Illuminating Engineering Society

What Illuminating Engineering Society does

The Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) is a 501-style non-profit professional membership organization founded in 1906 and headquartered at 85 Broad Street, Floor 17, New York. It is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) as a Standards Development Organization and operates across nearly 60 countries, serving engineers, architects, lighting designers, manufacturers, contractors, educators, students, and scientists in the illumination field. Its core asset is the Lighting Library®, a portfolio of more than 100 ANSI-accredited lighting standards developed and maintained by volunteer technical committees of subject matter experts.

IES monetizes through five interlocking streams: recurring individual and sustaining membership dues; event registrations for IES26 The Lighting Conference, SALC (Street & Area Lighting Conference), and the Illumination Awards & Gala; sales of standards documents and LD+A magazine (print and digital) via the IES Store and member portal; advertising and sponsorship in LD+A, the Lighting Ledger newsletter (90,000+ reach), Field Notes, and event exhibits; and recurring/subscription education revenue from the eLearning Portal (CEU/AIA-LU courses, webinars, LC Study Group). Distribution runs through a member self-service portal (my.ies.org), a Cvent-powered event registration platform, regional local sections and districts, and a Webscribble-powered Career Center.

The product surface spans publications (LD+A magazine, LEUKOS peer-reviewed journal), the Lighting Library® of standards, design tools (Illuminance Selector, Reference Retriever), the FIRES fundamental research initiative, the eLearning Portal, conferences (IES26, SALC, Light for Life Virtual Symposium, Light + Intelligent Building 2027), and the Illumination Awards program. Technology vendors underpinning operations include MemberSuite, Higher Logic, Wicket, Cvent, OpenWater, Mailchimp, PropFuel, Sage Publishing, and Webscribble. In 2025, IES realigned its fiscal year to the calendar year, indicating active administrative modernization alongside its program expansion.

Name

Illuminating Engineering Society

Legal name

Illuminating Engineering Society

Website

https://ies.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1906

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) is a non-profit ANSI-accredited Standards Development Organization, founded in 1906, that publishes over 100 lighting standards, LD+A magazine, and LEUKOS research journal for engineers, architects, designers, manufacturers, and educators across nearly 60 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association & Standards Development Organization

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Lighting Design Services (BPAHAKAJ)

Keywords

• Lighting standards
• Professional development
• Continuing education
• Illumination research
• Standards development organization

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees from individual professionals and organizational/sustaining memberships. Members receive access to standards, publications, local sections, and professional development resources.
2. Event Registrations: Conference and event registration fees including IES26 The Lighting Conference, SALC (Street & Area Lighting Conference), symposia, and webinars. Event cancellation policy shows $99 processing fee for cancellations.
3. Publications and Standards: Sales of standards documents, LD+A magazine (print and digital), research papers, and education materials through the IES store. The Lighting Library subscriptions and secure digital PDFs are non-refundable digital products.
4. Advertising and Sponsorship: Advertising opportunities in LD+A magazine, LD+A Lighting Ledger newsletter (90,000+ subscribers), Field Notes e-newsletter, and event sponsorships/exhibits. Custom native/sponsored content opportunities available.
5. Education Programs: Revenue from eLearning portal courses, live webinars, seminars, LC Study Group, and CEU/AIA-LU programs for lighting professionals seeking continuing education credits.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

The Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) is a non-profit professional membership organization that develops and maintains ANSI-accredited lighting standards through its Lighting Library (over 100 standards), publishes the LD+A magazine and LEUKOS research journal, hosts major conferences (IES26, SALC), and provides continuing education through its eLearning Portal. Its offerings serve lighting engineers, architects, designers, manufacturers, and educators across nearly 60 countries, generating revenue through membership dues, event registrations, standards sales, advertising, and educational programs.

Product overview

The Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) operates as a professional standards organization and industry association rather than a traditional software product company. Its core offerings consist of: (1) the Lighting Library, a digital platform containing over 100 ANSI-accredited lighting standards; (2) LD+A magazine, a monthly publication covering lighting industry news and technical developments; (3) LEUKOS, a peer-reviewed research journal; (4) the Illuminance Selector, a design tool for project illuminance selection; (5) the eLearning Portal for continuing education and CEU credits; and (6) various events including the annual IES26 Lighting Conference, SALC, and the Illumination Awards. The society also provides the Career Center job board and LC Study Group certification preparation resources. These offerings serve engineers, architects, designers, educators, and manufacturers in the lighting industry across nearly 60 countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Lighting Library: The Lighting Library contains over 100 standards written by subject matter experts in technical committees, published through an ANSI accredited process.
• LD+A Magazine
• LEUKOS

