Institute of Business Forecasting & Planning

What Institute of Business Forecasting & Planning does

The Institute of Business Forecasting & Planning (IBF) is a private professional membership organization founded in 1981 and operated by Graceway Publishing Co. Inc., a New York corporation headquartered in Great Neck, USA. IBF serves practitioners and corporate members working in demand planning, sales & operations planning (S&OP/IBP), forecasting, and supply chain analytics, with a stated base of 40,000+ active professionals and members and 2,500+ certified professionals (CPF and ACPF) embedded across Fortune 500 companies and other major global organizations. The organization was founded by Dr. Chaman L. Jain and is currently led by Managing Director Anish Jain, with Eric Wilson serving as Director of Thought Leadership.

IBF's core technology stack is a content and credentialing platform rather than a software product. Its proprietary assets include the CPF (Certified Professional Forecaster) and ACPF (Advanced Certified Professional Forecaster) certification programs built on a proprietary body of knowledge, the quarterly Journal of Business Forecasting (JBF), benchmarking research reports covering forecast error by industry, an S&OP Maturity Model self-assessment tool, and a Cost of Forecast Error Calculator. AI and predictive analytics are featured prominently in its training curriculum (e.g., the Virtual Advanced Demand Planning & Forecasting Boot Camp covering regression, neural networks, decision trees, and machine learning) and in conference tracks, but IBF does not ship AI/ML software products to customers.

IBF's business model is a multi-stream professional services and membership organization. Revenue is generated through six streams: (1) annual membership dues ranging from $300 (personal domestic) to $2,600 (corporate international); (2) in-person and virtual conferences and training priced $999-$4,299 per attendee (Orlando, Amsterdam, Nashville, Las Vegas, Leadership Forum, Virtual Boot Camps); (3) CPF/ACPF certification exams at $1,275-$1,425 per package; (4) corporate group training and advisory services; (5) sponsorships and advertising across digital and print properties; and (6) book and publication sales. Distribution is primarily self-serve online registration with direct sales for enterprise training. The company serves enterprise customers across CPG, retail, pharma, aerospace, automotive, chemicals, energy, and technology — with named member and award-winner companies including Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, PepsiCo, P&G, Boeing, Samsung, Ford, Unilever, BASF, Johnson & Johnson, Coca-Cola, and Disney.

Name

Institute of Business Forecasting & Planning

Legal name

Graceway Publishing Co. Inc.

Website

https://ibf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Private professional membership organization founded in 1981 that delivers demand planning, S&OP/IBP, and forecasting certification (CPF/ACPF), conferences, training, and research to 40,000+ professionals and Fortune 500 corporate members globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Education and Certification

NAICS

Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Finance, Accounting & Risk (CFA/CPA/FRM) Certifications (EDAAANAD)

Keywords

• Demand planning training
• Forecasting certification
• S&OP education programs
• Supply chain training
• Business forecasting research

Headquarters

HQ city

Great Neck

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

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 and multi-year membership subscriptions providing access to JBF, research reports, discounted events, certification discounts, tutorials, and online resources. Personal domestic membership ~$300/year, personal international ~$350/year, corporate domestic ~$2,200/year.
2. Conferences & Events: Revenue from in-person conferences (Best Practices Conference, Immersive Training, Leadership Forum, Europe Conference) and virtual training events. Event registration fees range from ~$999 to ~$3,624 depending on package and membership status.
3. Certification Exams: CPF certification exams (3 exams) at $1,275-$1,425. ACPF certification for advanced professionals. Exam registration fees plus preparation book sales.
4. Training & Advisory Services: Group training, individual training, and corporate advisory/consulting services for organizations seeking demand planning and S&OP improvements.
5. Sponsorships & Advertising: Advertising and sponsorship opportunities across digital and print publications including www.demand-planning.com, Journal of Business Forecasting, and social media assets.
6. Books & Publications: Sale of preparation books including 'Fundamentals of Demand Planning & Forecasting' and 'Predictive Analytics for Business Forecasting & Planning'.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

IBF is a professional membership organization that delivers education, certification, and training in business forecasting, demand planning, and Sales & Operations Planning/Integrated Business Planning (S&OP/IBP). Its core commercial offerings are the Certified Professional Forecaster (CPF) and Advanced Certified Professional Forecaster (ACPF) certification programs, multi-day immersive training and boot camps, annual conferences, a quarterly Journal of Business Forecasting, benchmarking research reports, and corporate advisory services.

