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September 25, 2015
JD Deitch details what he’s most looking forward to about ESOMAR Congress next week.
Editor’s Note: The 2015 ESOMAR Annual Congress begins this Sunday, September 27th in Dublin, Ireland. JD Deitch, (twitter:@JDDeitch) frequent contributor to GreenBook and COO of Ask Your Target Market sets up the event with this article and will be providing daily updates.
By JD Deitch
The Annual ESOMAR Congress is always an event to look forward to on the conference circuit. The event is well-attended, content and networking are of high quality, and the locations are always terrific. Here’s what I’m looking forward to at the 2015 installment.
ESOMAR brings together a broad swath of the industry in terms of size and geographic reach. Big research suppliers—global by nature and naturally well represented in Europe (which is what the E in ESOMAR stands for)—are always there in force. While it’s not “the” event to see clients, big clients are always represented. This year’s attendees list includes recognizable CPG, beverage, media, and fashion brands, among others from all over the globe. Finally, while it can sometimes be a budgetary stretch, many medium-sized companies (clients and suppliers) come as well.
What this means is that the opportunity for expanding one’s horizons is greater than many other conferences. Personally, I have found ESOMAR to be a great conferences for serendipitous connections.
I love to stroll through the exhibition floor at a Conference as it says a lot about the firmographics of the event. It also helps me stay up-to-date on what my suppliers and competitors are doing. By virtue of its broad reach, the ESOMAR Congress delivers on this front as well with a great global mix of big and not-so-big providers. I find it particularly interesting to talk to the smaller companies who are spending a meaningful part of their marketing budget for a dedicated 3 square meters of space. There’s a reason they’re there, and it’s interesting to hear their stories.
ESOMAR’s content is always a broad and balanced mix. Specialists beware: this isn’t the show to go to if you are trying to get real lay of the land of what’s new in the industry. IIEX holds that distinction for me. Nor is it the place to go for a more detailed look at methodology, as ARF and CASRO do this better. But there is something of interest for everyone, which is a credit to the organizers especially. This year’s event blends both new and traditional approaches from methodology to application.
Here are some sessions that look promising to me:
I genuinely like the research industry and the people who work in it, and there is no better time to reconnect with colleagues and friends than the nightly cocktail hours and festivities. After a long day of presentations and meetings, it’s really pleasant to catch up with people you haven’t seen in a while, trade stories, and just relax. We’re a group that knows how to have a good time and is honest enough to admit it, though I think it’s fair to say we’re all glad these shows don’t last more than a few days.
Long may ESOMAR reign for its selection of great destinations! The Congress always ends up on my short list for this alone. This is not an airport-hotel-in-a-nondescript-city show. Dublin adds its name to the list of fantastic ESOMAR destinations—Berlin, Istanbul, and Nice, the previous three—that any traveler would be happy to visit.
Resist the urge to go the cliché tourist route. The Guinness and Jameson’s factory tours are nice, but not where you should spend your limited time. Give Temple Bar, Dublin’s version of Bourbon Street, the swerve as well.
It’s a twenty minute walk to Trinity College and the eastern end of a huge concentration of great restaurants and pubs, Dublin Castle, its glorious cathedrals, and St Stephens Green. Dublin has a great food scene. As you might expect, you’ll be able to find top-notch Irish cooking, traditional and modern dishes, at all price points. If you’re seeking something more cosmopolitan, there are sushi bars, wine bars, a very good Mexican restaurant, and dozens of others. I typically triangulate through TripAdvisor. Email or tweet me if you’re looking for ideas or a companion!
Stay tuned to the GreenBook blog for daily updates. See you there!
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