Products and services

• LD+A (Lighting Design and Application) Magazine Monthly magazine covering technical developments, industry trends, and news in the lighting industry for professionals in lighting art, science, manufacture, teaching, and implementation.
• Lighting Library Comprehensive digital library of over 100 ANSI-accredited lighting standards published and maintained by IES through its technical committees, covering various lighting applications and practices.
• Illuminance Selector Online tool that helps designers select appropriate light levels for projects according to IES/ANSI recommended illuminance criteria, enabling faster project design.
• LEUKOS IES's peer-reviewed research journal publishing scientific studies and technical research on illumination, photonics, and lighting technology.
• FIRES (FUndamental Research on Illumination Engineering) IES's fundamental research initiative focused on advancing the scientific understanding of illumination engineering.
• eLearning Portal Online learning platform offering continuing education courses, webinars, CEU credits, and professional development resources for lighting professionals.
• IES26 The Lighting Conference IES's premier annual conference for lighting professionals covering research, design, and technology across all aspects of illumination, including education sessions, networking, and the Illumination Awards.
• SALC (Street & Area Lighting Conference) Annual conference focused on street and area lighting applications, standards, and technologies, attracting municipal, utility, and outdoor lighting professionals.
• Light for Life Virtual Symposium Series Virtual symposium series covering various lighting topics and continuing education for lighting professionals.
• Illumination Awards & Gala Annual awards program recognizing excellence in lighting design and application, culminating in the Illumination Awards Gala.
• IES Career Center Online job board and career resource connecting lighting professionals with job opportunities in the lighting industry.
• LC Study Group Study group resources and preparation materials for the Lighting Certified (LC) examination.

Named customers9 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered support and core.

• Acuity BrandssupportStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor lighting and building management solutions company listed as a supporter/sponsor of IES. Represents the manufacturer segment of IES's membership base and stakeholder community.
• Cooper Lighting SolutionssupportStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommercial lighting company listed as a supporter/sponsor of IES. Represents commercial lighting manufacturer segment in IES ecosystem.
• SignifysupportStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal lighting company listed as a supporter/sponsor of IES. Represents international manufacturer perspective in IES community.
• SoneparsupportChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorB2B electrical products distribution company listed as a supporter of IES. Represents the distributor segment of the lighting industry supply chain.
• MemberSuitecoreTechnology or IntegrationMembership management platform provider. Essential cookies set for website functionality including membership operations and secure areas.
• Higher LogiccoreTechnology or IntegrationCommunity platform provider referenced in cookie policy for website functionality.
• GooglecoreTechnology or IntegrationAnalytics and customization cookies provider. Collects aggregate website usage data to help IES understand how visitors use the site.
• WebscribblecoreTechnology or IntegrationPowers the IES Career Center at careercenter.ies.org. Collects information on registered users for job listing customization.
• WicketcoreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party service for individual records related to IES membership and participation, event registrations, and transaction histories. Stores data indefinitely until user requests deletion.
• CventcoreTechnology or IntegrationEvent operations platform for in-person events including registrations, hotel booking, call for presentations, on-site check-in, mobile app, and event communications.
• OpenWatercoreTechnology or IntegrationPlatform for IES Illumination Awards submissions and calls for presentations processing. Collects information relevant to award programs.
• Mailchimp (Intuit)coreTechnology or IntegrationEmail service provider for e-newsletters and direct marketing emails. Gathers statistics on email opening and clicks for campaign performance monitoring.
• PropFuelcoreTechnology or IntegrationRelationship and interaction-based communication platform for membership renewal and event marketing. Connects to Wicket member database for member communications.
• Sage PublishingcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPublishing partner for LD+A magazine advertising and media kit distribution. Leslie Prestia serves as Senior Account Specialist II for LD+A Magazine.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD): Global professional association for lighting designers with overlapping membership base and professional development mission. IALD focuses on designer credentials while IES focuses on broader technical standards; together they represent the two major lighting professional organizations serving the same audience.
• CIE (International Commission on Illumination): International authority on lighting science and standards, publishing parallel standards to IES. CIE's global scope and scientific focus make it the most direct international counterpart to IES in the lighting standards ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers): Major building industry standards organization with overlapping scope in building systems and energy efficiency standards. ASHRAE's Standard 90.1 directly influences lighting energy codes, creating natural co-standards work with IES.
• IEEE Industry Applications Society: Global technical professional organization with standards spanning electrical systems including lighting. IEEE's broader electrical engineering scope overlaps with IES on certain lighting control and electrical standards.
• NFPA (National Fire Protection Association): Developer of the National Electrical Code (NEC/NFPA 70) which governs lighting installations. NFPA's safety standards intersect with IES lighting standards in code-compliant building projects.
• UL Solutions (Underwriters Laboratories): Global safety standards and certification organization with significant lighting equipment safety standards. UL's product safety standards are referenced alongside IES standards in lighting specifications.
• American Institute of Architects (AIA): National professional association for architects, a core IES member and audience segment. AIA's CES provider system and continuing education framework complement IES's CEU/AIA-LU programs in the architecture community.
• ASTM International: Global standards organization with lighting-related standards covering photometric testing, colorimetry, and lighting materials. ASTM's broad test method standards complement IES's application standards in lighting specifications.

Regional players

• Illuminating Engineering Society of Australia and New Zealand (IESANZ): Regional lighting professional society serving Australia and New Zealand with a similar membership model, standards adoption, and conference programming. Represents IES's regional counterpart in the Asia-Pacific market.
• The Lighting Industry Association (LIA): UK-based trade association serving the lighting industry with membership, training, and certification services. LIA represents a regional counterpart in the European lighting professional ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/the_ies
• Facebookfacebook.com/illuminating-engineering-society-140309826005859
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/562149

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Illuminating Engineering Society