The top market research conferences to attend in 2020

Want smarter and faster insights? Need to get up to date on the latest in market research tech and automation? Qualtrics has pulled together the top market research events for 2020 that will help you stay ahead of the curve.

Market research conferences are a great way to discover the latest trends, strategize new ideas, and network with other professionals in your industry. The experience can be invaluable to your organization as you understand what drives your customers.

You can also connect with vendors that can make capturing data easier for you (like us!) with market research software helping you solve problems and gain valuable insights. Events are also a great opportunity to network, share ideas, and learn from your peers.

If you’re ready to refine your market research strategy and skills, register for Qualtrics X4 Summit and take the Market Research and Insights Summit track.

Below are the top market research conferences that you should check out in 2020...

1. The Market Research Track at X4 Experience Management Summit

Date: March 10-13, 2020

Location: Salt Lake City, UT

Who should go: Everyone in the experience management (XM) industry, regardless of position or rank. If you focus on market research and want to learn the latest techniques, there’s a dedicated track just for you.

Description: X4 is an unforgettable conference experience and is wholly dedicated to helping you and your organization achieve breakthroughs.

What to look forward to: A world-class lineup of main stage speakers will break down their pivotal moments. You’ll hear from former First Lady Michelle Obama, bestselling author, Brené Brown, and superstar host Ellen DeGeneres. How many conferences can boast a better line-up than that?

They’ll be joined by leading brands who’ll share the experience management programs they’ve built to delight customers and employees. And you’ll network with and learn from some of the brightest minds in your field.

Speakers:

Former First Lady Michelle Obama is coming to X4 2020. Salt Lake City. March 10-13. Register Now. https://t.co/RZQksYzsAf #qualtricsX4 #michelleobama pic.twitter.com/DgcgKeLzmI

— Qualtrics (@Qualtrics) November 13, 2019

Can't wait to welcome Ellen DeGeneres to X4 2020! No one knows more about creating amazing experiences than she does! Register today: https://t.co/rKXP3BKWWP#qualtricsx4 #ellen pic.twitter.com/ZCGVLVXZ7w

— Ryan Smith (@RyanQualtrics) October 29, 2019

Planning on coming to X4 2020? Brené Brown is. Salt Lake City, March 10-13.

Register now: https://t.co/RZQksYzsAf #qualtricsX4 #brenébrown pic.twitter.com/5EPvwFQoHj

— Qualtrics (@Qualtrics) October 17, 2019

Specifically, market research professionals will:

• Learn to improve productivity and outcomes of market research programs
• Find out how to leverage the latest trends and technologies to advance research
• Discover the steps needed to connect insights that drive impact in your organization
• Benefit from specific sessions for government and academic researchers

Other notable speakers:

• Sunshine Hillygus, PhD // Director of the Duke Initiative on Survey Methodology // Duke University
• Bruce Temkin // Head of XM Institute // Qualtrics
• Ana Rocca // Head of Research & Insights // Uber
• Scott Harris // MLB, Strategic Research // Major League Baseball
• JD Schramm // Lecturer, Strategic Communication // Stanford Business School
• Michael L. Platt, PhD // Director of Neuroscience Initiative // The Wharton School

Tickets are going fast. Register today!

2. American Association for Public Opinion Research Annual Conference

Date: May 14-17, 2020

Location: Atlanta, Georgia

Who should go: Survey researchers and practitioners in academia, media, government, the nonprofit sector, and private industry.

Description: The American Association for Public Research Annual Conference (AAPOR) is made up of breakout and keynote sessions, and 8 half-day short courses taught by experts in the survey research field.

Topics include qualitative data analysis, web-push survey methods, adaptive survey design, and interactive survey design.

Short-course presenters for 2020 have yet to be announced, but 2019’s speakers included:

• Cynthia Robins PhD // Cultural Anthropologist // Westat
• Jill DeMatteis // Associate Director of Statistical Staff // Westat
• Don A. Dillman // Regents Professor of Sociology // Washington State University
• James Wagner // Research Associate Professor // University of Michigan’s Survey Research Center

3. IIeX 2019

Date: April 14-16, 2020

Location: Austin, Texas

Who should go: Anyone in the market research industry looking for new ideas, insights on the industry, and partnerships.

Description: Described as “Disney World for researchers” by one past attendee, IIeX is focused on the future of market research. It relies on startups, new speakers, and brands to paint the future of the industry. With more than 1,300 attendees, 250 speakers, 200 sessions, and 400+ private meetings held, there’s oodles of information and networking up for grabs.

2020 speakers have yet to be announced but 2019 speakers included:

Priscilla McKinney // CEO // Little Bird Marketing

Marcy Chartier // Sr. Research Program Manager, Customer & Market Research // Microsoft

Hugo Amos // Chief Strategy Officer // Black Swan Data

4. The Market Research Event

Date: October 5-7, 2020

Location: San Antonio, Texas

Who should go: Market research leaders looking to gain new, innovative ideas.

Description: More than 1,000 industry professionals come together to tackle complex issues and hear from industry-leading experts. TMRE has different tracks including market research and growth strategy, consumer disruption, and the modern MR toolkit. They also use Brella, a networking tool to connect you with other attendees before the conference even begins.

