International Plant Propagators Society

What International Plant Propagators Society does

The International Plant Propagators Society, recently rebranded to the International Plant Production Society (IPPS), is a 501(c)-style nonprofit professional membership organization founded in 1951 in Cleveland, Ohio, with approximately 70 original plant propagators and a guiding motto of 'to seek and to share.' It serves horticultural researchers, educators, nursery operators, and students across seven regional chapters: Australia, Europe, Eastern North America, Southern North America, Western North America, New Zealand, and Southern Africa. Its core offerings include annual regional and biennial international conferences with nursery tours, the Combined Proceedings archive of 70+ volumes of peer-reviewed plant production research, scholarships and exchange programs for young horticulturists, and tiered industry recognition (Fellows, Meadows Award). The society is governed by a volunteer board with regional officers and an International Executive Director.

IPPS monetizes through four primary streams: individual and student memberships ($130-$150/year in most North American regions, with free or $15 student tiers in several regions), conference and tour registration fees (2026 International Tour priced at $2,995-$5,995 per attendee), international sponsorships (up to $10,000 for exclusive access to the Proceedings, website logos, and tour publicity), and tiered regional sponsorships ($500 Bronze to $8,000 Diamond, plus an $8,500 North American package). Distribution is primarily direct via seven regional websites, an international newsletter, and on-site engagement at conferences. Recent technology investment has been the introduction of an AI-powered search tool over the Combined Proceedings archive, enabling natural-language querying with traceable references to original volume and page numbers.

Strategic direction in 2024-2025 has emphasized broadening appeal beyond narrow propagation specialists, including the 2025 rebrand to 'International Plant Production Society,' new educational partnerships (University of Florida IFAS Extension offering 20% off Greenhouse Training Online courses; Oregon State University Ornamental Plant Breeding Field Day), expanded international sponsorship packages, and an India At-Large membership tier. The customer base spans individual professionals, students, universities (Tennessee State, Spartanburg Community College), botanical gardens (Morton Arboretum, Chicago Botanic Garden, Houston Botanic Garden), and major commercial nurseries (Bailey Nurseries, Ball Horticultural, Spring Meadow, Everde Growers, Greenleaf, BASF).

Name

International Plant Propagators Society

Legal name

International Plant Production Society

Website

https://ipps.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1951

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The International Plant Production Society (IPPS), formerly the International Plant Propagators' Society, is a 75-year-old global nonprofit professional society serving plant production professionals across 7 regions with conferences, a 70+ volume research proceedings archive, scholarships, and industry awards.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Monroe

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: Annual membership fees collected at both international and regional levels. Membership provides access to conferences, proceedings, field days, workshops, scholarships, and exchange programs. Pricing varies by region and membership type (individual, student, retired, auto-renew).
2. Event Registration Fees: Revenue from annual regional conferences, international tours, and educational workshops. The 2026 International Tour offers single occupancy ($5,995) and double occupancy ($4,295) options for the long tour, and single ($3,995) and double ($2,995) for the short tour.
3. International Sponsorship: International sponsors receive exclusive access to the online IPPS Proceedings, company registrations to attend any worldwide regional conference, logo inclusion on international and regional websites, publicity at the International Tour, and space in the International Newsletter sent to every member globally. Package prices up to $10,000.
4. Regional Sponsorship: Regional sponsors receive recognition at annual meetings with various tiers (Diamond $8,000, Platinum $5,000, Gold $2,500, Silver $1,000, Bronze $500). North American sponsorship package covering all three North American regions costs $8,500.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

IPPS is a global non-profit professional society that delivers plant production knowledge to horticulture professionals through annual memberships, regional and international conferences with nursery tours, the 70+ volume Combined Proceedings archive of peer-reviewed research, scholarships and exchange programs for young horticulturists, and industry awards recognizing career achievement.

