Industrieverband Büro und Arbeitswelt e. V. (IBA)

What Industrieverband Büro und Arbeitswelt e. V. (IBA) does

Industrieverband Büro und Arbeitswelt e. V. (IBA) is a German registered industry association (eingetragener Verein) headquartered in Wiesbaden that represents and serves the office furniture and workplace sector in the DACH region. Its primary operating asset is the IBA Forum, a digital inspiration and competence platform at iba.online that aggregates virtual showrooms, expert content, networking tools, and a media library for office furniture manufacturers, HR and facility managers, and architects or interior designers. The headcount is small and not disclosed, with leadership comprising Helmut Link as Chairman (also representing Interstuhl Büromöbel GmbH & Co. KG) and Stefan Kokkes as Managing Director.

The core technology stack centres on the IBA Forum digital platform, which provides virtual showrooms across workspace, meeting, co-area, homeoffice, and hospitality categories, online lead tracking for exhibitors, and the IBA OfficePlaner built on EasternGraphics GmbH's pCon Planner technology for browser-based room planning. Supporting assets include a Themen Hub organising content around hybrid work, sustainability, and workspace of tomorrow; a Media Center of video interviews and expert talks; and the New Work Order research publication series authored by Birgit Gebhardt. The IBA Forum also serves as the content partner for ORGATEC, the international office workspace trade fair in Cologne, and co-hosts the Wherever Whenever Work Culture Festival, which drew over 50,000 visitors and 130+ speakers in October 2024.

IBA's revenue model relies on association membership fees from office furniture manufacturers, event-specific digital exhibitor participation packages (including multi-year contracts with networking and lead-tracking capabilities), and a freemium publication business offering free PDF downloads in exchange for contact details and paid printed study copies within Europe. The association additionally promotes the European LEVEL sustainability certification in partnership with FEMB and operates the newen-spaces.com initiative for office furniture reuse, extending its scope into circular-economy services. No revenue figures, funding rounds, M&A activity, or headcount growth are disclosed in the source material.

Name

Industrieverband Büro und Arbeitswelt e. V. (IBA)

Legal name

Industrieverband Büro und Arbeitswelt e. V. (IBA)

Website

https://iba.online

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Industrieverband Büro und Arbeitswelt e. V. (IBA) is a German non-profit industry association that operates the IBA Forum digital platform, providing virtual showrooms, expert content, and networking for office furniture manufacturers, HR/facility managers, and workplace design professionals across the DACH region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Wiesbaden

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel

Revenue model

1. Digital Exhibitor Services: IBA provides paid digital participation services for exhibitors, allowing companies to present products in virtual showrooms with networking and lead tracking capabilities. Pricing follows event-specific terms in registration materials.
2. Publication Sales: Free PDF downloads of IBA publications for registered users. New Work Order studies available in print (delivery within Europe only). Some publications provided free in exchange for contact details; others available for a fee.
3. Association Membership: As an industry association (Industrieverband), IBA generates revenue through membership fees from office furniture manufacturers and workspace-related companies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Industrieverband Büro und Arbeitswelt e. V. (IBA) is a German industry association for the office and working world sector. It operates the IBA Forum, a digital inspiration and competence platform featuring virtual showrooms of member manufacturers, media content, publications (New Work Order studies), and event programming in partnership with ORGATEC. It also promotes the European LEVEL sustainability certification for office and contract furniture.

Product overview

IBA Forum is an inspiration and competence forum for new ways of working, operated by Industrieverband Büro und Arbeitswelt e.V. The core offering is a digital platform comprising multiple integrated services: Showrooms for manufacturer product displays, the virtual Stage/Bühne for presentations, the IBA OfficePlaner for space planning using EasternGraphics technology, a Media Center with video content, and a Themen Hub organizing thematic content. The platform also publishes the New Work Order research studies by Birgit Gebhardt and annual reports. Supporting content services include Knowledge resources on space planning and the StudyNet research network.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• IBA Forum: Digital inspiration and competence forum for new ways of working, operated by IBA
• Wherever Whenever – Work Culture Festival
• New Work Order Studies
• IBA OfficePlaner
• Quality Office
• LEVEL Certification

