8 TMRE Sessions We Can’t Wait to See

Viva Las Vegas! Sorry, we couldn’t help ourselves; we’re just getting excited to head to Vegas for The Market Research Event (TMRE) on November 5th-7th. We know they say “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas,” but with all the incredible content this year, your organization can’t afford to have all you learn stay in Vegas. We always attend this conference with the expectation that the speakers will impart knowledge that we MUST bring back and share with our co-workers and customers! 

As you pack your bags (don’t forget your lucky socks, rabbit’s foot, and stash of quarters), you might be overwhelmed by the sheer number of speakers and sessions. Here are a few we have our eyes on. 

How PepsiCo and Black Swan Data are Using Social Prediction to Fuel Brand and Category Strategies and Drive Innovation Pipelines

Speakers: Nick Graham, VP Insights PepsiCo & Emma de Szoeke SVP, Insights, PepsiCo Global Categories at PepsiCo

Time: Nov 5, 11:15am

We love starting off a conference with a great panel discussion. Even better is a panel full of industry thinkers. Even better than that is hearing from a company that has access to insane amounts of social data and modeling. We’re looking forward to hearing about the social insights that are driving innovation at PepsiCo.

Distilling the Rise of CBD

Speaker: Virna Sekuj, Strategic Insights Manager at GlobalWebIndex

Time: Nov 5, 12:00pm

Many of us have had CBD and other consumables on our radar for several years, but predicting consumer perception and market acceptance is a risk. With CBD now available in most US states and the UK, it’s time to look at some early research into perception and behaviors.

Hacks for Growing a Research and Insights Culture From the Ground Up

Speaker: Annie Corbett, Product and UX Research Lead, DraftKings

Time: Nov 5, 2:00pm

If you have a relatively new insights team or one that just doesn’t have as much organizational influence as you’d like, make sure to check out Annie’s talk about how DraftKings (one of our customers) built a team that puts user insights and feedback on the frontlines of product decisions. We know the team at DraftKings well and are impressed by the quick wins their research team has racked up since democratizing research across their organization.

Insights in Spades

Time: Nov 5, 6:30-8:30pm

Alright, this one isn’t a session, but we’re gearing up to host a great opening night party at TMRE, and we want to make sure it’s on your radar. After the sessions wrap up for the day, join us for a night of poker (if you’re interested), music, food, drinks, and networking. And don’t forget to come say hi to our team members— we’d love to hear what you learned on the first day of the conference.

You can request an invitation to Insights in Spades here.

Fireside Chat with Pratiti Raychoudhury

Speaker: Pratiti Raychoudhury, Vice President, Head of Research at Facebook

Time: Nov 6, 8:30am

We think it’s going to be worth setting the alarm early (potentially after a late night of networking) to hear Pratiti clue us in on how Facebook really gets into our heads. Everyone has experienced the almost intrusive ability of Facebook and its other platforms to intimately understand their consumers and anticipate their needs. Now we have the opportunity to hear from one of the brains behind the algorithms.

UX And Music Behaviors Research Methodology

Speaker: Sabina Alteras-Honig, Senior UX Researcher, Amazon

Time: Nov 6, 4:15pm

We’ve all done it. “Alexa, play Eye of the Tiger.” With music being one of the top uses for Alexa devices, we can only imagine the wealth of data available to the researchers at Amazon. But isn’t music so personal? Could a robot really know what song we want to listen to next? It’s going to be fascinating to see how the Amazon geniuses are able to segment their users and predict their musical preferences.

China’s World Innovation Center: Next Gen Opportunities for the Next Gen Consumer

Speaker: Kevin Lee, China Futurist, COO at China Youthology

Time: Nov 7, 8:45am

Let’s be honest, by the last day of the conference, in Vegas, making it to the opening keynote might seem like a challenge. Well, grab your triple shot espresso and a pen for Kevin’s talk about Chinese youth: the fastest changing consumers in the fastest changing society. If you think you’re already in-the-know about marketing to consumers in China, get ready to have your mind blown.

Digital Accessibility is a Journey, Not a Destination: The Role of UX in Creating Digital Experiences for All

Speakers: Breanne Abo, Senior UX Researcher at United Airlines & Phoebe Larner, Senior UX Researcher at United Airlines

Time: Nov 7, 11:10am

At Bloomfire, we take the user experience of our product seriously. We place a premium on positive customer relationships, and a topic that has both geeky UX tactics mixed with heart for people with disabilities is a must-see session for us. With one billion people globally experiencing some form of disability, we should all consider this important consumer group in our designs.

What sessions are you most looking forward to at TMRE? Stop by the Bloomfire booth any time during the conference to let us know what you’ve seen and what you’ve got on your agenda. We love talking all things research and knowledge sharing.