WINNING THE FUTURE WITH CURIOSITY AND CONNECTION: Reflecting on The Market Research Event (TMRE) 2023

The Market Research Event Experience

“The world is changing faster than ever before.” A familiar proclamation that we have all read, felt, internalized, and - dare I say - likely become a bit numb to as we continue to see just how dauntingly fast the world is changing. Enter The Market Research Event (TMRE), an impactful industry conference that was held in Denver last week—building on the momentum from Highlight’s TMRE 2022 debut. Conferences such as this have a unique way of reminding us of the role of the Insights industry to empower people and companies with the data and insights to feel a bit more confident amidst the overwhelming velocity of change.

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With a seemingly never-ending cup of hot coffee in hand, standing behind a new company’s booth for the first time in almost a decade (located conveniently near said hot coffee..), I welcomed the nervous jitters with anticipation for TMRE: “REVOLUTION IS HERE. MAKE CHANGE YOUR SUPERPOWER.” Change, a theme I felt both professionally and personally as I dove into attending the conference during my second week at Highlight.

Key Themes from TMRE

I’ve since come down from said caffeine jitters, and as I reflect on the days packed to the brim with sessions, conversations, connections, and the buzz of the conference floor, I’ve realized a powerful irony. Amidst the “rapid pace of change”, I never cease to be inspired by the fierceness and resilience of the Insights industry. Amidst “unprecedented uncertainty”, there is profound comfort in being surrounded by brilliant humans focused on driving positive momentum. Amidst the “flames of transformation”, a few things have remained constant in the market research world, and it is these very things that are driving our industry forward.

• Insatiable Curiosity
• Consumer Obsession
• Focus on the Future
• Human Connection

1. Insatiable Curiosity:

We in the Insights world love the question “why”. In fact, it might very well be the thread that connects the fabric of innovators, investigators, creators, thought leaders, and passionate insights professionals that were present at TMRE. In Ann-Marie Allison’s session, she talked about the power of insights as that special moment where you bring disparate data points together founded in never-ending curiosity backed by the evidence to bear.

From exploring practical applications of AI to the question of what it means to be human. From how to connect with the next generation of consumers to how we evolve relationships with internal stakeholders, this insatiable curiosity is the very foundation that allows consumer obsession and focus on the future to take form.

2. Consumer Obsession:

In a fascinating session focused on the future of restaurants led by Erin Merit (Coca-Cola), there was a focus on generational differences in food preferences, delivery expectations, “car culture”, and how we try to cater our homes to be a representation of ourselves. Consumer obsession begins with exploration, and beyond exploring these differences, this session demonstrated how our industry is leveraging new sources of data alongside traditional best practices while keeping a watchful eye on survey fraud and data quality.

3. Focus on the Future:

From exploring how to connect with Gen Alpha to the impact of AI to how to choose a market research platform and structure organizations that celebrate agile innovation, the focus on the future was ever-present. A clear commitment to step up to the challenge of the pace of evolution by embracing technology and deeper human understanding was a common thread amongst the tracks.

4. Human Connection:

Which brings me to my personal take-away: While the world can seem bigger than ever, the world of market research is small. If you are lucky enough to be in this ecosystem, you are surrounded by curious people motivated by solving true human tensions and deeply understanding what makes people tick.

So yes, this was the first time in 8 years that I’ve been behind a different company’s booth at a conference, and the theme of change is very real. But I am so excited to see the best that is yet to come at an organization that embodies the very pillars that drive our industry forward:

• We are insatiably curious about how to solve the gap between digital and physical product testing.
• We are consumer-obsessed as we work to bring brands closer to the true product experience for better products.
• We are continually focused on the future by driving agile innovation within our organization.
• We are fueled by and founded on human connection - a passionate community that challenges us day in and day out.

The revolution IS here, and we are indeed working to make change our superpower here at Highlight each and every day.