Call for Contributions:
Annual Conference 2026

MRS has been shaping industry conversations for 80 years. Our Annual Conference is where the sector’s biggest issues will be debated and for 2026 that’s navigating change, and building future readiness. It’s where insight professionals come to discover what’s new, what’s coming next and how to prepare for it. It’s a once-a-year opportunity to experience the very best in practice and innovation. It’s the sector meeting place for agencies and clients to connect.

In our 80^th birthday year MRS is delighted to open the call for contributions for its Annual Conference 2026. There are just 25 coveted slots to fill so we invite you to truly wow us with your greatest research and insight from the past year.

Key categories

• Megatrends

We’re fascinated by the megatrends shaping our world and how they are impacting brands and organisations’ strategies. How are geopolitics and emerging societal trends affecting society, markets and consumer behaviour? We’re interested in everything and anything from cost-of-living pressures, war, weight loss medications, polarisation & division, population longevity, migration patterns, to AI and tech futures. How is your research delivering breakthrough insights that are supporting organisations to navigate these world-order changes? Are insight and foresight demands converging? 

• Methodology innovation & experimentation

Methodology innovation is happening at breakneck speed. It’s tough for research professionals to keep up with and evaluate the vast number of new tools and approaches available. That’s why we’ll be dedicating an all-day stream to innovation and experimentation, to showcase what’s new and how it’s revolutionising insight delivery. Please don’t hold back. We want to hear the good, the bad and the ugly of your research journey, so as a sector we can learn from successes and failures. Not quite out the lab? No problem - we also want to hear about the cutting-edge experiments that are building the applications of tomorrow.

As part of this stream, we’ll be hosting a Research Tech Innovation Showcase and demo area so if you have a brand-new tool or platform you want to shout about then let us know.

In this stream we want every session to scream originality both in terms of content and delivery.

• Insight activation - impact, impact, impact!

It’s not enough to simply unearth insights. Insights need to lead to action. This theme spotlights the most powerful ways to embed consumer voice, activate insights creatively, and position insight leaders as trusted consultants shaping strategic and commercial agendas. Inspire us with tales of weaving insight into the fabric of your organisation and creative activation strategies. Tell us about your measurement frameworks, research ROI and bottom-line impacts that demonstrate the value of insight and the contribution it makes to organisational success.

• Human behaviour & understanding

Can your research shift perspectives and open minds to new possibilities? This category celebrates work that blends research with the social and behavioural sciences to unlock deeper understanding of people. We’re looking for fascinating nuggets from psychology, behavioural economics, anthropology, cultural insight and neuroscience that will help practitioners reframe their thinking and refine their craft.

• Sector transformation strategies

It’s an exciting time to be an insight professional but there’s a lot of change to keep up with!  This stream will explore how leaders can navigate shifting sector dynamics, new competitive pressures and evolving client needs.

Some of the questions we’ll look to answer include: How are agency–client relationships being redefined and what actually works? How do we protect investment in insight and prove our unique value? How do we ensure our data is robust and trusted? What will AI reskilling and insight teams of the future look like and how will career paths for the next generation of practitioners evolve?

In line with the MRS commitment and Campaign for Better Data, we will be spotlighting sessions that prove the value of high-quality data in driving business-critical decisions. We’re also looking for examples of strategies that have safeguarded data quality, and conversely, the lessons learned when poor data has put outcomes at risk.

• Collaborative and interactive networking sessions

Networking and collaboration is key for attendees to the MRS Annual Conference. Throughout the day we plan to host a selection of round table discussions, immersive sessions, co-creation sprints and mini masterclasses to facilitate more intimate connections, conversations and skills development.  If you’d like to lead a small group session, let us know the topic, format and expected outcomes for delegates.

• &more… calling all young researchers!

As the insight leaders of tomorrow we want you to be involved today. Tell us what passions you have and what you’d like to talk about – from methodologies to career progression, we’re all ears.

• Anything else…

If you can’t find the category for you but you have an incredible proposal you’d like to submit, please use this category.

Submission criteria

As the sector’s most acclaimed event of the year, every session must meet our quality criteria. We’ll only feature content that hasn’t been presented at other sector events. We only have room to showcase novel and exceptional case studies so make sure you tell us what’s unique about your approach. Panel discussion proposals should be provocative and constructive and designed to move conversations forward. Every session should offer tangible take-aways for delegates.

As seasoned storytellers we want you to use your skills to captivate and inspire the Annual Conference audience. Consider novel, fun and engaging formats that incorporate audience participation, video, demos, lived experience contributions and quizzes. How will delegates remember your session?

Please submit your case study or session proposal in 400 words or fewer including the following details:

• Title
• Description of the session
• Outline the unique and novel elements of your submission
• Proposed speakers
• Top three delegate takeaways
• Format of the session (presentation, fireside chat, panel, or other innovative format)

We look to produce a programme that balances agency and client-side practitioners and encourage end-client contributions wherever possible.

To achieve good representation at Annual Conference 2026 we are committed to including a gender balanced and ethnically diverse speaker line-up.