We're excited to invite you to the first Wire Amsterdam event since our rebrand! Join us for an evening of creativity, conversation, and connection as we come together for a traditional Delft tile painting workshop.

Whether you're a seasoned artist or haven't picked up a paintbrush since school, this relaxed and informal session is all about taking time to unwind, meet fellow researchers, and celebrate the Wire community. You'll create your own hand-painted Delft tile to take home while enjoying drinks, networking, and great company.

Timings

• 18:00 – Arrival and welcome drinks
• 18:30 – Delft Tile Painting Workshop
• 20:00 – Workshop concludes and networking drinks
• 20:30 – Departure

As always, all are welcome. We hope you'll join us as we kick off this new chapter for Wire Amsterdam with a little creativity and a lot of conversation.

Thank you to our sponsor, Opinium, for making this event possible!

Places are limited for this event. If you'd like to attend, please sign up early. And if you find you're no longer able to make it, we'd really appreciate you letting us know so we can offer your place to another member of the Wire community who would love to join.

Join us for our next Wire Atlanta event, part of this year's Strength in Numbers series, featuring Vickie Rodgers, SVP of Cox Communities at Cox Communications, who built her career from receptionist to executive and has interviewed over 200 C-suite women to uncover what actually drives advancement.

As always, expect great food, drinks, and plenty of time to connect with your fellow friends in insights — space is limited, so register early and bring a colleague!

Thank you to our event sponsors, Fieldwork ATL and KS&R, for making this event possible!

Speaker:

As artificial intelligence, evolving consumer behaviors, and declining engagement challenge traditional research methods, the industry faces a critical question: How do we create research experiences that people genuinely want to participate in while generating richer, more reliable insights?

This session brings together two complementary perspectives on the future of market research. The first presentation challenges the industry's long-standing reliance on incentivized survey participation and explores whether escalating investments in fraud detection, screening, and data cleaning are addressing the wrong problem. Instead, attendees will consider a future where AI-enabled, conversation-based methodologies transform quantitative research into engaging human experiences, producing deeper insights while improving respondent engagement and data quality.

Building on that theme, the second presentation demonstrates what happens when researchers move beyond studying consumers and instead bring consumers directly into the research process. Through a case study with Gen Z researchers working alongside Filippo Berio USA and Kroger, attendees will learn how embedding members of the target audience as interviewers, observers, analysts, and strategists revealed behaviors and decision-making patterns that traditional approaches often miss. The presentation will also candidly examine AI's role in the research process, highlighting both its value and the safeguards required to ensure trustworthy outcomes.

Together, these presentations challenge conventional assumptions about who participates in research, how insights are gathered, and the role AI should play in future methodologies. Attendees will gain practical inspiration for designing research that is more human-centered, more engaging, and ultimately more reflective of real-world consumer behavior.

Thank you to our sponsors, Burke and EMI Research Solutions, for making this event possible!

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Parking

There are several convenient paid parking options within walking distance of The Marketer Collaborative. We recommend Mercer Garage, located directly behind the building, as the primary parking option for attendees. A surface lot across the street and metered street parking via the CincyPark app are also available. Please note that parking fees are the responsibility of attendees, as parking validation is not offered.

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Anna Goldhahn leads research and behavioral science initiatives that support business, marketing, and customer strategy decisions at Prudential Financial. Throughout her career, spanning both agency and client-side leadership roles, she has focused on understanding how people make decisions and how organizations can better serve them. Her recent work explores one of the research industry's toughest challenges: engaging increasingly difficult-to-reach audiences. Anna is a frequent advocate for rethinking the participant experience and for creating research that earns participation rather than relying solely on financial incentives.

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David doesn't fit neatly into the "academic presenter" box and that's exactly the point. As a Professor of Marketing at NKU's Haile College of Business and founder of The Underground Agency, he's spent nearly two decades building something rare: a research practice where real clients get real answers, and students do the work. With 25+ years in marketing and 17 years studying Gen Z and Millennials before it was a mainstream obsession, he brings the instincts of a practitioner and the rigor of a researcher – a combination that earned him recognition as a Cincinnati Marketing Legend.

