Explore the IIEX Europe 2026 Agenda: Breakthroughs, Debates & Big Ideas

How does AI advertising influence perceptions of brand authenticity, innovation, and trust? Traditionally, Vattenfall had an ambition to use real people, real challenges, and talk about real impact on the journey toward fossil freedom. But advances in AI have changed how content is created.  In this session, we share a study of two ads, one traditional and one AI generated, with intriguing results
Key Takeaways:
1. See how conversational AI and metaphor elicitation were used to assess ad response
2. Learn consumer opinions of AI ads, vs. the emotional connection they experience with ads themselves
3. Discover how one AI ad influenced brand perception, and how perceptions of AI may affect your brand

In a world chasing faster, cheaper research, we ask a harder question: what delivers better decisions? This session argues for “right-first-time” research, showing how in-person methods deliver more accurate data, stronger stakeholder alignment, and better decisions. Through case studies and client evidence, we outline seven strengths that make in-person research a high-ROI choice.

Key Takeaways:

1. Right-first-time research reduces costly rework

2. In-person drives alignment, not just insight

3. Better decisions come from human insight, not automation

Carolina Tousaint (Unilever Foods Europe) and Lisa Nel (Conveo) show how AI-led research delivers design thinking at scale, without losing depth. Across four iterative rounds and 378 AI-moderated interviews, Unilever sharpened 14 concepts into 2 NIQ BASES superstar propositions. A blueprint for embedding AI into innovation, with the rigour insights teams demand.

Key Takeaways: 

1. How design thinking and AI fit: from surfacing human tensions to refining solutions at scale

2. A model for building superstar concepts through iterative, evidence-based optimisation

3. The business case for AI: faster cycles, human-grounded decisions, incremental growth

As GLP-1 medications reshape how millions eat, feel, and shop, Friesland Campina and Bolt Insight are pulling back the curtain on what's really happening. Original consumer research across the US, UK, Netherlands, and Hungary reveals how quieter cravings, smaller portions, and shifting identities are quietly rewriting purchase behaviour and what food and beverage brands need to do next.

Key Takeaways:

1. Qual at scale reveals what surveys miss: GLP-1 transforms food relationships, not just portions.

2. One drug, four journeys: AI personas expose different behaviours, tensions and opportunities.

3. Local signals, local strategies: winning brands lead with quality, not restriction.

Euroconsumers shifted from occasional one-off studies to an iterative, always-on AI-powered approach to validate and refine digital product ideas across 4 markets and 5 languages. We’ll share how Yasna.ai enables hybrid qual-quant testing across markets – delivering faster, more budget-friendly go/no-go decisions with the depth and clarity teams need to iterate confidently.
Key Takeaways:
1. Use AI interivews in native languages while keeping multi-market results comparable and shareable.
2. Apply hybrid qual-quant to get go/no-go confidence plus clear what-to-change for refinement.
3. Cut time and cost with AI + human expertise, keeping accountability in an always-on workflow.

Stage Entertainment works closely with Toluna, leveraging their consumer insight and concept testing expertise to guide strategic decisions in a highly competitive entertainment landscape. Together, we have built a robust research approach that sharpens market understanding and supports the successful development and positioning of new shows in our markets.

Key Takeaways: 

1.  Musical industry uses research to decide which shows to launch successfully.

2.  Early validation defines best show choice, target audiences, and marketing plans.

3. Custom concept testing uses KPIs, market factors, and benchmarks for decisions.

Generative AI is transforming qualitative research, but quant analysis still relies on manual workflows. This session shows how AI can automate the journey from quant survey data to story-driven slides. See how statistical insights are turned into fully formatted PowerPoint slides using custom templates, with integrated LLM chat to explore findings and refine the narrative.
Key Takeaways:
1. How AI can turn quant survey data into structured insights and story slides
2. How custom PowerPoint templates can be automatically populated from analysis outputs
3. How LLM chat on slides enables deeper exploration and refinement of insights

At Philips, a campaign idea now meets its first consumer before it ever reaches a research agency. The consumer happens to be an AI Persona.

