[2][3] Irvine Laidlaw began IIR by producing newsletters out of a base in Hong Kong.

In 1989, IIR Inc. in the United States acquired institutions in order to enter the seminar and training business.

Acquisitions included training organisers such as ESI International, Achieve Global Huthwaite followed by Omega Performance and Communispond.

president and chief executive officer of the Institute for International Research, Inc, which operates as a subsidiary of IIR Ltd.

Starting from 1999, Austria developed the CEE region for IIR, with offices in Poland (Warsaw), Czech Republic (Prague) and Hungary (Budapest).