The Underground Agency, recognized by AACSB International as a Catalyst of Change and one of the Top 25 Innovations That Inspire, is fully embedded in David's courses, giving student researchers an immersive, internship-caliber experience on projects for brands like P&G, Kroger, PepsiCo, Frontier Airlines, and Filippo Berio. It's part classroom, part consultancy, entirely serious about impact.

What sets David apart is his obsession with the gap between what people say and what they actually do...the behavioral undercurrents that traditional research often misses. His teams design mixed-methods research from the ground up: deliberate sequencing of qualitative and quantitative phases, in-context observation, and AI-assisted synthesis that accelerates without replacing human judgment. Clients keep coming back for another reason too: the researchers are the audience. When brands like P&G, PepsiCo, and Filippo Berio need to understand Gen Z, David's student teams don't just study them, they are them. That insider proximity, combined with rigorous methodology, is what turns messy shopper reality into strategies brands can act on Monday morning.

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Join Wire Nairobi for an intimate conversation with Nelly Wainaina, Group Director of Marketing Communications and Citizenship at NCBA Group, as we explore what it takes to lead marketing and brand strategy across some of Africa's most competitive markets.

With over 25 years of international marketing experience spanning Coca-Cola, Colgate-Palmolive, Reckitt Benckiser, Mondelez, and now NCBA, Nelly brings a rare vantage point on building brands and developing leaders across the continent. She'll share what's shaped her approach to marketing leadership and what it means to grow both business and people at scale.

A special thank you to our sponsors, NCBA, Safaricom, Eabl, BTC, Ipsos, Apex Research, and Casa Marketing, for making this event possible!

Dress code: ‘A touch of Gold’

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Ms. Wainaina is the Group Director, Marketing, Communication and Citizenship with over 25 years of international marketing experience across multiple countries in Africa and beyond, where she has led numerous strategic marketing initiatives, including consumer innovations and developing marketing campaigns. She has led notable business projects in Africa and grown market share plus brand equity for global brands.

Nelly has served in diverse roles for multinational companies, namely The Coca-Cola Company, Colgate-Palmolive, Reckitt Benckiser, and Mondelez. Before joining NCBA, Nelly held senior roles at The Coca-Cola Company, where she served as Front-Line Marketing Senior Director for Africa, aligning marketing strategies across 54 markets and managing significant P&L budgets for five key brand categories

In her current role, she has delivered tremendous growth of the NCBA brand across the Group since her appointment in 2022 and is passionate in developing leaders for Africa. Her work and leadership have earned local and international recognition. In March 2025, she clinched the C-Level Leadership Excellence Award as the Overall Winner at the DIAR Awards, a milestone that underscored her influence and standing as one of Kenya's most respected corporate marketing and communications leaders. Additionally, Marketing Woman of the Year at the 13th Marketing World Awards: voted among the Top 25 Most Influential Women in Marketing Impacting Businesses in 2022 by Business Monthly East Africa and in 2026 made the list on the inaugural Africa CMO 100 (ACMO100) — recognizing the 100 most impactful marketing, brand and reputation leaders shaping Africa’s story, identity, and prosperity.

In an industry that’s constantly evolving, the research, data & insights landscape has seen its fair share of disruption. From the rise of automation and AI, to shifting client expectations, economic uncertainty and workplace games. Navigating these changes has tested our resilience, attitude and wellbeing, but ‘she’ll be right’.

‘The Unpolished Path’ is dedicated to celebrating the resilience, reinvention and real-life lessons of women in insights and related industries. Through candid conversations and shared experiences, we’ll explore how missteps have led to key milestones – and how paths we didn’t plan often shaped us the most.

Join us as we bring together our industry of experienced rollercoaster riders, as we discuss:

• Career Crossroads: Redundancies, reinvention, and the unexpected opportunities that followed.
• Lessons in from the curveballs: How past detours and early missteps prepared us for what’s next.
• The Power of Perspective: How failure, feedback and fear fuelled long-term growth.

