Comparison · 13 material differences
Society for Information Management vs Urban Land Institute
This comparison was generated on request from the records. It carries no editorial verdict and is not indexed. The published comparisons are listed on the compare page.
Read down each column for one organization, across a row for the difference. A bronze mark at the left of a cell means the organizations differ on that row. A dash or “not published” means the organization does not disclose the fact; it is not a zero.
What the records say
- Maximum age at joining: Society for Information Management: No published maximum age at joining; Urban Land Institute: Under 35 qualifies for a reduced dues rate.
- Role or title: Society for Information Management: Practitioner: a senior-level IT professional in a public or private sector organisation - a corporate or divisional IS head, or a member of an IS management staff supporting them in a key management role; Urban Land Institute: No published role or title.
- Industry restriction: Society for Information Management: No published industry restriction; Urban Land Institute: Open to professionals across the real estate and land use industry.
- Annual dues: Society for Information Management: Not publicly disclosed at national level. SIM does not publish a single national dues figure; members join through a chapter and the chapter sets the rate.; Urban Land Institute: $1,332 a year.
Side by side
| Society for Information Management | Urban Land Institute | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Professional association | Professional association |
| Founded | 1968 (SIM's inaugural meeting was held on 22 November 1968 at the US Atomic Energy Commission in Washington DC, after a conversation between Robert Head and Herb Schwartz at an ACM conference; the first conference followed in September 1969 at the University of Minnesota. Sources give 1968 or 1969 depending on which event is treated as the founding.) | 1936 (Founded 14 December 1936; the Urban Land Institute name was adopted in 1939 per Wikipedia's history of the organisation.) |
| Headquarters | Mount Laurel, United States | Washington, United States |
| Geographic footprint | United States and Canada: 38 chapters listed on SIM's own chapter index, including one in Toronto, plus a Member At-Large option for those without a nearby chapter | Members in 80+ countries; district councils across the United States, Canada and Mexico, with separate ULI Europe and ULI Asia Pacific regions |
| Members | 5,000as of September 2026 | 45,000as of August 2026 |
| Chapters | 38 | 57 |
| Primary audience | Senior IT and technology executives - CIOs and their direct reports - plus academics in information systems, consulting partners and non-IT leaders whose roles affect technology strategy | Professionals across the land use and real estate industry: developers, investors, lenders, architects, planners, public officials and academics |
| Typical member | Members are corporate or divisional heads of information systems and the management staff supporting them, plus full-time academics in the IS field, partner-level consultants and non-IT executives with a major role in strategic technology direction. SIM says its members' employers account for over $200 billion in technology spend. | ULI's own materials describe a cross-disciplinary membership of developers, investors, designers, builders, buyers, sellers, urban planners and public officials. Wikipedia's breakdown of the membership puts developers at 28 percent, capital sources at 13 percent, service providers at 10 percent and the public sector at 10 percent. |
| Qualification | ||
| Maximum age at joining | No published maximum age at joining | Under 35 qualifies for a reduced dues rateULI's membership FAQ states it offers 50–75 percent savings for individuals under age 35, for professionals in non-profit organisations, government or academia, and for students. Under-35 members are also the constituency for the Young Leaders Group. This is a discount band, not a barrier to joining.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Role or title | Practitioner: a senior-level IT professional in a public or private sector organisation - a corporate or divisional IS head, or a member of an IS management staff supporting them in a key management roleverified September 2026 · source ↗ | No published role or title |
| Industry restriction | No published industry restriction | Open to professionals across the real estate and land use industryULI describes itself as "a diverse network of private and public professionals spanning the real estate and land use industry, including developers, investors, designers, builders, buyers, sellers, urban planners, and public officials". No revenue, seniority or wealth test is published.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Invitation required | No | No |
| Sponsor required | No | No |
| Application process | Applicants apply to a local chapter, selecting one of the four membership categories, or apply as a Member At-Large if no chapter covers their area. The membership year runs 1 January to 31 December. Chapters review applications against the published category definitions; there is no sponsor or committee vote published. | Applicants create a ULI account and join online, or join by email, phone or post using a printed application with payment. Membership is open on application; ULI's published materials describe no sponsor, interview or committee review. Dues can be paid in one annual payment, on annual auto-renewal, or in twelve monthly instalments, which require a twelve-month commitment. |
| Selectivity | Not publicly disclosed. Admission turns on meeting one of the four published category definitions; no acceptance rate is published. | Not publicly disclosed; ULI publishes no acceptance rate and its published joining route is open enrolment rather than selection. Invitation-based selection applies within ULI to product councils, not to membership itself. |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | Not publicly disclosed at national level. SIM does not publish a single national dues figure; members join through a chapter and the chapter sets the rate.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | $1,332 a yearFull membership, United States standard rate ($111 per month on the instalment plan). From ULI's own US individual membership application; the form states rates were valid for payments received by 30 June 2023, so the current rate may differ.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Initiation fee | Not publicly disclosedverified September 2026 | Not publicly disclosedverified September 2026 |
| Local chapter dues | $205–285 a yearSouthern California chapter published schedule: $285 for corporate IT executives/practitioners and consultants, $205 for academic, retired or non-profit IT professionals. Dues are set by each chapter and vary; other chapters publish higher two-tier plans.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | Not publicly disclosed. District council participation is included in national dues in ULI's published materials; no separate district council fee is advertised.verified September 2026 |
| Membership term | Calendar year, 1 January to 31 December | 12 months, expiring on the last day of the anniversary month; annual renewal, with auto-renewal and monthly instalment options |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | Chapters typically hold four to six events a year, plus peer groups, special interest groups and national programmes | District council events year-round plus ULI Spring Meeting and Fall Meeting; ULI cites 2,900+ events worldwide each year across in-person and online formats |
| Peer forums | Chapter-level peer groups bringing together members in similar roles, plus SIM Interest Groups on topics such as cybersecurity; the Advanced Practices Council is a separate senior research peer network | ULI Forums and Product Councils are topic-specific member groups that meet regularly; district councils run local committees and a Young Leaders Group |
| Confidentiality | No published forum confidentiality rule; SIM is a professional association rather than a closed advisory body | Not publicly disclosed as a general membership rule; ULI publishes a Code of Ethics rather than a confidentiality regime |
| Time commitment | Not documented | Not documented |
| Organized as | Chapter-based, Event-focused, Cohort-based | Chapter-based, Event-focused |
| Confidential peer forums | Partial | Yes |
| Local chapters | Yes | Yes |
| Virtual membership | Partial | No |
| Online community | Yes | Yes |
| Member directory | Yes | Yes |
| Events | Yes | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Yes | Yes |
| Leadership development | Yes | Yes |
| Retreats | No | No |
| Travel | No | Partial |
| Family programming | No | No |
| Spouse and partner programming | No | Not documented |
| Next-generation programming | Yes | Yes |
| Investment discussions | No | Yes |
| Investment opportunities | No | No |
| Philanthropic component | Yes | Partial |
| Networking emphasis | High | High |
| Social emphasis | Medium | Medium |
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Sources
Drawn from the sources listed on each page: Society for Information Management · Urban Land Institute