Co-created with Market Logic, AI Personas are now part of how one of the world's most innovative companies tests claims, refines messaging, and pressure-tests concepts long before fieldwork begins. The consumer stays at the center of every decision. The work just moves differently.

In this 20-minute session, Sehnaz Arasan and Andrea Gonçalves da Silva from Philips, together with Joe Rini from Market Logic, get into the actual work: how Philips teams use AI Personas, what is actually changing because of them, and where the limits are. They will show how AI Personas live inside Philips' own insights environment, how the Synthetic Persona Panel extends conversational work into quantitative concept evaluation at scale, and where the partnership goes from here.

What you’ll see:

• Real use cases from Philips design and claims teams: where AI Personas changed decisions, not just briefs
• An honest take on when AI Personas help, and when they do not replace fielded research
• The Synthetic Persona Panel: conversational depth, quantitative scale
• What it actually takes to set this up: data, time, governance, integration
• A look at what is next on the Philips–Market Logic roadmap

For insights and marketing leaders trying to move AI past the showcase phase, this is a rare look at how one of the world's most innovative companies is actually doing it.

As the demand for understanding grows, so does the demand on insights teams. How can you adapt? In this case study, Diageo speaks to the challenges insights teams face and shares how they’re solving them by narrowing their focus and prioritising insights that translate directly into strategy using Bounce's Insights Operating System. Diageo's Jamie Fulham will share their "triple win" approach:

1. How to get better insights for your consumers

2. How to get better insights for your customers

3. How to get better insights for your business

More data hasn’t made innovation decisions easier. As consumer behaviour fragments and markets move faster, leading brands are moving beyond rear-view insights to a more predictive approach. Learn how connected demand and supply signals help identify opportunities earlier, prioritise investments with confidence and turn uncertainty into innovation advantage.
Key Takeaways:
1. See how leading brands identify whitespace growth opportunities earlier.
2. Build a complete and predictive view of consumers, markets and innovation.
3. Combine emerging demand and supply signals to drive earlier decisions and action.

When research moves too slowly and stakeholders pull in different directions, competitive advantage disappears. Brainsuite transforms fragmented insights into the speed and clarity, turning research from cost center into strategic necessity. See how Nivea accelerated decision-making through integrated testing and rapid iteration, proving that research done right drives measurable impact.

Key Takeaways: 

1. Creative is the biggest growth lever - but only when it’s measurable and actionable.

2. Speed is the advantage - continuous testing and iteration enable faster, better decisions.

3. Better creative doesn’t happen by chance - it’s built through structured, data‑driven processes.

AI did not transform our research platform. Years of structured data, standardised workflows, and deterministic automation did. Once that foundation existed, AI became safe: faster qualitative coding, quantitative interpretation, and auto-reporting, all with high accuracy. This is the infrastructure story behind the speed.
Key Takeaways:
1. AI speed only holds when the data foundation is already solid.
2. Value stream mapping & use cases, not the coolest tools, reveals where AI actually belongs.
3. When AI handles the volume, you can move from execution to strategy.

AI has fundamentally changed what leaders and product teams expect from innovation: rapid ideation, greater personalization, higher confidence — all at once. Insight teams are now expected to keep pace with a process that moves at machine speed. In this session, Oura and Rival Technologies argue that the answer isn't to run harder on the same treadmill — it's to build the infrastructure that makes the whole system faster and smarter. That infrastructure is the insight community: the living human context layer that grounds synthetic personas, sharpens outputs, and turns a research function into an engine for continuous innovation.

Key Takeaways:

1. Why the pressure to deliver faster, higher-quality insight is permanent — and what it demands from your research infrastructure

2. How synthetic personas accelerate and widen the innovation funnel, and why human community input is what makes those simulations trustworthy

3. How to build a self-improving AI research loop that compounds in value over time

How reliable are survey data when AI bots complete questionnaires and complex screeners deter real consumers? While budgets tighten, recall bias undermines data quality. Numerator data shows: Up to 79% of shoppers in Germany misremember purchased brands. We explore these findings, the benefits of verified buyers and why in 2026  competitive advantage won’t come from more data, but their validity.