We're bringing together an exceptional line up - Kat Francis, Jacqueline Freeman and Sophia Blair! 🔥

Thank you to our event sponsors, Dynata, Luma, and Xero for making this event possible!

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We're thrilled to return for another Quirks Chicago this April! Join us at the Quirks Chicago conference venue, the Hyatt Regency O'Hare, for a kickoff Happy Hour. Forge important connections before the conference takes place, reconnect with old friends, and enjoy drinks and light snacks while we celebrate the global Quirks community! Space for this event is limited and will sell out quickly; register ASAP to snag your spot. A HUGE thank you to the Quirks team for inviting us back, to our Corporate Donor host PureSpectrum, and to Multilingual Connections, Tango, and SightX for making this event possible!

SampleCon and Wire invite you to join the Leadership Mixer LATAM, an exclusive event designed to offer a dynamic and meaningful networking experience for senior leaders in the insights industry.

This happy hour will bring together up to 50 executives on March 31st in Lima, Peru, at the Barrio Restaurant, near the hotel where ESOMAR LATAM will be held.

Following the huge success of our Leadership Mixer in New York in Fall 2024, which reached a waitlist and received rave reviews, we’re excited to bring this experience to Latin America.

‍LOCATION: Av. las Begonias 419, San Isidro 15046, Peru

TIME: 7:00PM - 9:00PM

This event is open to senior-level leaders, executives, client-side SVPs and above. If you are qualifying, please contact Rachel (rachel@samplecon.com) with your name, title, and company to register.

We're thrilled to partner with the VIBE Black Market Research & Insights Professionals Conference to kickoff their inaugural event in Atlanta, GA this March! Join us Thursday, March 13th, for a networking "Game Night" featuring the 40+ Double Dutch Club who will show off their hopscotch, hula hooping, and jump rope skills — and help us learn the ropes! For those that prefer a little more laid back fun, we'll have games such as giant Jenga, Checkers, and Connect Four — and more!

A BIG thank you to VIBE for inviting us to collaborate on this fun event and to C+R Research for making this evening possible — we couldn't do it without you!

Learn more and register for VIBE here.

Kickoff QRCA's Annual Conference with an inaugural Women in Research luncheon! We'll meet at the conference-adjacent Iron Hill Brewery for a fun networking luncheon, food provided, as well as updates from the Women in Research team. Space for this event is limited; register ASAP to secure your space at the event. A BIG thank you to QRCA for partnering with us for the event and to InnovateMR, Veridata Insights, and Broad Project Solutions for making this special event possible!

Join Women in Research (Wire) for an empowering Women in Research luncheon where we’ll delve into the art and science of effective business networking. Making meaningful connections has become more challenging with remote work and the misutilization of social media, but it can be a game-changer for professional growth. This discussion will spotlight not just the basics of networking, but also the often-overlooked nuances of building authentic relationships. Learn how to leverage human connection, practice active listening, and employ strategic follow-up to create a lasting impact in your professional network.

To put these networking strategies into practice, we'll engage in a dynamic 20-minute "Networking Carousel." Attendees will rotate through short, timed conversations with several peers, each focusing on a specific networking tip discussed earlier. At the end of the activity, participants will reflect on their interactions and share insights or new strategies they plan to implement. This hands-on exercise will not only reinforce the session’s key points but also expand your network in a lively, supportive environment.

This event will sell out quickly; if tickets are sold out, please join the waitlist. A BIG thank you to FUEL, The Focus Room, Tangocard, and Little Bird Marketing for making this event possible and to ESOMAR Congress for their partnership.

"Strength in numbers" takes on new meaning in today's AI-driven market research landscape. As tech reshapes the industry, organizations that understand the power of aggregated data, collaborative teams, and industry momentum will lead the way — especially women, who are both more hesitant to adopt AI and whose roles are three times more likely to be automated by it.

