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Millennials and Gen Z easily understand when a brand’s message or campaign is authentic, and when it is nothing more than ethics-washing or green-washing. They are very attentive and aware and so immediately unmask deceptive or inauthentic stories.

Join this circle for a conversation around the following questions with brands, agencies, and the younger generations!

• What are Millennials and Gen Z looking for from brands?

• How can brands take concrete actions?

• What are the characteristics of the ethical dimension to get closer to younger Generations?

Moderator: 
Anne-Sophie Damelincourt, ESOMAR Treasurer, Founder & Owner at Blue Lemon Insights & Consulting, France

Panelists:
Giulia Fabrizi, CEO, Almar Quality Research & ESOMAR Representative, Italy
Eveline Bettels, Consumer and Market Insights Director at L’Occitane en Provence, France
Vanessa Vachon, Consumer Health Care Global Head of Consumer and Market Insights, Sanofi, France
Judith Mizrahi, Founder and CEO, B12 Strategies, UK
Kristen Ball, Commercial Business Analyst, Kantar, US
Andrea Ascarrunz, Category and Shopper Development Analyst, Irving Consumer Products, Canada

Over the past few years, and in light of rapid developments in technology and ways of working, we have debated whether the usual ways to describe our profession still represent the reality. Whilst some opt for the word 'researcher', others go down the route of 'insights professional', or 'knowledge consultant'. We also see the impact of 'consumer insights', 'data science' and 'user experience' in the conversation, and as we move across the regions of the world, we find even more differing perspectives and interpretations of the term ‘researcher'.

Join into this debate and come prepared to share your point of view as we unpack some of the following questions:

• Are we witnessing the fragmentation of the industry?

• Do we need a change?

• Where do we go from here, and how do we position ourselves?

Morning session:

Moderators: 
Anne-Sophie Damelincourt, Founder & Owner, Blue Lemon Insight & Strategy, ESOMAR Council Member, France

Panelists: 
Ray Poynter, Chief Research Officer, Potentiate, Founder & Chair, NewMR, ESOMAR Council Member 
Michalis Michael, CEO, DigitalMR, UK 
Nikki Lavoie, Founder, CEO & Chief Sparkologist, MindSpark Research International, France 
Seyi Adeoye, Business Leader, Pierrine Consulting, Nigeria

Afternoon session:

Moderators: 
Anne-Sophie Damelincourt, Founder & Owner, Blue Lemon Insight & Strategy, ESOMAR Council Member, France

Panelists: 
Simon Chadwick, Managing Partner, Cambiar Consulting, U.S. 
Susan Fader, Strategist & Moderator, Fader Focus, U.S. 
Ray Poynter, Chief Research Officer, Potentiate, Founder & Chair, NewMR, ESOMAR Council Member 
Michalis Michael, CEO, DigitalMR, UK 
Camille Nicita, President & CEO, Gongos, U.S.

Prior to joining the session, you may wish to refer to this article on Research World where Simon Chadwick, inspired by Ray Poynter, provides some background to the debate, and even more important questions for us to tackle.

In order to stay or become relevant to people, brands need a new mindset in this new Era.

Many brands have given incredible examples of how to be ethical, responsible and socially committed, on several topics: supporting people in times of crisis, environmental sustainability, gender equality, respect for supply chains, diversity and inclusion policies and many others.

When promoting a product/service or launching a new ad, these are the questions that a brand must ask itself and that market research can help to answer:

• What are the values that guide the brand and how are they expressed in its products/services?

• Are these the values shared and put into practice in the relationship with the internal community of employees, so that they are proud to work for that brand and become Brand Ambassadors themselves?

• Are these the same values that consumers recognize to the brand and that belong to the consumers' way of living?

It is urgent to start playing a relevant role in society and to demonstrate the closeness to employees and consumers, through a 'people-centric' approach - join us in the first conversation as part of a series on this topic!

Moderators: 
Anne-Sophie Damelincourt, Founder & Owner, Blue Lemon Insight & Strategy, ESOMAR Council Member, France

Speakers: 
Giulia Fabrizi, CEO, Almar Quality Research & ESOMAR Representative, Italy 
Mark Thorpe, Board Director, Truth Consulting, UK 
Claudia Guardamagna, Consumer & Marketing Insights Manager, Samsung, Italy 
Lucio Vesentini, Global Consumer Insight Manager, Pirelli, Italy

This Circle explored how the relationship between clients and their insights providers has shifted during the COVID-19 crisis and will evolve in the future.

• How have clients and insights professionals continued working together through the crisis?

