The IES is at a crossroads of opportunity and transformation. Its newly released Strategic Plan for 2026–28 offers a clear view of where the Society intends to go. Titled Lasting, Scalable Growth, the plan reinforces IES’s commitment to its longstanding mission “to improve the lighted environment by bringing together those with lighting knowledge and by translating that knowledge into actions.” This document sets the stage for the IES strategic plan roadmap.
Member Value and Global Growth in the IES Strategic Plan Roadmap
Three core priorities emerge from the plan. First, the Society aims to expand member value and engagement. Second, it intends to amplify global reach. Third, it will strengthen standards and education. Under member value, the IES pledges to deepen benefits, streamline onboarding, and enhance the experience across career stages. This direction aligns closely with our IES25 reporting, where the opening session emphasized “serve the community, show the value, and run the organization responsibly.” That message continues to guide the IES strategic plan roadmap.
The global reach objective highlights the ambition to grow membership, strengthen sections worldwide, and position the IES as the global lighting authority. At the IES25 board meeting, we reported a target of 7,500 members by 2030. Furthermore, increased Emerging Professional engagement and added international representation are planned for 2027. These goals sit at the heart of the IES strategic plan roadmap.
It is interesting that the first goal is to grow membership and when you look at the home page of the IES website, the first rotating window is about membership. During the IES 25, The Lighting Conference, CEO Colleen Harper emphasized membership in the Board of Directors meeting, in her opening remarks, as well as several private conversations.
One of the stated goals is to “Grow Global Brand and Relevance.” The IES has already made strong progress on that front, especially during Colleen’s tenure. The IES brand carries significant respect around the world. The challenge now is converting that global respect into global revenue.
Standards, Education, and Clear Communication
Standards and education remain the bedrock of the Society’s work. The plan calls for new standards committees, stronger educational pipelines, and clearer communication tools. These updates will help members translate standards beyond the technical bubble. Likewise, senior staff stressed the importance of language that reaches broader audiences. This point was covered in our earlier reporting. This emphasis is central to the IES strategic plan roadmap.
Your humble editor has taken part in several IES strategic planning sessions over the decades, and they were always long, detailed, and demanding—yet consistently productive. So while the published plan appears as a single page, rest assured it represents many hours, if not days, of discussion and careful refinement. The result is a focused document with real direction. The IES Strategic Plan for 2026–28 offers more than ambition; it builds on recent lessons, strengthens the Society’s member-first momentum, and positions the lighting community to be better connected, better supported, and better prepared for the years ahead.
If the IES fulfills this roadmap, the lighting community will benefit for years to come.