Key Takeaways;

1. Recall bias undermines survey data: up to 79% of shoppers in Germany misremember purchased brands

2. Surveying verified buyers improves reliability as it minimises recall bias and eliminates ai bots.

3. In 2026 key differentiator will no longer be data quantity but the quality of survey responses.

Lessons from leaving McKinsey, building a fraud-fighting company in market research, and a startup exit. A personal reflection on meaningful work, risk, and finding happiness in what we do.

This talk is for anyone in insights who has ever wondered whether the safe path is still the right one.

Key Takeaways:

1. How to test bold career decisions without betting everything at once.

2. How to redefine career success beyond title, salary, or brand name.

3. How to identify work that keeps you motivated when things get hard.

Research teams face pressure to deliver more, faster, and to more stakeholders than ever. Flutter UK & Ireland shares a practical playbook for scaling insight generation with Outset, democratising research across Product, UXR, and Design while enabling research teams to focus on strategy. Learn how AI-moderated research and real-time synthesis turn customer insight into action.

Key Takeaways:

1. Learn how AI-moderated research enables qualitative insights at quantitative scale.

2. Discover workflows that empower Product, UXR, and Design to participate in research effectively.

3. See how real-time synthesis accelerates decision-making and elevates research teams.

Dan Parker-Smith is a professional film maker, accomplished researcher, and visual storyteller. As co-founder of EXPLNERS, he's obsessed with the gap between what researchers find and what anyone actually remembers. He's here to show you how the most creative minds approach landing their messages, and how everyone has the capability to tell a great story.

Key Takeaways:

1. The gap between “great insights” and “impactful insights” is depressingly wide.

2. We ALL have the capability to elevate research, and make it sing. No AI necessary.

3. The inspiration for brilliant storytelling is all around us. We just have to look.

Driven by a mission of “leading the way to better food,” Savencia has been an early adopter of the Better Brand Health framework - going beyond the traditional brand funnel to understand what’s driving consumers to a category. quantilope has adopted and automated this framework on its Consumer Intelligence Platform, allowing brands like Savencia to capture real-time insights. Savencia will highlight how its comprehensive tracking research with quantilope has enabled the brand to explore, monitor, and activate insights across multiple cheese and dairy categories.

Key Takeaways:

1.  Tracking Mental Availability helps Savencia identify areas to sharpen their brand tracking program.

2. Savencia leverages Mental Availability across departments and teams for collaborative brand growth.

3. Dedicated support from quantilope research consultants translates insights into clear next steps.

As conversational AI becomes embedded in research workflows, the challenge is no longer generating answers, but knowing when to trust them. This session introduces an accuracy-aware chat interface built into the Inspirient automated analysis platform and used by JAB Pet Services. By verifying every AI-generated statement against validated analytical outputs and visually flagging ungrounded claims, the system makes uncertainty visible and measurable.

Attendees will see how verification layers and human-in-the-loop design can turn AI from a black box into a transparent, accountable research assistant.

Key Takeaways: 

1. Trust in AI-driven quant analysis must be engineered through verification, not assumed from fluent answers.

2. Making uncertainty visible and measuring how much of a response is grounded in validated outputs enables informed, critical use.

3. Accuracy-aware interfaces increase confidence and adoption while preserving methodological rigour and human judgement.

This session is a practical orientation to the good, the bad, and the ugly of digital twins and synthetic data, led by an anthropologist of innovation and industry leader in delivering these solutions. We’ll cover implementations within a range of global brands, academic studies, and actionable tips relevant to anyone–regardless of platform or model.   This is an EDUCATIONAL session.