This year’s Wire Annual Webinar series, sponsored by FUEL + The Focus Room, attempts to communicate a cohesive message: success belongs to those who recognize that bigger thinking creates better results. For women in data, insights, and research, your strength isn't in standing alone; it's in being part of a growing community where your voice, expertise, and leadership are essential to reshaping the industry. Register for one session and we'll automatically register you for the whole series!

August Session: “Strength in Numbers: Women, AI, and the Competitive Edge” — Celebrated on Women's Equality Day, this panel brings together women at the forefront of AI adaption in research, data, and insights to explore what competitive advantage looks like in a rapidly evolving industry — and how contributing to that evolution is itself a strategy.

AI is transforming how research gets done, and synthetic data is emerging as one of the field's most exciting - and debated - developments. Join Wire and Sago for a thought-provoking conversation with Melanie Courtright, Chief Strategy Officer, as we explore the opportunities, challenges, and practical realities of synthetic data in research. Through real-world experiences and honest discussion, we'll examine where synthetic data can create value, how organizations are approaching adoption, and what it means for the future role of researchers. Whether you're exploring synthetic data for the first time or looking to sharpen your perspective, this session will leave you better equipped to navigate what's next.

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Melanie Courtright is an accomplished leader and strategist with 30 years of experience shaping the future of the insights and analytics industry. As Chief Strategy Officer at Sago, she leads enterprise-wide strategic initiatives focused on growth, innovation, and the advancement of research excellence.

Before joining Sago, Melanie served as Chief Executive Officer of the Insights Association, where she guided the U.S. insights and analytics community through a period of significant transformation—strengthening quality standards, championing data ethics, and advocating for the responsible use of emerging technologies.

Throughout her career, Melanie has been a trusted voice on topics including data integrity, methodological rigor, and the evolving relationship between technology and human understanding. She remains dedicated to ensuring that insights continue to empower organizations to make smarter, more ethical, and impactful decisions.

"Strength in numbers" takes on new meaning in today's AI-driven market research landscape. As tech reshapes the industry, organizations that understand the power of aggregated data, collaborative teams, and industry momentum will lead the way — especially women, who are both more hesitant to adopt AI and whose roles are three times more likely to be automated by it.

This year’s Wire Annual Webinar series, sponsored by FUEL + The Focus Room, attempts to communicate a cohesive message: success belongs to those who recognize that bigger thinking creates better results. For women in data, insights, and research, your strength isn't in standing alone; it's in being part of a growing community where your voice, expertise, and leadership are essential to reshaping the industry. Register for one session and we'll automatically register you for the whole series!

July Session: “Safety in Numbers: Building Stronger Teams & Workflows”— Discover how organizations are combining human expertise with AI capabilities to create more resilient, capable research teams. See how collaborative workflows and shared methodologies amplify individual strengths and reduce blind spots.

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Heather Fawson is Sr. Director, Sales Enablement at PureSpectrum, where she leads enablement for the company's global sales team. With 15 years of experience across enablement, sales, account management, and client development, she brings a rare mix of relationship instinct and technical depth, partnering closely with sales to turn industry and technical knowledge into practical solutions for the researchers and insights professionals PureSpectrum serves. Heather is driven by helping her team show up with the confidence and clarity PureSpectrum brings to the market research industry.

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Todd Myers is a 20-year industry executive with experience leading business and operational teams from prominent firms in the industry like Nielsen, Kantar, Harris Interactive, and Confirmit. His deep understanding of market research and extensive experience at leveraging technology help drive the continued growth of PureSpectrum. Todd holds a Bachelor of Arts Political Sciences from Moravian College and an MBA in Management from the Temple University Executive Program.

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Cecilia Engelking is Vice President of Client Development at PureSpectrum, where she leads a team focused on research automation and programmatic sampling for clients. Over her 10+ years in the industry, Cecilia has built her career on strong client relationships, exceptional service, and technical knowledge. She now channels that same energy into growing and mentoring her team. She's passionate about helping clients get the most value out of programmatic sample for their research needs/systems.

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AI is getting faster, cheaper, and more capable by the month. But better AI doesn't make human researchers redundant — it makes the distinctly human qualities they bring more valuable, not less. The researchers who will thrive are those who understand how to use AI as an accelerant while bringing something to the work that no model can replicate: judgment, interpretation, and the intelligence that comes from genuinely understanding people.

