What We Do
IFTF Events
Institute for the Future brings people together to make the future—today. Whether you’re a strategic leader in a large organization, a practicing foresight professional, a community leader, or simply interested in learning more about futures thinking, IFTF events can help you turn foresight into critical insights that lead to action.
Explore the list of upcoming events below and check back regularly for new additions and other updates!
Research Launch + Workshop
FACING THE DECISIVE DECADE: the re-evaluation of everything
May 17-18, 2022 • 8am - 12pm PDT
Two half-days | IFTF Vantage Partners Only
The Decisive Decade is upon us—a decade that will determine everything from the health of our planet to the stability of our societies. The world is undergoing incredible changes that demand action: climate instability, pandemic disease and management, economic fragility, organizational and geopolitical uncertainty, systemic inequities, and eroded trust in our institutions. These shifts will radically reshape the global landscape in the next ten years, and decisions we make today will shape our future for generations to come. While these challenges appear daunting, they also open opportunities. Over two-half days IFTF Vantage partners will dive into our new 2022-2032 Map of the Decade research and build future-readiness with strategic insights that help prepare their organizations to meet the challenges of the decade ahead.
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Webinar
IFTF ASK A FUTURIST: Designing Sustainable Futures
Tue, May 24, 2022 • 8:00am PDT | 11:00am EDT | 15:00 UTC
60 minutes | Public | Free
Designing Sustainable Futures is a practice and a mindset that draws on the power of futures thinking, the creativity of design, and the capacity of collective leadership. Please join the conversation with Futures Advisor and Professor of Innovation, Design, and Leadership Joseph Press and IFTF Food Futures Lab Research Director Quinault Childs, hosted by IFTF Vantage Research Director Vanessa Mason, and learn how Designing Sustainable Futures will enable you to strengthen both your ability to and resilience for making an impact, regardless of what sector or industry you may work in or what your professional background may be.
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Webinar
IFTF FORESIGHT TALKS — Decolonizing Techno-Orientalism: Why Foresight Needs a Feedback Loop
(Americas) Wed, May 24, 2022 • 5pm PDT | 8pm EDT
(Asia Pacific) Thu, May 26, 2022 • 8am CGT/SGT | 10am AEST | 12pm NZST
60 minutes | Public | Free
In this conversation with cultural critic and researcher Dawn Chan, whose work has deeply explored the intersections of race, technology, art and the future, IFTF Digital Intelligence Lab director Jeff Yang will discuss the ways in which the biases of the past and present write themselves on Western views of the future. The conversation will explore the concept of "techno-orientalism" in media, entertainment, literature and academia and consider how foresight needs a feedback loop to challenge and critique assumptions about race, class, gender and faith that may skew projections and lead practitioners to narratives centered on hegemonic or exoticized identities.
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Meetup
FUTURE-READY ORGANIZATIONS: Forecasting on a 10-Year Horizon for Partners
Wed, June 15, 2022 • 9am PDT | 12pm EDT | 16:00 UTC
60 minutes | IFTF Vantage Partners Only
IFTF Vantage partners are invited to join Rod Falcon and Ben Hamamoto on JUNE 15 at 9:00 am PDT and learn more about the practice of forecasting on a 10-year horizon. Partners will have the opportunity to discuss foresight learnings and challenges with Ben, Rod, and your partner peers. We'll continue using IFTF Vantage's Future-Readiness Playbook as a reference, with new prompts to help surface strategies, best practices, and under-recognized resources for practicing foresight within an organization.
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Training
IFTF FORESIGHT ESSENTIALS
Jun 6-30, 2022 • 5pm PDT | 8pm EDT | 10am AEST
6 sessions (4 hrs each & 90 min orientation) | Public | Paid | Space is limited; Early registration recommended
IFTF Foresight Essentials' flagship training is a one-of-a-kind course designed to help individuals and organizations develop their skills in the art and science of foresight. Learn a comprehensive set of tools and frameworks for a complete professional foresight practice.