• How have client expectations changed over recent months?

• How are insights providers responding to clients under increased business pressure?

• What new methodologies have emerged that clients and insights and analytics professionals are embracing?

• How will the future of our industry evolve as we move through these turbulent times?

Session held in the morning (audience of Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe and Middle East)

Session held in the afternoon (mostly audience of Africa, Europe, and the Americas)

This session will focus on how best to communicate with partners, clients, employees, and the general public during the current crisis. As the business world undergoes global disruption, it is more important now than ever to ensure your communications are clear, focused, and work to sustain your business through the months ahead.

• Many companies have stopped sales pitches altogether - is there a ‘sensitive’ approach to continuing to do business?

• How should you communicate with your respondents?

• What role does transparency play in aiding your employees?

• How can you continue marketing effectively to find new business?

• Should we follow retailers in offering rebates?

• What can we learn from the global MRI community?

This session aims to provide those responsible for business planning, strategy and finances an opportunity to share and exchange views about financial posture to adopt to overcome the immediate COVID-19 crisis, and navigating a post COVID-19 recovery:

• Are you, and how are you adjusting your payment terms?

• Are your business partners helping you to keep cash flowing in?

• Are you seeing an increasing in cancellation or postponement of work?

• Are you aware of, applying to government support programmes? Any barriers to access these programmes?

• How can ESOMAR's call for financial responsibility support you further?

This session focussed on how to continue key research operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our sector is well equipped to deal with a required shift to a nearly all-online model, but what does this entail in practice?

• What are the key considerations to bear in mind when deciding whether a project is feasible for online data collection?

• How can you successfully switch to CATI at home, and what does this involve?

• What are the security requirements for successfully setting up virtual meetings?

• How can you embrace new skills in this "new normal"?

This session addressed the following key questions:

• How can you still ensure a high level of data security when working from home, particularly when it comes to sensitive data?

• What are the best tools for collaboration?

• How can you be mindful of your colleagues’ home office environments and potential interruptions throughout the working day?

• How can you begin to address some of the implications on research projects which must now be moved online?

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on almost every aspect of our daily lives. Prior to the first lockdown in Europe and the U.S., we witnessed empty supermarket shelves spanning the different categories from cosmetics, to beverages and foods, and dry goods. What does the latest data tell us about the in-home grocery business?

Join us for an open session where we will: 

• Hear the latest data and insights on FMCG trends during the COVID-19 pandemic; 

• Unpack some of the differences between trends in the US, Europe, Africa & LATAM  

• Spend some time on myth busting! 

In conversation with: 
Richard Herbert, Global Business Insights Director, Europanel    
Judith Passingham, Chair of Professional Standards Committee, ESOMAR 

ESOMAR has been gathering unique insights and research from members across the globe via Research World, creating a one stop shop for innovative research during this crisis. This session is a chance to take a look at what the research has shown us so far, as well as to discuss your own insights and future possibilities with your colleagues in the industry. Join us to share your latest findings, advice, and innovative research projects you have in progress!

• What findings are we uncovering that show similarities across continents?

• What findings are we uncovering that show differences across continents?

• Can we use these insights to take educated guesses about how societies will recover?

• Recession or boom? What will happen once lockdowns are over across the world?

• Are there any learnings from research that are surprising, unexpected, or earth shattering?

This session aims to provide those responsible for research quality an opportunity to discuss how COVID-19 lockdown measures are impacting the quality of research still being carried out in these extraordinary times:

• How has the context impacted respondent participation rates

• How has the context impact respondent bias and attention

• Has the shift online impacted research samples?

• Has there been an impact on the ability to produce representative samples?

• How are we capturing the hard-to-reach, digitally excluded parts of the population?

This session aims to provide those responsible for business planning and strategy an opportunity to share and exchange views about what sort of business posture to adopt to overcome the immediate COVID-19 crisis, and navigating a post COVID-19 recovery:

• Which sectors are being hit the hardest?

• Are there sectors that are coping, investing?

• Will there be an economic recession once lock-down measures are relaxed?

• Are we looking at a post-COVID-19 new normal, and what will it look like?

• What are the threats for the research sector? Are there any opportunities?

This session aimed to provide those responsible for conducting projects requiring focus groups to discuss how to adapt them to the COVID-19 lockdown reality that is now the prevalent context worldwide:

• Which platforms are being used and what are their advantages and disadvantages?

• How has the transition been experienced by those who've had to do it?

• Are there any concerns from clients commissioning projects about the shift?

• What's the societal reaction to the shift to a more virtual online-driven world?

