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Upcoming forecasting conferences

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By Topics | Advanced Analytics Analytics

We're entering the busy season for forecasting events, and here is the current calendar:

Analytics2014 - Frankfurt

The European edition of Analytics2014 kicks off tomorrow in Frankfurt, Germany. Five hundred of the leading thinkers and doers in the analytics profession hook up for two full days of interaction and learning. I'll try to get reports on the several forecasting related presentations, including "The New Analytical Mindset in Forecasting" by Nestlé Iberia, and the latest on "Forecast Value Added and the Limits of Forecastability" by Steve Morlidge of CatchBull. (Steve's compelling work has been subject of several BFD postings over the last year.)

For those (like me) who were unable to travel to Germany for this event, the US edition of Analytics2014 is back in Las Vegas (October 20-21).

APICS & IBF Best of the Best S&OP Conference - Chicago

For Sales & Operations Planning junkies, next week (June 12-13) is the first of two upcoming S&OP-focused conferences.

Hosted by APICS and the Institute of Business Forecasting, Best of the Best speakers include two winners of IBF's Excellence in Business Forecasting & Planning award, Patrick Bower of Combe, and Alan Milliken of BASF. Also, Dr. Chaman Jain, editor of Journal of Business Forecasting, will speak on S&OP for new products.

IBF Webinar: Risk Mitigation and Demand Planning Segmentation Strategies

Even agoraphobics, shut-ins, those without travel budgets, and those under house arrest can get in on the forecasting knowledge fest, with this June 18 (11:00am EDT) IBF webinar by Eric Wilson of Tempur Sealy. Per the abstract:

To improve forecast accuracy, companies are constantly seeking demand planning practices and solutions that best utilize their planners' expertise. This presentation on product segmentation will provide the best use of segmentation using attributes and FVA to create differentiated demand planning approaches. The general purpose of segmenting planning strategies is to mitigate risk. The purpose of FVA is to minimize forecasting resources, while reaching accuracy goals. In this session, we will offer basic strategies and conceptual ideas that you may utilize in any industry. Plus, we will provide examples of how we applied these practices ourselves that led to reduction in inventory, while maintaining or improving service levels that our customers love.

International Symposium on Forecasting - Rotterdam

SAS is again a sponsor of the ISF (June 29 - July 2), which brings together the world's elites in forecasting research and practice.

For industry practitioners who may have shied away from the ISF for being too "academic" I would encourage you to reconsider. I felt the same way before attending my first ISF (San Antonio 2005), yet found a vibrant interest in real-life forecasting issues, and the opportunity to build relationships with academic researchers. There is also strong interest in practitioner presentations. So even if it's too late to enjoy Rotterdam, start planning now for ISF 2015 in Riverside, California.

Foresight Practitioner Conference - Columbus, OH

This year's second big S&OP event is "From S&OP to Demand-Supply Integration" (October 8-9 at Ohio State University). Limited to 100 attendees, with no vendors permitted to present or exhibit, it is hosted by Len Tashman, editor of Foresight: The International Journal of Applied Forecasting. The day-and-a-half conference concludes with a 90-minute panel discussion moderated by Len.

 

Tags Alan Milliken APICS Chaman Jain Eric Wilson Foresight FVA IBF ISF Journal of Business Forecasting Len Tashman Nestle Patrick Bower Steve Morlidge Tempur Sealy
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About Author

Mike Gilliland

Product Marketing Manager

Michael Gilliland is a longtime business forecasting practitioner and formerly a Product Marketing Manager for SAS Forecasting. He is on the Board of Directors of the International Institute of Forecasters, and is Associate Editor of their practitioner journal Foresight: The International Journal of Applied Forecasting. Mike is author of The Business Forecasting Deal (Wiley, 2010) and former editor of the free e-book Forecasting with SAS: Special Collection (SAS Press, 2020). He is principal editor of Business Forecasting: Practical Problems and Solutions (Wiley, 2015) and Business Forecasting: The Emerging Role of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (Wiley, 2021). In 2017 Mike received the Institute of Business Forecasting's Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2021 his paper "FVA: A Reality Check on Forecasting Practices" was inducted into the Foresight Hall of Fame. Mike initiated The Business Forecasting Deal blog in 2009 to help expose the seamy underbelly of forecasting practice, and to provide practical solutions to its most vexing problems.

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