The MRS Annual Conference 2024 was a fount of fascinating conversation, heated debates, and impactful networking for those who attended, so much so that there was strong competition for this year’s MRS Audience Award. Votes for the audience’s favourite session were collected via the post-event survey and the top three contributions can now be revealed.
FlexMR’s Paul Hudson and Danny Russel headed two teams of panellists in a Room 101-inspired gameshow panel. The two teams each set forth their argument asking for their most-hated aspect of market research to be banished to Room 101, while the other team sought to argue against it. The final decision was up to the audience, as they took each argument into account and voted to banish one aspect each round.
This panel was hosted by Keen as Mustard’s Lucy Davidson, and alongside Paul and Danny there were four other panellists:
- Shehnaz Hansraj, Head of Research & Insight, Viking Cruises
- Lisa Hulme-Vickerstaff, Senior Manager, Research & CX at Trust Alliance Group
- James Sallows, Global Marketing Effectiveness, LEGO Group
- Losetta Santini, Account Director, Keen as Mustard Marketing
- Nicola Stevens, Head of Insight, Close Brothers
This gameshow was so popular that it Round 2 will be held between the two teams at the Quirks London conference in May. Alongside the Room 101 gameshow panel, two other talks were named as finalists for the Audience Award.
Fireside Chat: Are you being served?
Jane Stiller CMO at ITV talked with Katie McQuater, Head of Editorial at Research-Live & Impact in a simulated fireside chat. This talk explored the evolving insight needs of CMOs and how agencies and internal insight teams can support this going forward. Jane shared her experiences and discussed what she looks for from a strategic partnership and how these can deliver customer insight as a competitive benefit.
Insights Revolution: Navigating New Horizons with AI
This keynote panel session chaired by Nick North, Director of Audiences at BBC, had expert panellists share their experiences of using generative AI, evaluating both the opportunities and limitations while considering the radical impact it will have on the market research sector. The panel discussed how generative AI can support research needs, how the role of the researcher will evolve and addressed the ethical challenges associated with generative AI.
The winner of the MRS Annual Conference 2024: Audience Award, sponsored by The New Fieldwork Company will be revealed at the MRS Excellence Awards on 7 June.
About the Market Research Society
The Market Research Society (MRS) is the UK professional body for research, insight and analytics. The MRS recognises 5,000 individual members and over 500 accredited Company Partners in over 50 countries who are committed to delivering outstanding insight. As the regulator, the body promotes the highest professional standards throughout the sector via the MRS Code of Conduct.