• Are there any unexpected results from the shift that you need to be mindful of?

Researchers often drive towards achieving the best study design, guaranteeing accuracy in data capture and thoroughly analysing the data to answer client objectives and ensure insightful outcomes for the client. Often the journey ends there. 

We take a look at what happens after the insights/data have been received by talking to business leaders/ brand owners who used the research to drive business outcomes. Was their buy-in of the data/insights? Was their pushback, and how did they manage that? Was the result measurable? How could they handle the process differently? 

Speakers:

Jonathan Karanja, Managing Director at Frontier Consulting Services Ltd

Elizabeth Irungu, Chief Executive Officer at ABSA Asset Management

Kojo Mattah, Former National Director, Ghana at SOS Children's Villages

CDC.gov describes disability inclusion as including people with disabilities in everyday activities and encouraging them to have roles similar to their peers who do not have a disability. This involves more than simply encouraging people; it requires making sure that adequate policies and practices are in effect in a community or organization. Yet, people with disabilities continue to experience stigma and discrimination in ways that consequently result in exclusion from diverse spheres of life, including research and development practice.

Speakers:

Anu Njamah, Head of Research and Learning at BBC Media Action

Toyin Janet Aderemi, Senior Advisor, Disability Inclusion at Save the Children International

Rasak Adekoya, Programme Development Advisor Economic Empowerment at Sightsavers

John Kearon, President, ESOMAR Foundation & EP, System1 Group at ESOMAR Foundation

Anna Ruddock, Global Lead, Evidence Uptake and Learning at Sightsavers

It started with a simple teaser and now turning into an elaborative learning session, unfolding practical directions, how-to's, and tips you don't want to miss!

Following our earlier competitive intelligence introductory webinar, we are expanding with further details based on demand for effectively utilising CI to win the market.

In the full webinar, we will summarise what you missed if you're a first-timer while delving into practical tips and tools you can take for conducting competitive intelligence research

Overview

The Insights industry, as we have known it for decades, is disappearing. It is being absorbed into rapidly transforming collections of market intelligence sub disciplines (ESOMAR GMR 2020)

This brings with it an opportunity for agencies in Africa (that have the will) to make a transformation into a whole new world of Data, Analytics & Insights.

This session focuses on data analytics and how to best capitalise on these emerging opportunities while building on the acquired skills that this industry already has for expanding into lucrative global markets.

Featuring:

Sami Ghabrial - ESOMAR Representative, Managing Director at Marketeers Research FZE

Marieke de Haan - Market Researcher at Globally Cool

Overview

The quest for information to gain a competitive advantage starts with a business question.

But what if the resources to attain the answers to business questions are either unknown, unavailable, or unattainable since they do not even exist?

This is where competitive intelligence comes in, the art and science of breaking through the dilemma of minimal resources of information, to open up a continent full of valuable insights, with profitable growth opportunities in Africa.

Featuring:

Mariam Ghabrial - Client Engagement Manager at Marketeers Research

Victor Ikawa - HOD – Research Consumer Insights (Knowledge) at Safaricom

Overview

Using multiple case studies as examples, you will examine best practice digital ethnography as a route into consumer storytelling. 

You will see how and why digital tools have brought a fresh perspective to ethnography, the key benefits, and some of the practical issues and potential pitfalls associated with this technique. 

Featuring:

Sarah Jenkins - Consumer Insight Specialist at Magenta Research

Stella Okpala - ESOMAR Individual Member, Managing Director at Deep Dive Research

Jane Nzomo - Co- Founder & Managing Director at Consumer Options Ltd

Overview

Conducting Business to Business research in Africa requires a very good understanding of your audience, creative thinking about access, structure to ensure quality and collaboration for a successful outcome.

In this interactive webinar we focus on some practical strategies to achieve a successful project.

Featuring:

Jonathan Karanja - Managing Director at Frontier Consulting Services Ltd, Kenya

Marylou Kneale - Managing Director at Livingfacts, South Africa

Overview

Gamification in a research context is a term that has come to describe the techniques used to make surveys more fun, engaging and rewarding for participants. 

Benefits of Attending

In this webinar we will look at which Gamification techniques can be used and applied in real surveys and demonstrate the impact it can have on improving the quality of responses. Using real life examples from research project conducted around the world.

The webinar will also examine the experiences, limitations and challenges of implementing gamification into surveys and the things you need to think about if you would like to apply it in your research.

A discussion with African researcher about applying these techniques in the African market will be an integral part of the webinar.