Product overview

The Institute of Business Forecasting & Planning (IBF) is a membership organization offering a comprehensive portfolio of professional development services for S&OP/IBP, demand planning, forecasting, and analytics practitioners. The organization provides two levels of industry-recognized certification programs: Certified Professional Forecaster (CPF) and Advanced Certified Professional Forecaster (ACPF), along with multiple training formats including Immersive Training Programs, Online Training Courses, and Advanced Boot Camps that cover everything from fundamentals to AI and predictive analytics. IBF publishes the Journal of Business Forecasting and provides benchmarking research reports, organizes major conferences including the Best Practices Conference, Leadership Forum, and regional European conferences, and offers advisory services including S&OP maturity assessments. Additional offerings include local chapter networking, the EmployAbility career program, S&OP/IBP and Supply Chain Planning certificates, books, tools such as a Cost of Forecast Error Calculator, and the Ambassador Program for member engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Certified Professional Forecaster (CPF) Certification Gold-standard professional certification validating mastery of IBF's body of knowledge across exams on demand planning fundamentals, data management, time series forecasting, reporting, presenting, and new product forecasting. Targeted at demand planning, forecasting, and S&OP/IBP professionals seeking credentialed expertise recognized across Fortune 500 companies.
• Advanced Certified Professional Forecaster (ACPF) Certification Advanced certification for experienced forecasters covering predictive analytics, machine learning, and advanced analytical methods (Exams 4, 5, and 6). Targeted at senior practitioners pursuing mastery in AI-driven and advanced forecasting techniques.
• Supply & Demand Planning Immersive Training Comprehensive in-person training session covering demand planning, S&OP/IBP fundamentals, and the forecasting process with hands-on real-world examples. Targeted at practitioners seeking structured skill development in core forecasting and S&OP disciplines.
• Online Demand Planning Training Course Virtual instructor-led training program covering fundamentals of demand planning and forecasting through scheduled online sessions. Targeted at professionals seeking remote learning in demand planning, inventory optimization, and supply chain efficiency.
• Advanced Demand Planning & Forecasting Boot Camp Advanced training taking practitioners beyond time series forecasting into AI, predictive analytics, regression, clustering, neural networks, decision trees, and machine learning for forecasting. Includes optional Predictive Analytics and Use of Big Data workshops. Targeted at experienced practitioners moving into advanced analytics-driven forecasting.
• Best Practices Conference (Orlando) Flagship annual conference featuring two tracks: Making S&OP/IBP a Competitive Advantage and Predictive Analytics, Demand Planning & Business Forecasting. Targeted at global leaders, practitioners, and partners in forecasting, demand planning, and integrated business planning.
• Leadership Forum Executive-level forum for senior directors and VPs in S&OP/IBP, forecasting, demand planning, supply chain, and analytics. Includes executive discussion streams and one-on-one S&OP assessment reviews with IBF experts. Targeted at C-suite and senior leaders.
• Europe Business Planning, Forecasting & S&OP/IBP Conference European regional conference featuring workshop sessions, round robin discussions, and panel discussions on S&OP/IBP implementation, with pre-conference Fundamentals of Demand Planning & Forecasting tutorial. Targeted at S&OP/IBP, demand planning, and forecasting professionals across Europe.
• 2026 Best of the Best S&OP Conference Co-hosted S&OP conference with ASCM in Chicago featuring expert-led sessions on analytics, AI applications in planning, and strategies to align demand, supply, product, and finance around value-driven decisions. Targeted at global leaders in forecasting, demand planning, and integrated business planning.
• IBF Membership Annual and multi-year membership subscription providing access to Journal of Business Forecasting, research reports, discounts on conferences, workshops, training, certification, online knowledge resources, and tutorials. Tiered as Personal Domestic, Personal International, Corporate Domestic, and Corporate International. Targeted at individual practitioners and corporate teams in forecasting and planning roles.
• Demand Planning & Forecasting Advisory Services Corporate advisory and consulting services providing S&OP maturity assessments and guidance to help organizations improve forecasting and planning processes. Targeted at enterprises seeking expert-led transformation of their demand planning and S&OP functions.
• Fundamentals of Demand Planning & Forecasting (Book) Comprehensive textbook covering Exams 1-5 of the CPF certification program, authored by Dr. Chaman L. Jain and IBF. Sold as primary preparation material for certification exams and as a practitioner reference.
• Practical Guide to Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP/IBP) (Book) Practitioner book providing guidance on S&OP/IBP implementation and best practices. Targeted at forecasting and planning professionals implementing or improving S&OP processes.
• Journal of Business Forecasting (JBF) Quarterly practitioner-focused publication providing research articles, industry insights, and best practices in business forecasting and planning, included with IBF membership. Targeted at forecasting, demand planning, and S&OP practitioners.
• Benchmarking Research Reports Proprietary benchmarking research reports providing insights on forecast error in major industries, metrics used, data practices, salaries, new product planning, and S&OP cadence best practices. Targeted at members and organizations seeking data-driven benchmarking.
• Cost of Forecast Error Calculator Online tool enabling professionals to quantify savings from reducing forecast error, with separate calculators for under-forecasting and over-forecasting scenarios. Targeted at practitioners building business cases for forecasting investments.
• Business Forecasting & Planning Recognition Awards Program Annual awards program recognizing professionals and companies demonstrating innovation, passion, and excellence in forecasting, planning, S&OP/IBP, and analytics. Includes Excellence in Business Forecasting and Planning and Dr. Chaman L. Jain Lifetime Achievement awards. Targeted at the IBF community.
• IBF Ambassador Program Volunteer recognition program offering members complimentary event passes, deeper network access, discounts on IBF services, and recognition in exchange for volunteering at events, social media engagement, and content contribution. Targeted at active members who contribute to community growth.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40,000+ active professionals and members
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers40 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

