MRS across the UK
20 March 2019

After stopping in Cardiff, Leeds and Edinburgh, our 2019 Roadshow came to a close in Birmingham this week. As ever, it has been a great opportunity for me to meet members and Company Partners around the country and take on board your feedback as well as sharing some exciting updates from us about changes to the Code of Conduct, how you can prepare for Brexit and exciting new initiatives like Access and our data analytics toolkit. 

I sometimes get the challenge that we don’t do enough outside of London, so every year at least four of us put the Roadshow caravan together. Our caravan (LNER doesn’t always feel much more comfortable) always comprises me and two of the senior directors as well as the marvellous MRS ‘Sherpas’ who make everything happen. I am hugely grateful to all those businesses who provide us with a home when the Roadshow hits town!

If you missed us, there are plenty of other things coming up this year.

Chris Barnham will be re-presenting his IJMR Lecture on Qualitative Semiotics in Bristol on 10 April and in Manchester on 16 May. This event was a sell-out in London last November with an extensive waiting list, so this is an excellent opportunity for anyone who missed out first time around.

Researchers in the South West will also have two further Bristol-based events: a summer social in the harbour on 10 July and a chance to get inside the heads of that key 18-to-24-year-old segment on 16 October – an essential session for brand researchers as well as any parents out there!

We’ll also be back in the north for our Online Panels and Communities training course on 5 June and another Manchester event in the summer, our hugely popular Best of Impact conference at The Lowry in Salford on 19 September and a half-day conference in Leeds in November. I’d like to thank Join the Dots and ResearchBods who have been sponsoring these events for many years. Look out for more information on the content soon.

Next up though is MRS Scotland’s AGM and legendary pub quiz on 28 March. They have also organised an infographics workshop on 2 May and a croquet show-down with the SRA in Edinburgh’s Meadows on 18 July, which will open for bookings soon.

That’s at least 15 events around the country in 2019, and members in Northern Ireland and Wales are talking about planning their next activities too. We also have our webinars and online trainingwhich you can access without even leaving your desk.

Please look out for the meeting notices and make the effort to come along and meet us and your fellow professionals – we always look forward to meeting you. Wherever you are, I hope 2019 is proving to be a fruitful year.