Moderator: 

• Seyi Adeoye, CEO, Pierrine Consulting, Nigeria

Speakers:

• Jon Puleston, VP of Innovation Profiles Division, Kantar, UK

Jon Puleston is VP of Innovation of the Kantar Profiles division and is Kantars lead survey designer. He heads an international team that specialises in research innovation, conducting research into how to do better research and consults on survey design for clients across the Kantar group. Over the last decade he has overseen the development of an award-winning suit of survey design technology for Kantar and has won over 30 international awards & accolades for his ground-breaking work pioneering research methodology and best practice across the fields of media, advertising, brand, political, health and BtoB research.

• Kahiga Wachira, Brand Strategy, Customer Experience Account Director, Kantar, Kenya

Kahiga is a Kenyatta University graduate and currently Brand Strategy and Customer Experience Account Director for the East Africa Insights Division at Kantar, working with clients in the realm of brand management and customer experience. Also a fluent French speaker, Kahiga has over 15 years of industry experience in advising clients on optimising brand and organisational performance to meet the needs of their customers, shareholders, and indeed society at large.

• Karin Du Chenne, Chief Growth Officer Africa Middle East, Kantar, South Africa

Karin works across markets from South Africa to Pakistan, Nigeria to Kenya, Saudi & more. The CGO role involves driving commercial activities, marketing, communications and customer experiences that deliver business results for local, regional & multinational clients. 
Karin’s cultural sensitivity has been honed through global and regional experience, particularly through three-year stint in Turkey based in Istanbul as Chief Client and Commercial Officer for Kantar Insights in the Africa & Middle East region. Karin is a longstanding ESOMAR Member for Africa.

• Koffi Allaglo, Marketing Manager Insight and Consumer Connection, Guinness Nigeria Plc (Diageo), Ghana

Koffi’s role includes Consumer Insight and Marketing Innovation and Brand Ambassadorship. He leads the consumer Insight function for a beverage business that now include mainstream spirits, premium spirits, beers and non-alcoholic categories with more than 15 actively marketed brands and innovation projects.

Data-driven decision making is essential for businesses especially during tough economic times like now. The insight industry in Africa would benefit enormously from including big tech and data-driven tech companies to play a prominent role into its marketplace.  
  
We discuss the opportunities offered by bringing on the part of the insight industry key developments provided by such networks to the growth of business in Africa.  

Panelists:
Anastasia Mirzoyants, Head of Knowledge & Learning at Shujaaz Inc, Kenya
Jenny Moore, GM Brand, Design & Group Functions Marketing, Marketing and Corporate Relations at Absa Group, South Africa

Moderator:  
Jasper Grosskurth, Dalberg Research, Kenya, ESOMAR Representative for Kenya 

COVID-19 has massively impacted how the industry performs interviewing with a move from offline to online. However, the need for face-to-face is higher in Africa than anywhere else, because internet penetration and usage on the continent is lower than in the rest of the world according to the ITC/UN Internet usage data by country survey. Moving all fieldwork online will often result in samples which represent the higher classes of the population but struggle to reach the middle to lower classes in a way to produce balanced samples satisfactorily.

What if the current situation does not evolve over the next 12 months? What if there are new lockdowns? Can companies afford to stop innovation and product testing for over a year? We'll discuss how to adapt to the changes in context and more.

This session provides tips to adapt physical product testing and face-to-face interviewing to the changes in the requirements due to the pandemic. Because product testing can be done and face to face interviewing (qualitative and quantitative) can be performed under the new environmental conditions: performing physical product testing in lockdowns or with physical distancing measures in place.

Join us for this virtual event dedicated to our community in Africa.

We discuss the impact of COVID-19 on the business model of clients: challenges to maintain the business buoyant and opportunities to develop creative and innovative research responses.

1. What do you need for your business decisions and what are the current challenges? What do you need to create impact in your business decisions that you have not been able to get so far?

2. What has been a satisfactory/positive outcome of your contribution to creating impact for your company's business in dire times?

3. With social distancing, lockdowns and other COVID-19 related measures, how is your industry responding and what insights and data do you need from your research partners?