Integration1 record

AI capability7 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ASCM (Association for Supply Chain Management)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 February 2026ASCM and IBF reuniting to co-host the 2026 Best of the Best S&OP Conference on June 11-12, 2026, in Chicago. The event aims to bring together global leaders in forecasting, demand planning, and integrated business planning for practitioner-driven learning experiences. The partnership had been paused since 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Local Host Companies (Chapter Meetups)minorOthersCompanies like L'Oréal, Heineken, Bayer, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Campbell Soup, and Rolls-Royce host IBF Chapter Meetups by providing company meeting space and recommending speakers. IBF brings local professionals to these events.
• Wyndham Grand Orlando Resort Bonnet CreekminorOthersPreferred hotel venue for IBF's Leadership Forum and Best Practices Conference in Orlando, Florida. IBF secures discounted room rates ($229/night + tax) for attendees.
• DoubleTree by Hilton Amsterdam Centraal StationminorOthersPreferred hotel venue for IBF's Europe Conference in Amsterdam, Netherlands. IBF secures preferential hotel rates for attendees.
• Disney (Walt Disney World)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerIBF offers discounted opportunities at Disney parks for conference attendees attending IBF events in Orlando. Exclusive booking link provided through mydisneygroup.com/ibpc2024.
• Trane TechnologiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTim Hotze, Corporate VP Supply Chain Planning at Trane Technologies, serves on the IBF Advisory Board and is a featured speaker at IBF events. Represents strategic thought leadership partnership with major corporate member.
• Amazon BooksminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIBF preparation books 'Fundamentals of Demand Planning & Forecasting' and 'Predictive Analytics for Business Forecasting & Planning' are available for purchase through Amazon.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Kinaxis: Kinaxis provides concurrent supply chain and S&OP planning software with its own learning services and certification paths. It overlaps with IBF in serving enterprises modernizing S&OP/IBP processes and offers bundled training that can displace third-party providers.
• o9 Solutions: o9 Solutions offers an AI-powered integrated business planning platform with bundled training and certification programs. As an emerging planning-software player, it competes with IBF by integrating forecasting education into platform adoption.
• John Galt Solutions: John Galt Solutions (Atlas Planning Platform) is a forecasting and demand planning software vendor with deep ties to IBF — its CEO won a 2022 IBF Lifetime Achievement Award. It competes as an integrated software-plus-education alternative to standalone training providers like IBF.
• Anaplan: Anaplan provides connected planning software with demand and supply planning use cases and offers Anaplan Academy training. It overlaps with IBF's target audience of planning professionals and competes for their certification and continuous-learning budgets.

Broad incumbents

• Blue Yonder: Blue Yonder (formerly JDA) is a major supply chain planning software vendor that offers demand planning and S&OP solutions with bundled enablement and training. It competes indirectly with IBF for the enterprise training and certification budget.
• Forrester Research: Forrester publishes research and runs events covering supply chain, S&OP, and demand planning topics. It competes with IBF for thought-leadership mindshare and enterprise advisory spending, though at a broader and higher price point.
• SAS Institute: SAS provides advanced analytics and forecasting software with its own training, certification, and academic partnerships. Multiple SAS executives have won IBF Lifetime Achievement Awards, indicating deep community overlap and partial competition for training and certification revenue.
• Gartner: Gartner provides supply chain research, advisory, and conferences (including supply chain planning and S&OP coverage) that overlap with IBF's thought-leadership and enterprise advisory offerings, but at a much broader and higher-priced scale serving CIO/COO-level buyers.

Direct peers

• ASCM (Association for Supply Chain Management): ASCM (formerly APICS) is the dominant global supply chain professional association and directly overlaps with IBF in S&OP/IBP education, certification, and conferences. They are a current co-host partner for the 2026 Best of the Best S&OP Conference, making them both collaborator and primary competitor.

Others

• Deloitte (Supply Chain & Operations Practice): Deloitte's S&OP and supply chain consulting practice delivers advisory, training, and transformation services to the same Fortune 500 buyers that IBF serves. It competes indirectly by bundling education and enablement into large consulting engagements.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/demandplanning
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/IBF
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/institute-of-business-forecasting

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 Institute of Business Forecasting & Planning