&more Virtual Conference 2026

09:15 – 10:00 Welcome from the Chairs

Christina Tarbotton, Research Director, Boxclever and &more Leadership Team
Jayant Srivastava, Insight Lead, the7stars
David Walmsley, Insight Manager, Holland & Barrett, &more Leadership Team

09:30 - 10:00  Stop Researching Young People. Let Them Do the Research: What Happened When 18 First-Time Researchers Took on Real Fieldwork

Ebun Lawal shares what happened when Corporate Jungle Impact trained 18 young people aged 16–30 as researchers and gave them responsibility for real-world fieldwork exploring trust in police and authority. They conducted 60 interviews, generated 286 survey responses, participated in a focus group and collaboratively analysed the findings. The session explores what peer researchers can uncover that traditional approaches may miss, what it takes to give first-time researchers genuine responsibility, and how youth-led research can produce rigorous, actionable insight.

Ebun Lawal, Founder & Managing Director, Corporate Jungle Impact

10:00 - 10:30  Embracing Flexibility in Research

Kirsty Reed, a researcher from the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID), shares learnings from an 18-month research project into the accessibility of public transport. Through the development of a lived experience Advisory Board, qualitative research and a large-scale survey, the project challenged traditional assumptions about consistency and control in research. This session explores how adapting methods, responding to participant needs and sharing decision-making with deaf and disabled people can enhance both inclusion and research quality. Attendees will leave with practical ideas for making their research more collaborative, impactful and responsive.

Kirsty Reed, Research Officer, RNID

10:30 - 11:00  Crossing The Line: How research showcased the impact of a theatre programme tackling child criminal exploitation

Breaking Barriers is a Rochdale-based, multidisciplinary production company whose work is rooted in amplifying unheard voices. In 2026, they toured their show Crossing The Line (CTL), a 20-minute monologue exploring Child Criminal Exploitation that engaged young people to understand how grooming happens and where to seek support.

Jamie Bains led the research and evaluation process, from observing school performances first-hand to manually inputting hundreds of paper surveys. His presentation demonstrates the impact of combining cultural production, public services, and mixed-methods research to deliver significant improvements in students' understanding of child exploitation and safety.

Jamie Bains, Insights Executive, MEL Research

11:20 - 11:50  Moving from One-Off Studies to Always-On Insight Ecosystems

Customer insight is most powerful when it moves beyond individual research projects and becomes embedded in everyday decision-making. In this session, Fiona shares how M&S Food has built an always-on insight ecosystem that combines continuous listening, tracking, and targeted research to position the customer at the heart of the business. She will explore how insight is communicated across the business through initiatives that bring colleagues closer to customers, and how this approach influences decision making across the business.

Fiona Hammond, Assistant Insight Manager, Marks & Spencer

11:50 - 12:20  From Surveys to Searchable Insights, Making Better Use of What We Already Know

If you've ever known the answer is hidden somewhere in an existing report but had no idea where to find it, this session is for you. Yasemin Guven shares how ICAS (Institute of Chartered Accountants Scotland) is bringing together surveys, qualitative feedback and organisational knowledge into one searchable place. Learn how a mix of continuous listening, established research methods and practical AI tools is helping colleagues spend less time searching for insight and more time using it to support better decisions.

Yasemin Guven, AI & Data Product Manager, ICAS

12:20 - 12:50  Aura Working Well Together: Building Better Client and Agency Relationships

The way clients and agencies work together has a huge impact on the quality of research, the well-being of researchers and the success of projects. Building on AURA's Working Well Together Charter, this session explores the role of open communication, honest feedback and strong working relationships in creating better outcomes for everyone involved.

Through a cross-industry panel discussion, client, agency and early-career researcher perspectives will examine the challenges of having difficult conversations, managing expectations and maintaining human connections in an increasingly technology-driven world. Attendees will leave with practical ideas for building stronger, more collaborative relationships throughout their careers.

Nick Bonney, Founder, Deep Blue Thinking, and panel

13:50 - 14:20 The Ethics Gap: What AI Means for Research Integrity.

Rising AI technologies, and clients request of its use, means research can happen faster, in new ways, and may ultimately produce different insights. However, these new technologies produce ethical challenges that warrant time and attention. Qualitative research going forward should observe criticality of purpose, integrity in practice and transparency in process to protect participants, deliver value to clients and preserve trust in insights. This session explores experiences of challenges faced in this new era of AI-human methodology whilst also shining a light on where it might provide greater freedom and deeper insight.

Nina Marit-Hancocks, Research Manager, Ninth Seat

14:20 - 14:50 Separating Hype from Reality: What a Research Pilot in Mexico Taught Us About the Promise and Limitations of Synthetic Audiences

This session shares findings from a research pilot in Mexico, comparing synthetic audiences with real-world qualitative research. It explores where AI-generated audiences accurately reflected real participants, and where they struggled to align with real responses. Drawing on both the successes and limitations of the pilot, the session offers practical, evidence-based guidance on where synthetic audiences can add value, where caution is needed, and how researchers can rigorously evaluate emerging AI research methods.

Sanjeev Devarajan, Associate Director, M&C Saatchi World Services

15:10 - 15:40  Research in the AI Era: Helping Brands Navigate AI Disruption

Conversations around how AI is transforming research are abundant, but this case study explores a different challenge - how research can help brands reposition themselves and compete in an AI-driven market.

This case study follows a global technology brand through 12 months of continuous, multi-market research to help the non-AI native brand reposition and compete within a category rapidly becoming dominated by native players. The work revealed unexpected challenges to building mental availability and helped the brand navigate the disruption, demonstrating the practical role research can play in helping brands respond to the AI disruption and drive commercial impact.

Holly Thompson, Senior Research Executive, Toluna

15:40 - 16:10 The Researcher of the Future: Two Generations, One Conversation

What does it actually mean to train and develop as a researcher today, versus a decade ago? This session brings together a recent graduate entering the profession and a simulation studio practitioner from Verve for a candid, cross-generational conversation about how research careers are being shaped and reshaped.

Rather than a traditional panel format, this session pairs first-hand testimony with insight drawn from a wider body of interviews and focus groups exploring researcher training and development pathways. Together, the two speakers will unpack what's genuinely changed: new tools, new entry routes, new expectations of speed and output, and what's stayed the same: the craft of asking good questions, building trust with participants, and translating insight into impact.

Expect an honest look at where formal training falls short, where simulation and applied practice are filling gaps, and what the next generation of researchers will need that today's training pipelines aren't yet providing.

This session is for new talent and those responsible for developing research talent, as well as anyone rethinking what ‘good’ training looks like in today's insight industry.

Isla Lees, Associate, Verve
Kylie Fitzpatrick, Business Director, Verve
Joe Wilson, Associate, Verve

16:10 – 16:20 Closing remarks from the Chairs

16.20 – Conference Close