Annual Conferences
IPSERA was founded in 1990 by a group of academics interested in establishing a forum to discuss purchasing and supply issues. The first conference was held in April 1992 at the University of Strathclyde. It has since grown from its early beginnings to become a regular annual event that has been hosted on 4 continents, with around 200-250 people attending.
Compared to other conferences in the OM field, IPSERA is relatively small, and is a very social event where people get to know one another well and establish collaborations. It provides an encouraging environment for PhD students and early career staff to present their first papers. In our strategic review in 2013, we felt that ‘Small is Beautiful’, and that IPSERA has a special atmosphere that we wish to preserve.