference Board is a global nonprofit think tank and business membership organization that delivers research, economic data, and networking services. The organization operates as a platform-plus-services model, offering a portfolio of economic indicators (Consumer Confidence Index, Leading Economic Index, Employment Trends Index) alongside survey products (CEO Confidence, CHRO Confidence, C-Suite Outlook), data benchmarking tools (TCB Benchmarking, Data Central), and content platforms (C-Suite Perspectives podcast, webcasts, reports). These products serve corporate members through subscription-based membership tiers that include access to councils, events, research publications, and data tools. The company generates and publishes economic research rather than developing software products, APIs, or technology integrations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Consumer Confidence Index A monthly survey measuring consumers' assessment of current business and labor market conditions and their expectations for the future, providing leading indicators of economic trends for businesses, policymakers, and media.
• Leading Economic Index (LEI) A composite index of ten economic indicators that forecasts future economic activity and recession likelihood, used by businesses and policymakers for strategic planning.
• Employment Trends Index (ETI) An index measuring employment trends using eight components to indicate potential employment growth or slowdown in the US labor market.
• CEO Confidence Index (Measure of CEO Confidence) A quarterly survey measuring CEO sentiment on current economic conditions and expectations, providing insights into business leader outlook and hiring and investment intentions.
• CHRO Confidence Index A quarterly survey of Chief Human Resources Officers measuring hiring expectations, retention outlook, and workforce planning confidence.
• C-Suite Outlook Survey An annual survey of C-suite executives covering business priorities, economic threats, AI adoption, and strategic planning for the coming year.
• TCB Benchmarking A real-time data visualization platform enabling organizations to benchmark governance, compensation, environmental, human capital management, and social practices against US public companies.
• Data Central A member-exclusive portal providing access to the complete suite of economic indicators and data tools from The Conference Board.
• CMO+CCO Meter Dashboard A dashboard tracking Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Communications Officer confidence, budget outlook, and workload metrics.
• Global Economic Outlook Growth outlook forecasts for 77 economies, providing macroeconomic analysis and projections for global economic planning.
• Global Recession & Growth Trackers Dashboard tools tracking economic conditions and growth forecasts for 16 economies, providing current and future state analysis.
• Help Wanted OnLine A database tracking online job postings and labor demand data across the United States, providing real-time insights into employment trends.
• Proxy Season Research An annual analysis of shareholder proposal activity, SEC guidance changes, and voting trends for Russell 3000 and S&P 500 companies.
• Executive Councils Invitation-only peer-led communities of senior executives organized by function (Human Capital, Governance & Sustainability, Economy Strategy & Finance, Marketing & Communications) for knowledge exchange and professional development.
• Events & Conferences In-person and virtual events including the Annual CHRO Summit, People First Conference, M&A Summit, CLO Governance Forum, and Executive Compensation & Talent Forum.

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ESGAUGEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for proxy season research and corporate governance analysis. Co-published the 2026 Proxy Season Preview report analyzing shareholder proposal activity and SEC regulatory shifts.
• Russell Reynolds AssociatescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on corporate governance research including proxy season preview and board composition studies. Joint research on shareholder voting trends and governance priorities.
• Rutgers Law SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership for corporate law and governance research, contributing to proxy season analysis and shareholder proposal tracking.
• Major, Lindsey & AfricacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for the annual CLO Report analyzing chief legal officer compensation, hiring trends, and the evolving role of legal executives in S&P 500 companies.
• OneTenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on skills-first hiring research, advocating for assessing candidates' abilities over traditional credentials amid AI-driven work transformations.
• The Conference Board of CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated organization conducting research on Canadian business and economic issues. Collaboration on cancer care research with CCRAN regarding genomic testing benefits in Canada.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• World Economic Forum: Geneva-based global membership and convening organization that produces flagship research (Global Competitiveness Report), hosts executive summits (Davos), and charges tiered corporate memberships — directly comparable in business model, membership tiers, and global policy research focus.
• Council on Foreign Relations: US-based nonprofit membership organization for senior executives, policymakers, and academics that publishes flagship research (Foreign Affairs), convenes councils, and derives revenue from dues and publications — analogous membership and research-association model.
• Brookings Institution: Major US nonprofit public policy research organization with 200+ researchers, endowment-funded model, and thought leadership targeting policymakers and corporate leaders — comparable scale of operations and research-output franchise.
• Chatham House (Royal Institute of International Affairs): London-based nonprofit membership think tank producing independent research and convening senior decision-makers across policy and business — directly comparable as an international membership-driven research association.
• Aspen Institute: US-based nonprofit that convenes executives through leadership programs (Aspen Executive Leadership Seminars) and publishes policy research, mirroring TCB's combination of executive convening and research dissemination.

Broad incumbents

• RAND Corporation: Large, established nonprofit research institution with a broader public-policy and defense focus that also sells research to corporate and government clients — overlapping as a research and advisory competitor, though not membership-led.
• McKinsey Global Institute: Research arm of McKinsey & Company producing independent economic and business research widely consumed by executives — comparable flagship economic publications and C-suite audience, but bundled inside a broader consulting practice.
• S&P Global: Global provider of economic indicators, indices, and benchmarking data to corporations and investors — competes most directly with TCB's data products (CCI/LEI/ETI) and benchmarking franchise, though at significantly larger scale and commercial orientation.
• Gartner: Subscription-based research and advisory firm serving CIOs and other C-suite executives — directly comparable membership/subscription GTM and executive-targeted research content, but with a software-analytics platform layer TCB lacks.

Emerging players

• National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER): Private nonprofit that produces influential economic research and convenes working papers, conferences, and business-cycle dating committees — overlaps with TCB's economic research and convening function, but is academic rather than corporate-membership driven.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/conferenceboard
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/TheConferenceBoard
• Facebookfacebook.com/ConferenceBoard
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-conference-board

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Conference Board