Adventures from the MRA Annual Conference Part 1
Friday, June 26th, 2009Each year the Marketing Research Association holds an Annual Conference to bring together its membership for a few days of learning, networking and camaraderie. I was pleased to represent Market Connections, Inc. at this year’s event in Chicago, IL at the Marriott on the Magnificent Mile downtown. During the conference, there were several tracks one could follow: quantitative research, qualitative research, business of research, and research end-users. Luckily, I got to attend a little bit of each!
The highlight of the first evening was the new member/ first time attendee reception. This was an intimate affair for say, 75 people. It was a great opportunity to meet colleagues from my chapter, and I greatly enjoyed making those connections!
Another highlight of the conference was the keynote speaker, Chris Kuehl from Armada Corporate Intelligence speaking on: When the Economy Recovers, Will You? Thinking an economist might be a little dry; I arrived a little late and was very sorry I had. He was very entertaining and informative. His spoke at length on the economic stimulus, and how the U.S. plan compared to the plan in China. He explained that China’s stimulus plan appears more effective, as the money was distributed very quickly.
Check back soon for more about my adventures at the MRA conference!
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Posted by Sarah Wholey in Events, Market Research 
The administration’s call for greater accountability is driving many government agencies to raise the bar even higher for contractors’ services. In turn, contractors need to expect and prepare for more stringent contract performance reviews and re-competes. We often find companies are taken aback by the unexpected loss of significant contracts. Even when they were consistently meeting contractual performance metrics.
Downsizing has become all too common in this economy. That’s why many organizations no longer have research departments or an experienced person dedicated to managing research projects and outside providers. Yet, those organizations still have critical needs for current market data. As a result, various departments and personnel are developing RFPs and assessing research companies for the first time.