Key Takeaways:

1. Building digital twins and synthetic data that create real value for organizations

2. Applying validation frameworks to assess accuracy and predictive power–and evaluate vendor claims

3. Moving from experimentation to operational use–and overcoming organizational barriers along the way

Register Here! Start day two of IIEX Europe with an energizing run along Amsterdam’s waterfront. Join Caplena and The Research Running Club for a relaxed, community-focused 5K before the conference begins. Whether you prefer to run, jog, or walk, all attendees and exhibitors are welcome. This complimentary event is a great opportunity to connect with fellow industry professionals, build momentum for the day ahead, and enjoy the city together.

Participation is free. Registration is required.

Meeting Point: Open space outside Amsterdam Centraal on the IJ-side, near the free ferries to Amsterdam Noord.  

The future of insights may be shaped not by a single technology, but by a series of shifts already underway. Drawing on industry trends and market developments, this session explores two changes that are challenging conventional assumptions about growth, competition, and how value is shifting across the industry.

Key Takeaways:

1. Technology transforms delivery; expertise drives value.

2. AI is changing how insights are produced, not why clients buy them.

3. The future of insights lies beyond the answer.

Product launch failure has long been accepted as part of FMCG innovation. But with advances in AI and data science, that narrative is changing. Traditional KPIs often miss the complexity of consumer behaviour and market dynamics. AI-powered modelling, NLP, and machine learning now combine quantitative, qualitative, and in-market data to predict real-world success - not just benchmark performance.

Key Takeaways:

1. From Data to Decisions: AI uncovers hidden patterns beyond traditional benchmarks.

2. Open-Ended Data, Quantified: NLP turns feedback into measurable validation insights.

3. Real-World Impact: FMCG leaders use AI to strengthen concepts and reduce failures.

In crowded spaces, we needed a dynamic decision tool, not a static segmentation. We constructed demand spaces that predict choice, and we added the lifestyle trends layer for a more dynamic view. Human + AI transform outcomes into an ideation engine, enabling teams to co-create & start with a solid foundation every time.

Key Takeaways:

1. Growth: Demand spaces reveal the real drivers of choice — and the white spaces worth investing in.

2. Future-proofing: Trends + demand spaces together equal a roadmap for what’s next, not just what is.

3. Activation: HI+AI turns insight into an always-on innovation engine- faster, broader, more scalable.

Enlyta brings AI directly into the market research workflow by making it easier to explore data, connect insights across studies, and turn evidence into clear narratives. This demo shows how insight teams move faster from question>understanding>impact, without sacrificing rigour, trust, or governance.

Key Takeaways:

1. Ask AI any question, get instant answers without dashboard hunting

2. Synthesize findings across multiple studies to see the bigger picture

3. Turn reports into shareable insight stories in minutes, not hours.

Technology and AI have amplified everything from consumer expectations to brand capabilities. Yet, as AI reshapes marketing, brands risk sliding into sameness. It’s the paradox of our time: everything is accelerating through AI, yet AI on its own leads to convergence, not distinction. This session explores how brands can still thrive in this AI-powered world by reigniting the Human Spark.
Key Takeaways:
1. AI amplifies, but also homogenises
2. Human understanding is the real differentiator
3. Creativity is the multiplier

At Nomad Foods we got tired of seeing fantastic innovations fail in the market, so we decided to make a change. We turned our innovation research upside down and put the focus on understanding consumer value and commercial viability as early in the process as possible. And it’s working! Join us for this session and we’ll show you how we’re embedding RGM across our entire innovation process.

Key Takeaways:

1. Why you need to give pricing and promotional strategy the attention they deserve

2. The three questions that you absolutely must ask yourselves early in the process

3. How to avoid the Lookalikey, Finger in the Air, and “I’ve Been Told XX% Margin” traps

Learn how to get real insights out of your synthetic personas. Are you using synthetic personas but wondering how to extract real, reliable value from them?Join Emilie Faget and Cyril Croutelle, to bridge the gap between AI-generated personas and actionable market research. During our session, we will show you exactly how to interact with synthetic personas to extract the best, most accurate data.

