Greenbook’s Insight Innovation Exchange (IIEX) team recently announced a new addition to our lineup of industry events for market research, insights, and analytics professionals: IIEX West in San Francisco, California, October 27–28, 2026.

For teams already familiar with the IIEX conference series, your first question might be: “Should we attend IIEX North America or IIEX West?”

Fair.

But here’s what you should be asking: “How could these two experiences work together to strengthen our team?”

These events weren’t created to compete with each other. They serve different purposes inside the same bigger picture.

They follow the same IIEX event DNA of strong content, practical takeaways, and honest conversations about where insights is heading. What’s different is the format, the scale, and the kind of room you’re sitting in.

And that difference is where the value is for your business or career.

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What You’ll Experience at IIEX North America

IIEX North America returns to Washington, D.C., April 29-30, 2026.

It’s expansive, high-energy, and cross-functional. More than 1,000 brand leaders, agency partners, technology providers, academics, and independent thinkers gather for two days of keynotes, networking, and multi-track programming.

This is where you zoom out.

You’ll hear how brands are rethinking research operations. You’ll be exposed to tools and approaches you may not even realize your team needs yet.

If you’re sending a group, this is the kind of event where people can divide and conquer, attend different sessions, and come back with a broader, more informed view of where the industry is headed and how it’s evolving.

“IIEX North America has this incredible, high-energy atmosphere,” says Greenbook’s Head of Content Karen Lynch. “You can finally zoom out from the day-to-day, scan the horizon, and see exactly how to turn the latest global innovations into your own competitive advantage.”

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What You’ll Experience at IIEX West

IIEX West heads to San Francisco, October 27-28, 2026. 

While North America is about scanning the global horizon, IIEX West is a deep dive into the Silicon Valley mindset. This event brings together a concentrated mix of West Coast brands, tech giants, and UX researchers who are at the front lines of digital transformation.

The energy here will be more mindful; we’ve intentionally built more "breathing room" into the agenda to allow for deeper reflection, and will be hosting facilitated conversations during lunch for those interested. We'll be providing space for those who want to have deeper dialogues about the "how-to" of innovation

This room of about 500 professionals will be more senior, with insights, UX, and product leaders responsible for making innovation stick within their organizations.

“If North America is where you see the future, IIEX West is where you learn to build it alongside the tech giants and brands currently redefining the human experience,” says Lynch.

The format creates space for deeper discussion around influence, integration, and execution. You’re talking more about implementation than trends, and asking questions like: How are teams integrating AI without disrupting workflows? How are insights leaders building credibility internally? How are product and research teams aligning more effectively?

There’s more facilitated dialogue and more space to workshop and ask, “Okay, but how did you actually do that?”

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Designing Your IIEX Strategy

Here’s where the “which one?” question shifts.

Each event gives your team a different kind of perspective.

At IIEX North America, the scale expands your view. You’re exposed to a broad cross-section of the insights landscape, from emerging tech to new frameworks to case studies across industries. It helps you see what’s possible and where momentum is building.

IIEX West operates at a more intentional pace, shifting from the broad scan of the horizon to a concentrated focus on application. With more breathing room in the agenda, the energy is less about rushing to the next session and more about deep-dive discussions and facilitated roundtables. You’ll compare notes with peers on navigating internal pressures and walk away with a clear, mindful path for implementing the industry's most provocative innovations.

For many teams, the smart move isn’t choosing between the two events. It’s deciding who should be in which room. 

North America can energize and inform across a broader group.

West can deepen thinking among the people responsible for execution and influence.

Experienced together, they create a more complete professional development strategy over the course of the year.

And with how quickly things change in this industry, you need both.