Product overview

IPPS is a professional membership society (not a technology product company) offering membership services, educational programs, and knowledge-sharing resources for plant production professionals. The core offerings include IPPS Membership, access to Combined Proceedings (70+ volumes of conference papers), Regional Conferences with tours, Scholarships and Exchange Programs, and the University of Florida Online Greenhouse Training partnership. The society connects horticultural research, education, and plant production professionals globally through annual conferences, field days, workshops, and international exchange programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• IPPS Membership Annual membership providing access to a global network of plant production professionals, educational conferences, field days, tours, workshops, scholarships, exchange programs, and the Combined Proceedings library. Available in individual, student, retired, and auto-renew tiers by region.
• Combined Proceedings Archive

Quantifiable outcome

• Access to 70+ volumes of Combined Proceedings containing research and practical techniques from annual conferences
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Ball Horticultural CompanycoreOthersInternational sponsor of IPPS. Ball Horticultural Company supports IPPS programs, enhancing educational opportunities and enabling the society to serve members worldwide.
• Spring Meadow NurserycoreOthersInternational sponsor of IPPS. Spring Meadow Nursery supports IPPS initiatives and participates as a tour stop sponsor for the 2026 International Tour.
• Harrell'scoreOthersInternational sponsor of IPPS providing support for educational programs and member events.
• Bailey NurseriescoreOthersInternational sponsor and tour stop for IPPS events. Bailey Nurseries participates in the 2026 International Tour and supports IPPS regional conferences.
• RAYNcoreOthersInternational sponsor of IPPS. RAYN supports IPPS programs and member initiatives.
• BASFmajorOthersSponsor of the 2026 International Tour, supporting IPPS's largest educational event of the year.
• Chicago Botanic GardenmajorOthersSponsor and tour destination for the 2026 International Tour, offering participants access to world-class botanical gardens.
• The Morton ArboretummajorOthersTour destination for the 2026 International Tour. One of the world's leading woody plant botanic gardens.
• Knight Hollow NurserymajorOthersTour stop and sponsor for the 2026 International Tour. Owned by International President Liz Erickson.
• Johnson's NurserymajorOthersTour stop and sponsor for the 2026 International Tour in Wisconsin.
• McKay NurserymajorOthersTour stop and sponsor for the 2026 International Tour, providing snacks and coffee during the tour.
• Midwest GroundcoversmajorOthersTour stop and sponsor for the 2026 International Tour.
• Garden SolutionsmajorOthersTour stop and sponsor for the 2026 International Tour in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
• GIE MediaminorOthersSponsor of the 2026 International Tour.
• ICLminorOthersSponsor of the 2026 International Tour.
• IPPS Eastern Region FoundationcoreOthersFoundation supporting the Eastern Region of North America and the 2026 International Tour hosted by the region.
• Horticultural Research InstitutecoreOthersIPPS Southern Region Educational Endowment was established through HRI in 2017 with a $20,000 contribution from an anonymous donor.
• University of Florida IFAS ExtensionmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership offering Greenhouse Training Online courses with 20% discount for IPPS members using code IPPS2026. The award-winning program has trained over 6,800 greenhouse and nursery growers from around the world.
• Oregon State UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIPPS Western Region partners with OSU for the annual Ornamental Plant Breeding Field Day. OSU's breeding program is in its 17th year and has released multiple cultivars gaining industry adoption.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Southern Nursery Association: Regional US nursery trade association serving the southeastern US with events, awards, and research support. Functions as a sub-regional peer mirroring IPPS's Southern Region of North America model.
• AmericanHort: US national trade association for the nursery, greenhouse, and landscape industry. Operates as a member-based industry body running major events (Cultivate) and advocacy — the closest US peer to IPPS's combined membership-events-knowledge model.
• American Horticultural Society: US-based member society promoting horticulture through education, awards, and programs including the Master Gardener program. Comparable membership-plus-knowledge society model with a more consumer/hobbyist tilt.
• Perennial Plant Association: US-based trade association for perennial plants running an annual symposium, member benefits, and industry awards. A direct peer in plant-category professional education and event-driven engagement.
• International Society for Horticultural Science: Global society for horticultural science covering research, congresses, and publications across all horticulture sub-disciplines. Direct international peer at the science/research intersection that IPPS also serves.
• Royal Horticultural Society: UK-headquartered international horticultural society with membership, gardens, events, and educational programming. Closest global analog in model (membership + knowledge + events) and the most recognized horticultural society brand worldwide.

Others

• Horticultural Research Institute: Green-industry foundation funding horticultural research and scholarships. Already a documented IPPS financial partner (Southern Region Educational Endowment, 2017), making it a close ecosystem peer rather than a competitor.
• Nursery & Landscape Association Executives: Association of nursery and landscape trade association executives. Adjacent peer — focuses on the management of the regional associations that IPPS itself parallels, not direct end-member competition.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@IPPSvideos
• Facebookfacebook.com/IPPS.SRNA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/international-plant-production-society

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries7 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 International Plant Propagators Society