Products and services

• IBA Forum Digital Platform A digital platform serving as an inspiration and competence forum for new ways of working, providing digital exhibitor and showroom services, virtual stage presentations, and networking capabilities for office furniture manufacturers and workspace professionals.
• Digital Exhibitor Showroom Services Paid digital participation service for office furniture manufacturers to present products in virtual showrooms with networking, lead tracking, and audio/video communication capabilities for the contract period.
• IBA OfficePlaner Online room planning tool enabling users to digitally plan office spaces and virtually place furniture items in the browser, powered by EasternGraphics pCon Planner technology.
• New Work Order Studies Trend research publication series by Birgit Gebhardt examining the future of work, covering organization, creativity, human factors, space, and AI collaboration.
• IBA Annual Reports Annual reports documenting IBA association activities, findings, and figures for the office and workplace sector.
• LEVEL Certification European sustainability certification standard for office, contract, and school furniture covering materials, energy, chemical management, and social responsibility, promoted in partnership with FEMB.
• IBA Association Membership Membership program for office furniture manufacturers and workspace-related companies providing access to IBA Forum digital services, representation, networking, and industry advocacy.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50,000+ annual visitors at flagship events
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ORGATEC / KoelnmessecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 October 2024IBA Forum serves as the content and programming partner for ORGATEC, the leading international trade fair for office and workspace. The partnership includes the Wherever Whenever Work Culture Festival with six live stages and workshop areas held alongside the trade fair in Cologne.
• newen-spaces.comminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry-wide infrastructure initiative for the reuse of office furniture, referenced as a related initiative on the IBA Forum platform addressing circular economy in office furnishings.
• EasternGraphics GmbHcoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partnership for the IBA OfficePlaner online room planning tool. EasternGraphics provides the pCon Planner technology enabling users to digitally plan spaces and virtually place furniture directly in the browser.
• FRAMEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMedia partnership with FRAME, a leading publication for workplace design. Collaboration on event programming including virtual stages and expert sessions during ORGATEC events.
• FEMB (Federation of European Manufacturers of Office Furniture)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with FEMB for the European LEVEL certification and sustainability standards. IBA promotes the FEMB Sustainability Standard for office, contract, and school furniture covering materials, energy, chemical management, and social responsibility.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• imm cologne: imm cologne is a leading international interiors trade fair organized by Koelnmesse. It overlaps with IBA's audience in interior design and furniture, but focuses on residential as well as commercial segments.
• WORLD BUILT ENVIRONMENT FORUM / WORKTECH: WORKTECH is a global conference and content network on the future of work and workplace. It serves a similar workplace strategy audience and competes for thought leadership in the new work and hybrid work narrative that IBA Forum also champions.

Emerging players

• Material Bank: Material Bank is a digital B2B marketplace for architectural and design materials that competes with IBA Forum's virtual showroom concept, providing specifiers with sample ordering and product discovery.
• Leesman Index: Leesman is a workplace experience research and benchmarking platform that, like IBA, publishes data and insights on office design effectiveness for a corporate and facility manager audience.
• ORGATEC / Koelnmesse: Koelnmesse is both IBA's strategic partner and a peer in convening the office and workspace community through the ORGATEC trade fair and Where Whenever Work Culture Festival programming.
• Architonic: Architonic is a curated digital platform for architecture and design products. It overlaps with IBA Forum's role in showcasing office furniture and connecting manufacturers with specifiers across Europe.

Direct peers

• BIFMA (Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association): BIFMA is the US trade association for office and institutional furniture manufacturers, mirroring IBA's role in Germany. Both develop industry standards, sustainability certifications (LEVEL/BIFMA level), and advocacy for the commercial furnishings industry.
• FRAME (workplace design publication): FRAME is a media partner of IBA at ORGATEC and a workplace design publisher serving an overlapping audience of architects, designers, and HR/facility managers with editorial and event content.
• FEMB (Federation of European Manufacturers of Office Furniture): FEMB is the European-level counterpart to IBA, representing office furniture manufacturers. Both organizations co-promote the LEVEL sustainability certification, operate as industry associations, and serve overlapping manufacturer members across DACH and broader Europe.

Broad incumbents

• German Design Council (Rat für Formgebung): A federally supported German design institution that, like IBA, promotes design excellence through awards, publications, conferences, and industry partnerships, including office and workspace design.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ibaforum
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/industrieverband-b%C3%BCro-und-arbeitswelt-e-v-iba
• Instagraminstagram.com/iba.online

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Industrieverband Büro und Arbeitswelt e. V. (IBA)