Key Takeaways:

1. Learn how to extract real, reliable value from synthetic personas and we will show use cases.

2. Learn how to how to interact properly with synthetic personas to extract the most accurate data.

3. How to start with the right setup, how to choose the right persona and how to practically use it.

AI is transforming how insight is collected and delivered, but human understanding remains the competitive edge. In this session, C Space and Sage share early thinking from experiments with synthetic respondents built from real community stories — exploring how pairing human truth with AI-driven scale could reshape the future of research.

Key Takeaways:

1. AI + Humans = Better Together: Pair lived stories with scale for empathy and efficiency.

2. Designing for Reality: Train synthetic models on real insight to avoid bias and shallow outputs.

3. The Researcher’s New Role: From data collector to data designer shaping intelligence.

What happens when consumer voice is built into the product process? Pentland Brands and SMG explore how Ignite Communities helps teams make faster, more confident decisions across innovation, development, and launch—turning community insight into product impact.

Key Takeaways:

1.  Identify the key decision moments in product development lifecycles

2.  Embed iterative co-creation testing for faster, more frictionless influence

3.  Create impossible to ignore insight stories which amplify the consumer voice

Conventional research captures what consumers say, not what they do. Convotrack's Video Intelligence analyzed observed behavior to surface what traditional methods missed. For Winland Foods, 40k+ videos revealed sauce satisfaction had almost nothing to do with flavor. For Nestlé Purina, 2.8k+ videos exposed that "fresh" carried two different meanings in the UK and Germany, with zero overlap.

Key Takeaways:

1. Capture what consumers do, not only what they say - video reveals actual behaviour, not claims. 

2. Measure behaviour, not sentiment - "defrost & serve" drove 177% higher engagement. 

3. Look beyond the obvious: Sauce quietly became a restaurant destination driver, not a side item. 

Royal Canin and Pernod Ricard join Behaviorally for an honest discussion on adopting AI-powered pack testing inside global brands. Cesar Lastra makes the case for why traditional approaches must evolve, while Maxime Rumml shares real pilot learnings, early impressions, and what it takes for AI to earn trust in insights workflows.

Key Takeaways:

1. Modern innovation demands faster, smarter approaches to pack testing.

2. AI earns a role in insights when teams can trust the process and outputs.

3. Real-world pilots show how AI-powered testing fits into daily workflows.

AI is transforming how innovation teams explore opportunities, generate ideas and learn from consumers. But becoming a better innovator requires more than speed alone.

Join leaders from Mondelez and Nestlé as they share how they're using AI to ask better questions, uncover deeper human understanding and stay open to possibilities for longer.

Through real examples, they'll explore where AI accelerates learning, where human judgement remains essential, and how innovation teams can combine both to make better decisions in the front end of innovation.

Key Takeaways:

1. How AI can help innovation teams learn faster and explore more possibilities.
2. Why human observation, empathy and curiosity remain critical in uncovering unmet needs.
3. How leading innovators are combining AI and human judgement to improve the quality of innovation decisions.

The future belongs to companies brave enough to innovate "outside the box" they built themselves. This session introduces a different way to look at innovations, not starting from categories, but from a solution-driven method that translate real human jobs into innovation opportunities, and shows where AI amplifies that creative thinking without replacing it.

Key Takeaways:

1. Think solutions over categories. The real market is the moment your consumer is trying to navigate

2. Jobs to Be Done only works when you can translate needs into product experience requirements

3. AI accelerates rigorous thinking. And it works best when complementing human creativity

Discover how to optimize TikTok performance through AI-driven creative analysis. Learn how to use commonly available AI and LLMs to link creative content to KPIs - delivering actionable insights, a scalable playbook, and measurable uplift in campaign impact for Wolt. We used AI video analysis to pinpoint which creative elements drive TikTok success — offering a practical model any brand can use.

Key Takeaways:

1. How to use accessible AI modules and LLMs to analyze and improve creative assets at scale

2. Step-by-step guidance to connect creative elements to real business outcomes

3. A proven framework for continuous creative optimization and performance measurement

Back, by popular demand! This panel of clients is an unfiltered conversation about what it takes to build partnerships that last. Expect candid views on client challenges, trust, and what you can do differently to show up as genuine strategic partners, not just another outreach in the inbox. 