Moderators: 
Sheila Akinnusi, Senior Manager - Consumer Marketing and Insights, Nedbank, South Africa 
Jasper Grosskurth, Dalberg Research, Kenya, ESOMAR Representative for Kenya

Panelists: 
Anu Mohammed, Head of Research and Learning, BBC Media Action, Nigeria 
Jenny Moore, Head of Brands, Absa Group, South Africa 
Rachael Popoola, Senior Manager, Strategy & Marketing Analytics, Diageo, Nigeria 
Victor Ikawa, Head of Research, Insights and Product Innovation, Safaricom, Kenya

Nous discutons - en français - de l'impact de COVID-19 sur le modèle économique des annonceurs/institutions: défis pour maintenir l'activité de l'entreprise et opportunités pour développer des réponses de recherche créatives et innovantes. Dans ce cercle, nous explorerons:

• De quoi avez-vous besoin pour vos décisions commerciales et quels sont les défis actuels?

• De quoi avez-vous besoin pour créer un impact dans vos décisions commerciales que vous n'avez pas pu obtenir jusqu'à présent?

• Quels ont été les résultats satisfaisants / positifs de votre contribution à la création d’impact pour les activités de votre entreprise dans les moments difficiles?

Moderator:
Anne-Sophie Damelincourt, ESOMAR Council Member, Founder & Owner, Blu Lemon Insight and Strategy, France

Panelists:
Gabriel Mbuyi, Executive Head of Geomarketing, Research & Business Intelligence,  Vodacom, DRC
Maty Ba, Marketing Department, New Horizons Hotel, Senegal
Alain Mizrahi, ESOMAR Council Member, CEO, Grupo Radar, Uruguay
Massimo Cealti, Founder Partner, Altitude-C, France (former Symrise, Coca-Cola)

As the pandemic impacted many aspects of our lives, the sector has also rapidly adapted to meet new requirements. We have seen an increase in the deployment of online tools, innovative ways to move F2F research online, and the community coming together to solve the big challenges facing us today. In this Circle, we will explore:

• What are the new developments we have seen in online research, and where do we see this growing for the rest of 2020?

• What have we learned about the value of F2F research?

• Are there new habits that will 'stick' with us in the long-term as we emerge from this crisis?

• How has the sector ensured business continuity in times of adversity?

Moderator:
Nikki Lavoie, ESOMAR Council Member

Icebreakers:
Melanie Courtright, CEO at Insights Association
Shannon Danzy, Principal at Danzy Consults
Lisa Wilding-Brown, Chief Research Officer at Innovate MR
Katrina Noelle, President at KNow Research

Los resultados del estudio de "Perspectivas de los clientes de la Industria de Investigación de Mercados en Colombia" arrojó una nueva realidad: Los clientes con un menor presupuesto y nuevas prioridades deben empezar desde cero poniendo en duda todo lo que sabían del consumidor, con la necesidad de entender rápidamente los nuevos patrones de la sociedad post pandemia.

• ¿Cuál es el impacto en la contratación de estudios?

• ¿Qué esperan de las firmas de investigación?

• ¿A qué estudios le darán prioridad?Los resultados del estudio de "Perspectivas de los clientes de la Industria de Investigación de Mercados en Colombia" arrojó una nueva realidad: Los clientes con un menor presupuesto y nuevas prioridades deben empezar desde cero poniendo en duda todo lo que sabían del consumidor, con la necesidad de entender rápidamente los nuevos patrones de la sociedad post pandemia.

  • ¿Cuál es el impacto en la contratación de estudios?

  • ¿Qué esperan de las firmas de investigación?

  • ¿A qué estudios le darán prioridad?

This Community Circle was dedicated to the community in Africa.

The Circle discussed for you the impact of COVID-19 on the research industry and the opportunities offered to moves from F2F to online in Africa to Qual survey. What methodologies, what types of studies, what advantages and what limits can you expect from them?

This session - run in French - is about the COVID-19 impact on the research industry and the opportunity to move Qual surveys from F2F to online in Africa and to provide recommendations and tools to plan for the incumbent future.

This session - run in French - is about the COVID-19 impact on the research industry and the opportunity to move Qual surveys from F2F to online in Africa and to provide recommendations and tools to plan for the incumbent future.

• How have clients and researchers continued working together through the crisis?

• How have client expectations changed over recent months?

• How are researchers responding to clients under increased business pressure?

• What new methodologies have emerged that clients and researchers are embracing?

• How will the future of our industry evolve as we move through these turbulent times?

Nous discuterons -en français- de l’impact du COVID-19 sur les études et des opportunités offertes par les études en ligne sur le continent africain. Quelles méthodologies, quels types d’études? Avec quels avantages et quelles limites?

A medida que comenzamos a mirar hacia el final del bloqueo global y el cambio a una nueva realidad, queremos explorar cómo la reinvención y la relevancia son fundamentales para las empresas latinoamericanas antes, durante y después de la crisis.

