The PennZone

MEDFORD, Mass. - PennZone -- The Foresight Practitioner Conference (FPC), hosted by the International Institute of Forecasters (IIF), will be held March 3-4, 2025 at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, North Carolina, USA.

The FPC brings together business leaders, practitioners, and preeminent researchers to network and critically explore the latest advances in forecasting. The FPC's aim is to improve forecast practice by showcasing the experts and organizations that significantly impact value.

The conference offers a unique opportunity for researchers and business leaders to share their insights and expertise with forecasting professionals. The event will feature speakers discussing AI-based forecasting failures and solutions in tech, pharma, government, consulting, and retail sectors. It will include presentations by finalists in our IIF Forecasting Practice Competition, which highlights those organizations where forecast improvements were successfully implemented.

Matthew Schneider, FPC Director and Associate Professor at Drexel University

Attendees can personally engage with many top contributors in the field, participating in critical discussion of the latest and most promising ideas in forecasting. They'll leave with sound, fresh, and practical approaches for improving forecasting performance at their own organization.

More on The PennZone

• Pregis Expands Wind Energy Use, Advancing Progress Toward Net Zero by 2040
• Dr. Sheel Desai Solomon and Preston Dermatology Continue Awards Streak with Top Honors in 2026 Maggy Awards
• Jack and Sage Acquires Sustainable Apparel Brand Kastlfel, Expanding Premium Logo Wear Across National Parks and Ski Resorts
• York Entrepreneur Launches AI Training to Help Small Businesses Navigate the AI Revolution
• Cancun International Airport Prepares for Record Travel Surge Ahead of Spring Break, Summer, and the 2026 High Season

Michael Gilliland, Editor-in-Chief of Foresight: The International Journal of Applied Forecasting

Conference speakers include Skander Hannachi, Google Cloud; Nikos Kourentzes, University of Skövde, Sweden; Ruby Kuklov, AstraZeneca; Lauren Davis, North Carolina A&T State University; Simon Spavound, LeBow College of Business, Drexel University; Stephan Kolassa, SAP Switzerland AG; Yue Li, Bain & Company; Jeff Baker, MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics; Mark Chockalingam, Valtitude; and Jonathon Karelse, NorthFind Management.

FPC 2025 is sponsored by Google. For information on becoming a sponsor, visit https://forecasters.org/events/foresight-practitioner-conference/.

Early registration rates are available through January 31. Register at https://forecasters.org/foresight-practitioner-conference-registration/.

IIF Forecasting Practice Competition

In conjunction with the FPC, IIF is hosting its first annual IIF Forecasting Practice Competition, which offers a $10,000 prize.

More on The PennZone

• $167 Billion Pharma R&D Market Largely Untapped by AI Creates Major Growth Runway for KALA Bios Data-Sovereign AI Strategy: N A S D A Q: KALA
• Lighthouse Tech Awards Recognize Top HR Technology Providers for 2026
• ADB Selects OneVizion to Advance Field Execution and Infrastructure Program Management
• Memelinked Social Media powered by cryptocurrency launching July 2026
• Actor Phillip Steward Featured on The Industry Podcast with James Winborn

The competition highlights the IIF Award for the Impact of Forecasting in Practice and aims to recognize and showcase organizations that achieve significant impact by applying forecasting, while also contributing to the forecasting community. Applications are evaluated in five key areas: impact to their organization, impact on the forecasting community, challenge of their forecasting problem, role of forecasting in the solution, and quality of their submission and presentation. The five finalists for the award are Wayfair, Maersk, Hewlett- Packard, Ipiranga, and OpenGrid Europe. The finalists will deliver presentations on March 2, in-person, and all FPC conference attendees are welcome to attend. The winner will be announced at the FPC.

About the International Institute of Forecasters (IIF) – The International Institute of Forecasters, founded in 1982, is the preeminent organization for forecasting scholars and practitioners worldwide. The IIF is universally recognized for advancing the field of forecasting through research funding, workshops, its annual International Symposium on Forecasting, and its two publications: The International Journal of Forecasting and Foresight: The International Journal of Applied Forecasting.