This session will leave you with practical, honest takeaways straight from the people whose opinion matters most.

Key Takeaways:

1. Hear directly from end-clients on how they find and start relationships with a new partner.

2. Understand client challenges and how you can support them.

3. Leave with strategies to stand out from the competition.

Great insights don't always win. In pharma and OTC, the people making decisions are often the furthest from the consumer, and when that gap exists, other things fill it. Haleon is changing that. This session unpacks how they're putting the consumer in the room across functions, building instinct at every level, and making sure the voice of the consumer lands where it counts.

Key Takeaways:

1. Why the biggest barrier to consumer-led decisions isn't data, it's distance

2. How to build consumer instinct across an org, not just inside the insights team

3. Getting the consumer voice into the room when decisions are actually being made

AI is transforming our industry, but synthetic data sits at the centre of the debate: Will it revolutionize research, or put traditional data collection at risk? In this session, we break through the hype to clarify what synthetic data actually is, how it’s created, and where it can - and cannot - be trusted.

Key Takeaways:

1. What if you could create insight without asking a single question?

2. Speed, scale, and privacy - are we about to remove the biggest barriers to insight?

3. If it looks real and acts real… can you trust it?

Sustainability operates at the intersection of risk, relevance and reward shaping supply chains, regulation, category evolution and brand trust. This session offers a strategic perspective on how insight teams are uniquely positioned within this shift and how embedding sustainability in insights can elevate influence, sharpen positioning and enable commercially sound, responsible growth.
Key Takeaways:
1. Elevate insight influence across growth, risk and strategic trade-offs.
2. Apply a practical framework to strengthen positioning and innovation pathways.
3. Build organisational fluency with a systems-level perspective.

As AI becomes the interface to organizational knowledge, research no longer informs one decision — it feeds systems shaping thousands. Yet AI cannot judge nuance, detect bias, or question methodology. This session reframes researchers as the conscience of AI — ensuring data is real, representative, and trustworthy, and that AI learns from the right answers.

Key Takeaways:

1. Reframe your role from data provider to trust infrastructure in an AI-driven org.

2. Rigor, representativeness, and bias control are what AI lacks—turn that into influence.

3. Leave with mindset shifts to keep MR relevant, influential, and irreplaceable in AI. 

Most organizations have the insights they need—the challenge is using them consistently at the moment of decision. Givaudan shares how its Taste & Wellbeing team uses “The Genie,” powered by Stravito, to turn existing research into fast, trusted, and actionable answers. Through a real-world example and measurable outcomes, we’ll explore how teams can scale decision-making across the organization.
Key Takeaways:
1. See how to turn existing research into traceable, decision-ready insights—not just information
2. Learn how leading teams scale impact with both real examples and measurable results
3. Understand how source-based AI and collaboration enable more consistent, evidence-driven decisions

Since the dawn of the 21st century, the experience of growing up has changed profoundly. NRG and Young Storytellers examined how social, cultural, and technological trends have impacted what it means to navigate the world as a young person. Using custom LLMs to analyse 7,000+ stories written by kids over the past two decades, we revealed the emotional truths within Gen Alpha’s storytelling.
Key Takeaways:
1. Discover how technological, cultural, and media shifts have redefined the experience of childhood.
2. Understand how generative AI can be integrated into qualitative and quantitative workflows.
3. Translate AI insight into action without compromising integrity.

At IIEX Europe 2025, 40.6% of insights leaders said they struggle to close the say–do gap. This session shows how Miele applies pretotyping and behavioral experiments as a structured evidence layer in early innovation — strengthening consumer centricity by generating real demand signals that improve decision confidence, prioritisation, and the quality of innovation investments.
Key Takeaways:
1. Understand how behavioural validation operationalises consumer centricity.
2. Learn the process design behind scaling Pretotyping in large organisations.
3. See how behavioural evidence enhances confidence in strategic innovation.