• ¿Cómo REINVENCION se convierte en un factor clave para superar los peores efectos de esta pandemia en la región?

• ¿Cómo han cambiado las expectativas de los clientes latinoamericanos en los últimos meses?

• ¿Cómo están respondiendo los investigadores latinoamericanos a los clientes bajo una mayor presión comercial / presupuestaria?

• ¿Qué nuevas metodologías han surgido y como los clientes e investigadores se están adoptando para mantener la relevancia de la industria?

• ¿Cómo evolucionará el futuro de nuestra industria a medida que avanzamos en estos tiempos turbulentos?

La session porte sur l’impact du COVID-19 sur le secteur des études et l’opportunité de passer des enquêtes quanti en F2F à des études online/mobile en Afrique.

Nous partageons les expériences sur les questions suivantes:

• Avez-vous modifié votre manière de réaliser des études avec le COVID-19?

• Votre activité commerciale a-t-elle baissé à cause du COVID-19?

• Pensez-vous développer vos études en ligne?

Africa is being hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and business is slowing down. People and companies need to look at alternatives methods of doing research, have specific ideas on what to do and how to choose between different technologies.

• Quick overview on the available remote survey technics,

• Feedback from the fieldwork,

• Testimonials from providers in Africa on how they handled the crisis; the relation with client, employees, new survey methods.

L’emergenza COVID-19 sta colpendo in maniera rilevante la nostra industry. Come rappresentanti ESOMAR Italia abbiamo dovuto annullare alcuni eventi dedicati alla community dei ricercatori (buyers e providers) e così come molte nostre associazioni sorelle sia a livello internazionale che nazionale. Ma siamo una community e nessuno di noi è solo.

Convochiamo il primo ‘Community Circle’ dei ricercatori italiani per discutere insieme di:

• L’azione globale di ESOMAR al servizio della comunità durante l’emergenza Coronavirus,

• Le azioni dei Rappresentanti ESOMAR in Italia - Il 2 Maggio (International Market Research Day) come momento di rilancio per il settore,

• L’azione delle associazioni nazionali (ASSIRM) a supporto dell’ Industry,

• Giro di tavolo: Pareri e sentiment su questa fase della nostra vita professionale,

• Giro di tavolo: Cosa la community chiede alle sue associazioni.

Although the world - and qualitative research - has been becoming more digital in the past decade, the pandemic has fast-tracked adoption of online methods for some of our most in-depth and interpersonal communication. During ESOMAR's first Community Circle dedicated to qualitative specialists, we uncovered a newfound appreciation for the power of qualitative to humanize digital interactions.

For our second Community Circle discussion with Qualitative specialists we invite you to share your thoughts and experiences as we explore:

• (Re)defining the value of qualitative in modern times

• Humanising digital futures in research and brand engagement

• QualX – the power to create beautiful customer journeys and digital experiences

Discussion 1 Moderator:  
Tom de Ruyck, Managing Partner & Head of Insight Activation, InSites Consulting, Belgium and ESOMAR Council Member 

Discussion 2 Moderator:  
Nikki Lavoie, Founder, CEO & Sparkologist, MindSpark, France and ESOMAR Vice President

While the landscape’s always changing, Covid-19’s been a particularly stunning catalyst for accelerated creative thinking and innovation. So what has that meant in the world of qualitative?

Join us on 8 June for a Community Circle where we invite you to share your experiences across the last 14 months and brainstorm with us at ESOMAR on how best we can support, engage and showcase you as a Qualitative insights professional.

Who should join?
Whether you’re an ESOMAR member (or not), experienced or a newcomer this is an open invitation to have your say, discuss your news and share your ideas and aspirations so that we at ESOMAR can improve our engagement with you and co-design activities and events for the global qualitative community.

We will discuss:  

• What’s new in the world of qualitative research, and what’s still missing?

• What topics and trainings are most relevant and exciting for quali researchers these days?

• Which companies, campaigns, people have you seen rise  above the  rest  this past year and got you talking?

• How can  ESOMAR add  value to what  you do and/or best  support you  in your day-to-day  

Welcome and Introduction:
Nikki Lavoie, Founder, CEO & Sparkologist, MindSpark, France and ESOMAR Vice President

Moderator:  
Tom de Ruyck, Managing Partner & Head of Insight Activation, InSites Consulting, Belgium and ESOMAR Council Member 

We strive to make products and experiences as frictionless as possible. But is this the right approach?

According to new research, we should put more effort into making them meaningful instead.