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Training
IFTF FAST FUTURES: Foresight for Beginners in 90 Minutes
Tue, Jun 14, 2022 • 10am PDT | 1pm EDT | 17:00 UTC
90 minutes | Public | $99
Are you curious about foresight, but don't know anything about it yet? Join us for IFTF Fast Futures—a 90-minute, introductory-level online learning experience that will teach you how to get started with your own creative foresight! Led by IFTF Research Director Jane McGonigal, Ph.D., this live-online training is designed for individuals with little or no previous experience with futures thinking or creative foresight.
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Training
IFTF FORESIGHT ESSENTIALS
Jul 19-21, 2022 • 9am-5:30pm PDT • Palo Alto, CA
3 days | Public | Paid | Space is limited; Early registration recommended
IFTF Foresight Essentials' flagship training is a one-of-a-kind course designed to help individuals and organizations develop their skills in the art and science of foresight. Learn a comprehensive set of tools and frameworks for a complete professional foresight practice.
LEARN MORE »
Training
IFTF FORESIGHT ESSENTIALS
Sep 7-Oct 12, 2022 • 9am PDT | 12pm EDT | 16:00 UTC
6 sessions (4 hrs each & 2 hr orientation) | Public | Paid | Space is limited; Early registration recommended
IFTF Foresight Essentials' flagship training is a one-of-a-kind course designed to help individuals and organizations develop their skills in the art and science of foresight. Learn a comprehensive set of tools and frameworks for a complete professional foresight practice.
LEARN MORE »
Webinar
LEARN WITH IFTF: Foresight Essentials
Wed, Sep 14, 2022 • 9am PDT | 12pm EDT | 16:00 UTC
30 minutes | Public | Free
Join Institute for the Future’s renowned foresight learning experts Lyn Jeffery and Sara Skvirsky for a live 30-minute introductory webinar to see for yourself how IFTF Foresight Essentials builds world-ready, future-ready skills and mindsets. We can help you build foresight and foresight leadership into your daily work and practices!
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Training
DESIGNING SUSTAINABLE FUTURES in partnership with POLI.Design
Oct 7-Dec 12, 2022 • 8am EDT | 12:00 UTC | 2pm CEST
8 sessions (4 hrs each & 1-hr orientation) | Public | Paid | Space is limited; Early registration recommended
Designing Sustainable Futures is an eight-week intensive program to develop the skills and mindset of practitioners who are passionate about building a better world. Whether you have a design or management background, want to create a for-profit or non-profit, the Designing Sustainable Futures course will enable you to strengthen your resilience for making an impact. Starting with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals with specific participants will explore and practice the essential skills of strategic foresight, world building, and transformation.
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Training
IFTF FORESIGHT ESSENTIALS
Oct 11-13, 2022 • 9am-5:30pm • Munich, Germany
3 days | Public | Paid | Space is limited; Early registration recommended
IFTF Foresight Essentials' flagship training is a one-of-a-kind course designed to help individuals and organizations develop their skills in the art and science of foresight. Learn a comprehensive set of tools and frameworks for a complete professional foresight practice.
LEARN MORE »
Training
IFTF DESIGN FUTURES
Oct 13-14, 2022 • 9am-5pm • Palo Alto, California
2 days | Public | Paid | Space is limited; Early registration recommended
Learn to make the future come alive in the present. Design Futures is a practice that uses design principles, media, and immersive experiences in combination with provocative insights about the future, to help your audience better understand what the future could be.
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Training
IFTF SCENARIO BUILDING
Nov 7-18, 2022 • 9am PST | 12pm EST | 17:00 UTC
5 sessions (3 hrs each) | Public | Paid | Space is limited; Early registration recommended
Learn the art and science of crafting alternative futures scenarios and develop an action plan around them. Join expert IFTF faculty in this in-depth training on scenario building, where we will introduce the mythic underpinnings of the alternative futures method as practiced at IFTF.
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Training
IFTF FORESIGHT ESSENTIALS
Nov 21-Dec 15, 2022 • 9am EST | 14:00 UTC | 3pm CET
6 sessions (4 hrs each & 2 hr orientation) | Public | Paid | Space is limited; Early registration recommended
IFTF Foresight Essentials' flagship training is a one-of-a-kind course designed to help individuals and organizations develop their skills in the art and science of foresight. Learn a comprehensive set of tools and frameworks for a complete professional foresight practice.
LEARN MORE »