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This webinar explores what that actually looks like in practice. We'll dig into why human-centered skills — the ability to read a room, ask the right question at the right moment, build trust with respondents and clients, and make sense of data in context — sit at the heart of research quality, and why they remain the hardest thing to automate.

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Drawing on audience polling, we'll hear directly from researchers about how these skills shape their work, whether they're valued as highly as technical or analytical capabilities in their organizations, and what gets in the way of them being recognized as genuine strategic assets. From organizational culture and the absence of ROI metrics, to imposter syndrome and shifting client expectations, we'll map the real barriers, and start to dismantle them.

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We'll close by exploring what it would take to change the conversation: the frameworks, the language, the role models, and the evidence researchers need to advocate confidently for the human layer in an AI-driven environment.

"Strength in numbers" takes on new meaning in today's AI-driven market research landscape. As tech reshapes the industry, organizations that understand the power of aggregated data, collaborative teams, and industry momentum will lead the way — especially women, who are both more hesitant to adopt AI and whose roles are three times more likely to be automated by it.

This year’s Wire Annual Webinar series, sponsored by FUEL + The Focus Room, attempts to communicate a cohesive message: success belongs to those who recognize that bigger thinking creates better results. For women in data, insights, and research, your strength isn't in standing alone; it's in being part of a growing community where your voice, expertise, and leadership are essential to reshaping the industry. Register for one session and we'll automatically register you for the whole series!

June Session: "The Intelligence Advantage: AI, Data, and the Brand Imperative"
AI is rewriting the rules of brand-building — from how decisions get made to how creative comes to life. But what does that actually look like inside one of the world's most recognized brands?

Join us for a candid conversation with Lydia Armstrong of PepsiCo's Consumer AI Acceleration team, where we'll move past the hype and into the real work: the tools teams are betting on, the cross-functional ways of working that make speed possible, and the organizational shifts behind smarter, faster decisions. Lydia partners with marketing leaders around the globe to advance how brands are built and creative is developed — and she'll share what it takes to turn AI from a buzzword into a genuine competitive edge.

Whether you're leading a team, shaping strategy, or just trying to separate signal from noise, you'll leave with a clearer picture of where data and AI are taking the brands of tomorrow.

At the MRS Innovation Pipelines conference, discover how innovation research is evolving to help organisations make smarter, faster and more confident decisions. Explore the latest approaches to understanding consumer needs, identifying growth opportunities and evaluating ideas, concepts and products with greater accuracy.

Promo Code: WIRE20

Where CX, EX, and MRX leaders sit in the same room.
One high-energy day of practical ideas, honest conversations, live demos, and meaningful connections.

Promo code: WIR20 will give members 20% off their ticket

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Where futures and insights converge.

Stakeholders want more for less and increasingly expect integrated research which combines insight with foresight. It’s no longer enough to explain the present. In disruptive and volatile times, organisations need insight that also anticipates what’s next.

Meanwhile, futures practitioners are under pressure to demonstrate the value of their work by delivering inspiring, actionable and applied foresight.

The MRS Foresight Conference is where the foresight and market research communities meet. We’ll show how to embed futures thinking, forecasting and foresight into your projects and how to demonstrate financial value to clients. Discover how to use futures methods and thinking to boost organisational preparedness for alternative scenarios, improve commercial positioning and feed innovation pipelines.

Discount Code: WIRE20

Join Us at TMRE 2026

Looking for new ways to strengthen the impact of your insights? TMRE: The Market Research Event helps insights professionals turn consumer understanding into stronger decisions and greater influence. Join us October 5-7 in Denver to explore 120+ sessions on insights-driven strategy, AI, analytics, consumer trends, and more.

Learn more here and use promo code WIRE20 to save 20% on your conference pass.

Prodege is hosting a webinar with Hypothesis, "Chat With Your Data, Smarter: Accelerating Insights with Hypothesis & Prodege" on October 1st.