1. What is the right balance between frictionless and meaningful customer experiences?

2. What learnings can we take from academic research to make customer experiences more meaningful?

3. How can we shift the mindset in organizations to make it easier to create meaningful experiences?

Panelists: 
Thomas McKinlay, Founder of Ariyh - Evidence-based Marketing Tips
Dr. Christophe Lembregts, Professor of Marketing, Rotterdam School of Management (Erasmus University)
Lakshmi Devi, Project Manager for Grow My Store, Google (via Global Data Partners)

Before joining the session, you may wish to refer to this article on Research World where Thomas provides some background to the debate!

Part two of our AI discussion focuses on the technology in the insights sector, an area that could see tremendous changes with the advent of AI. Some of the questions we will be tackling with the community include:

• How will AI change the way that research is conducted?

• What existing uses for the technology are we already seeing within the sector?

• To what extent are we truly using AI, or is it just a rebrand of our existing statistical models?

• How do those within the sector see the future of their jobs as AI develops?

Moderator:
Patricio Pagani

Panelists:
Anna Lee Bridgestock, Head of Data, Intelligence and Planning, LADBible Group
Briana Brownell, Founder & CEO, Pure Strategy Inc.

Join us for this open Community Circle as part of the Summer of AI, a session inspired by one of the main unresolved questions of today: Are we truly leading AI, or is AI leading us?

As we begin to unpack this question, many others arise that we aim to address in this session:

• What really is AI? Does a true AI exist in 2020?

• What ethical problems are AI creators grappling with?

• How will AI come to help or harm our societies in future?

• AI promises to 'do no harm' - but what does this mean in the context of black boxes and algorithms?

Moderator:
Patricio Pagani

Panelists:
Tom van Arman, Founder & Director, Tapp – Smart Cities Strategies
Briana Brownell, Founder & CEO, Pure Strategy Inc.

As the pandemic impacted many aspects of our lives, the sector has also rapidly adapted to meet new requirements. We have seen an increase in the deployment of online tools, innovative ways to move F2F research online, and the community coming together to solve the big challenges facing us today. In this Circle, the community explored for you:

• What are the new developments we have seen in online research, and where do we see this growing for the rest of 2020?

• What have we learned about the value of F2F research?

• Are there new habits that will 'stick' with us in the long-term as we emerge from this crisis?

• How has the sector ensured business continuity in times of adversity?

This Community Circle held together with ASI explored the record numbers tuning to media around the world, desperate for information in these worrying times but also for distraction as swathes of the population are confined to their homes. How is the media measurement industry coping with the need to continue to produce data on viewing, listening and reading?

In April 2020, ASI conducted video interviews with a number of media clients around the world, along with the heads of the major media research companies, Nielsen, GFK and Kantar. Their explorations sought to answer find out for you:

• TV measurement usually means electronic panels, but how are radio and publisher surveys - typically reliant on survey samples - coping?

• Many media research currencies have continued to use face-to-face interviewing and maintained large field forces who visit homes - does this now mark the death knell for face-to-face interviewing?

• With the measurement industry largely funded by advertising, what will be the impact of a recession on budgets to fund media research and how does this vary by market?

• What are they learning about new ways of working that may continue after the crisis is over?

• To what extent are the problems and solutions of media research applicable to market research generally?

Session focussed on APAC

Session focussed on EMEA and Americas

Join this co-creation session to share ideas, best practice and challenges you and your organisation might face on the topic of diversity, inclusion, equality and tackling discrimination. A session by the industry for the industry.   
 
This session is a great opportunity for all stakeholders including clients, agencies and the wider community to come together to identify and address burning questions and set the baseline for new guidance to further global practice.  

 In this session we're focussing on one of the emerging topics raised in our previous Community Circle on Diversity and Inclusion namely: 

• How do we achieve inclusive research design?

• What's our views on self-identification vs. researcher-defined groupings

• What terminologies should we use when seeing to collect equality data 

• How do we improve accessibility of surveys for all? 

• How do we ensure under-represented groups trust our data collection?   

We will seek to discuss and answer these and any of your emerging questions sourced from brands, data and research providers alike as we hear the perspectives of the icebreakers from researchers who are global thought leaders on the topic... after which the floor is open to all attendees to share.  

In conversation with: 

Session Chair: 
Nikki Lavoie, ESOMAR Vice-President and Founder, Mindspark Research International, France

Q&A Moderator:
Anne-Sophie Damelincourt, Founder & Owner, Blue Lemon Insight & Strategy, France  

Firestarters:
Theo Francis, Founder & Director, GuineaPig Fieldwork, United Kingdom | Co-founder & Director at Colour Of Research (CORe), United Kingdom

Join this co-creation session to share ideas, best practice and challenges you and your organisation might face on the topic of diversity, inclusivity, equality and tackling discrimination as experienced within the data, research and insights community.  
 
