The IGS started its operational service on 1 January, 1994. During the course of preparing for this operational phase, the first IGS workshop was held at the premises of the University of Bern from 25 to 26 March, 1993 focusing on the analysis centers. The first decade of operational service was celebrated at an IGS workshop hosted again in Bern Switzerland by the University of Bern in March 2004.

In 2024, the IGS will celebrate 30 years of operational service. The University of Bern together with the partners from the CODE consortium (AIUB: Astronomical Institute of the University of Bern, Switzerland; swisstopo: Swiss Federal Office of Topography, Wabern, Switzerland; BKG: Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy, Frankfurt a. M., Germany; IAPG/TUM: Institute for Astronomical and Physical Geodesy, Technical University of Munich, Germany) invites the community to celebrate the third decade with a symposium together with an IGS workshop again in Bern, Switzerland at the premises of the University of Bern. The event is planned for the week from 1 to 5 July in 2024. This in-person event will take place in two parts: symposium (1-4 July) and workshop (4-5 July).