2008 Year in Review

As I sat on the couch with my husband watching one of the many 2008 recap shows that are aired this time of year, my thoughts drifted back towards the highlights of my own 2008 with the IBF. It was a year that held so many “firsts” for our organization as well as several memorable learning experiences.
So it is! My top 5 highlights of 2008 for the IBF!

Let me know if you agree/disagree? What did I miss?

1) Dr. Chaman L. Jain, Editor in Chief of the Journal of Business Forecasting, featured in the Wall Street Journal. Thinking about Tomorrow, Seven tips for making forecasting more effective, an article summing up the importance of collaboration between vendors and suppliers, and the results are effective planning. Putting Forecasting and Planning on the map, not only was the article printed in their special quarterly section, but in addition, Dr. Jain was interviewed and can now be found on several video housing websites. The video can be viewed here: http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en-US&vid=e6227778-0813-42c5-aa91-cd64fc1ac8a3

2) First ever APICS/IBF Best of the Best S&OP conference. Sold out with over 100 people waitlisted for registration, yes, forecasting for new products is quite difficult. But seriously, the hot topic of 2008 was certainly Sales and Operations Planning and the collaboration of the two well established organizations brought to life a major event of 2008 for Supply and Demand folks. A second event was held in December to meet the demand with continued success in Dallas.

3) IBF’s First Latin America Supply Chain Forecasting and Planning Conference held in Mexico, speakers presenting in Spanish. Certainly an accomplishment on many levels for our organization, which included presentations from well known companies such as Revlon, Campbell Soup and Office Max.



4) The inauguration of IBF Chapters, with the very first lead by John Gallucci, Director of Demand Planning for Nestle, in the New York Area. 2008 was a year where networking was key and sharing ideas and knowledge amongst peers helped companies stay afloat during these challenging times. Other chapters launched in the US as well as South Africa and Dubai.

5) Lastly, with great pleasure, I would like to add a personal note of accomplishment for the Managing Director of IBF. April 1, 2008 was the birth date of Ajay Jain, son of Anish and Alka Jain. Although with dual citizenship of UK and US, Ajay and his parents reside in NY.