Speakers for 2020 have yet to be announced, but 2019 speakers included:

• Brian Grazer // Hollywood Producer & Author of #1 NY Times bestseller A Curious Mind & Eye Contact
• Nava Ashraf // Behavioral Economist // London School of Economics
• Kirti Singh // Chief Analytics & Insights Officer // Procter & Gamble
• Kelly Waldher // Executive Vice President // Qualtrics CoreXM

5. World Association for Public Opinion Research Annual Conference

Date: October 6-9, 2020

Location: Salamanca, Spain

Who should go: Public opinion market researchers.

Description: This international conference includes panels, round-table sessions, research papers (in oral or poster format), and case studies. Meet with academic, commercial and government researchers from around the world while learning about the latest polling trends, techniques and approaches.

Topics include public opinion and democracy (the conference theme), methodological challenges and improvements, and best practice in stakeholder research and expert surveys.

Speakers for 2020 have yet to be announced, but 2019 speakers included:

• Haerpfer Christian // President // World Values Survey Association
• Martijn Lampert // CEO // Glocalities
• Steven Kull // Senior Research Associate // University of Maryland School of Public Policy
• Antonio Mugica // CEO // Smartmatic

6. Global Data Summit

Date: March 9-10, 2020

Location: Denver, CO

Who should go: Data experts who want to learn more about the subject, and new research techniques.

Description: All of the speakers are veterans in enterprise-level data management, making it a great place to network with other data experts. The conference is interactive and includes small group sessions, lightning rounds, and hands-on demonstrations on data modeling, analytics, and warehousing.

Featured speakers:

• Amy Phillips // Professor // University of Denver
• Len Silverstone // Author // Universal Data Models
• Paige Baltzan // Assistant Teaching Professor // University of Denver
• John Myers // Business Analytics and Intelligence Professor
• Leslie Weed // Architect // RevGen Partners
• Patrik Lager // Senior Consultant // Top of Minds AB

7. Qual360 North America

Date: March 24-25, 2020

Location: Washington, D.C.

Who should go: Researchers who perform qualitative research.

Description: Qual360 focuses on the latest qualitative methodologies, technologies, and trends. The conference features international speakers during keynote and breakout sessions, networking, and discussions around case studies and qualitative tools.

Featured speakers:

• Beth Schwindt // Experience Design Researcher // Capital One
• Michelle Onofrio // Director Consumer & Market Insights // Beiersdorf
• Charles Janini // Shopper Insights & Analytics Manager // Delhaize America
• Julie Levine // Head of Consumer Insights // Cuisinart

Other dates:

Berlin: 17-19 Feb, 2020

Singapore: 15-16 April, 2020

8. Market Research in the Mobile World North America

Date: Sep 30 - Oct 1, 2020

Location: Atlanta, Georgia

Who should go: Consumer insight and market research professionals who want to stay up-to-date with the latest trends and innovations.

Description: Market Research in the Mobile World (MRMW) is a smaller conference, but each attendee gets a personalized experience through their matching program, client-focused agenda, and keynote speakers.

The content is focused on mobile, innovation, and high-tech marketing research, and the sessions are built from the feedback of past attendees and thought leaders in the marketing research field.

Other dates:

Singapore: 15-16 April, 2020

Amsterdam: 16-17 June, 2020

9. Marketing Analytics and Data Science

Date: March 31-April 2, 2020

Location: San Francisco, CA

Who should go: The Marketing Analytics and Data Science (Mads) conference is for professionals spanning analytics, data science, marketing, research & development consumer insights, marketing intelligence, and operations.

Description: This event combines data science and marketing analytics so you can create a disciplined approach to analytics and provide data-driven results for your company. Attendees will experience collaborative workshops, roundtable discussions, case studies, and keynote speakers.

Speakers include:

• Avinash Kaushik // Blogger, Digital Marketing Evangelist and Author
• Gilad Lotan // VP Head of Data Science, BuzzFeed
• Hilary Mason // GM of Machine Learning, Cloudera
• Michelle Finneran Dennedy // VP and Chief Privacy Officer, Cisco

Other cities:

New York City: 2020 date TBC

10. The Quirk’s Event: Brooklyn

Date: March 3-4, 2020

Location: Brooklyn, NY

Who should go: Marketing research professionals.

Description: The event is designed to drive your marketing research forward as attendees learn research innovation, data security, and questionnaire design.

You’ll hear case studies from other market researchers who face the same challenges as you. There are a lot of networking opportunities and attendees have interactive badges so they can easily connect with each other.

Sessions include:

• The role of analytics tools in modernizing competitive insights
• Only missing the snack: Video research interviews like face-to-face interactions
• Develop decisive insights with behavioral science
• Accelerating brand building and innovation using agile insights approaches

Other cities and dates:

London: February 11-12, 2020

Chicago: April 6-7, 2020

If you’re ready to refine your market research strategy and skills, register for the Qualtrics X4 Summit and take the Market Research and Insights Summit track.

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• Deliver breakthrough insights at every level of the organization
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