This session is a great opportunity for all stakeholders including clients, agencies and the wider community to come together to identify and address burning questions and set the baseline for new guidance to further global practice in this space.  

In this session we're focussing on one of the emerging topics raised in our previous Community Circle on Diversity and Inclusion namely: 

• What can and can't I ask to respondents around the world from a legal perspective? 

We will seek to discuss and answer these and any of your emerging questions sourced from brands, data and research providers alike as we hear the perspectives of the icebreakers from researchers who are global thought leaders on the topic... after which the floor is open to all attendees to share.  

In conversation with: 

Introductory Words: 
Nikki Lavoie, ESOMAR Vice-President and Founder, Mindspark Research International, France

Moderators:
Anne-Sophie Damelincourt, Founder & Owner, Blue Lemon Insight & Strategy, France  
Kim Leonard Smouter-Umans, Head of Public Affairs and Professional Standards for ESOMAR 

Firestarters: 
Ashlin Quirk, ESOMAR Legal Affairs Committee Member and General Counsel and Privacy Officer, Dynata, United States
Anne-Marie Horgan, ESOMAR Legal Affairs Committee Member and Group Data Protection Officer, Toluna, United Kingdom
Kristie Drucza, CEO, Includovate – Innovate for Inclusion, Uganda

Join this co-creation session to share ideas, best practice and challenges you and your organisation might face on the topic of diversity, inclusivity, equality and tackling discrimination as experienced within the data, research and insights community.  
 
This session is a great opportunity for all stakeholders including clients, agencies and the wider community to come together to identify and address burning questions and set the baseline for new guidance to further global practice in this space.  

• What role can the research community play more broadly to support efforts to build a more inclusive world?

• Are our methodologies supporting systemic racism?  

• What can and can't I ask to respondents around the world from a legal perspective? 

• How do we address misbalanced panels and does it matter?

• How do we reconcile our social responsibility to inclusion and diversity and the risk of increasing the cost of research?  

We will seek to discuss and answer these and any of your emerging questions sourced from brands, data and research providers alike as we hear the perspectives of the icebreakers from researchers who are global thought leaders on the topic as well companies including Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, Confirmit... after which the floor is open to all attendees to share.  

Moderator: 
Kim Leonard Smouter-Umans, Head of Public Affairs and Professional Standards for ESOMAR 

This online event, held by ESOMAR in cooperation with the University of Leicester, provides students with an insight into the world of market research practice. The event will showcase the great opportunities available for career development in the sphere of marketing.

Topics covered:

• Selling Research Results Internally

• How Unilever is enabling purpose-driven marketing with Bot-enabled Research 

• Panel Discussion: Profiles and Skillsets for Data, Research & Insights

The Community Circle discussed the instability of the job market for you. With many companies laying off people, keeping the recruitment on the freeze, or closing their business. Graduates in 2020 faced tremendous challenges in finding an employer.

Together with the research industry experts, the Circle talked about the current job market situation and explore opportunities if you were entering the job market.

The Circle also featured talks with young professionals to hear their point of view and what is it they are doing to keep their jobs. You'll get answers to questions like:

• What advice can you give to young graduates in finding a job in the current turbulent times?

• What are the opportunities for graduates now?

• What are the opportunities in general on the job market? Any trends? Industries to check?

• How to remain relevant at the job in the current times?

Focus on APAC

Focus on EMEA and the Americas

As we get closer to the deadline of the ESOMAR Council Elections, we would like to answer any and all questions you may have regarding the application and election process. We understand that for many this would be a first time running for the position, but we would like to make sure everyone is comfortable, knowledgeable and confident enough to put their name forward to become an ESOMAR Council Member.  

Doesn't matter how long you've been a member, your age or background, so long as you have ideas to improve our community, and have the time and motivation to give back to it; we want you to join our Council. As a member of the Council, you will help guide the vision, mission and strategy of the organisation, administer the funding and inspire positive change within the industry.  

We will discuss:  

• What duties does a Council member have?

• How can I apply for the Council?

• Am I qualified to run for Council?

• What's a Council meeting like, do I have to be an expert in managing organisations?

• An opportunity for a 1 to 1 with Lucy regarding any additional questions you may have

Moderator:  
Lucy Davison, Founder and Managing Director, Keen as Mustard, ESOMAR Council Member