Trends, teasers and triumphs: A recap of IIEX Europe

Back to Blog

Trends, teasers and triumphs: A recap of IIEX Europe
Posted on July 13, 2022 by Braden MacDonald

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Greenbook’s IIEX events explore the intersection of technology and insights. Is there a better place to host IIEX Europe than Amsterdam? It’s a trendy hotspot for many individuals and communities, and MRX is no different. So, you can imagine how excited I was as a (slight) newcomer to the industry to hop onto the Eurostar, arrive and take in the eternal beauty of centuries-old canals, before attending the two-day wonder of ‘one of the most cutting-edge consumer insights events in the world.’

The event attracts an eclectic mix of individuals, from research entrepreneurs, data scientists to insights and marketing professionals. Together we all took to the iconic Beurs van Berlage to bask in new ideas. The event did not disappoint. The new technologies and platforms I experienced there allowed me to see the world of insights in a new and dynamic way.

Day One

Day one saw Colonel Mustard, Lucy Davison, start the day early as she opened the proceedings with ResearchGeek’s Jake Pryszlak and Gen2 Advisors’ Gregg Archibald. As the rest of Team Mustard crept from the back of the main stage to the front for the beginning of the day’s sessions, it was clear that the audience was ready and intrigued by what was to come throughout the day.

Immediately, the sessions got off to a great start. Nyssa Packard, Senior Director of Insights and Head of User Research & Data Science at Skyscanner, taught us why we should ‘kill’ the Net Promoter Score once and for all. Giving misleading data, leading to the wrong decisions, and disgruntled researchers, it was interesting to explore the pitfalls of NPS. As a concept NPS has been around since 2003 – Nyssa reminded us that it’s crucial to make progress and move to using better alternative metrics.

This year’s IIEX Europe event was extra-special for Keen as Mustard as our very own Iosetta Santini presented for the first time. In what was a highlight of the event, Iosetta took us back to school with the ABC of PR, as part of Insights Marketing Day. Insights Marketing Day which is designed to give insight agencies and suppliers guidance on their marketing, was integreated as a parallel session within IIeX this time. Obviously, I’m biased, but I’ve never seen someone command the stage as successfully as Iosetta. She delved into the unwritten rules of PR and explored the crucial need for PR in the world of insights.

It would also be remiss not to mention that Mustard design director, Simon Dunn, also did a great job at Insights Marketing Day, sharing his expertise on how Insights and market research professionals can map keywords to create differentiation and target clients distinctively.

The integration of Insights Marketing Day also gave me the pleasure of watching some genuinely thought-provoking sessions by Patrick Olszowski, CEO at Outrageous Insight and Adam Gray, co-founder at DLAignite. It was good to understand just how crucial marketing is in the market research and insights industry, and what we could to alleviate the sector together.

Day Two

This year IIeX was all about generations, sustainability, and inclusivity – every other session covered one of these topics to the extent that at times presenters would shoehorn these elements into presentations. Bizarre in an insights and technological-themed event, it did seem that some presentations relied on these themes to draw people but did not deliver.

On the other hand, Word on the Curb’s Hayel Wartemberg and Isabelle Cotton delivered an insightful and thorough analysis of how building inclusive communities in market research is vital to provide cultural nuance from under-represented groups. It made me admire the work Word on the Curb does to capture cultural shifts in modern society – and most importantly, it felt authentic.

Another stand-out session, which genuinely got the heart of what IIEX is all about – the intersection of technology and research – was by Alex Johnson, Director at Jigsaw Research. Alex exhibited just how handy technology can be when capturing practical insights by sharing his learnings from creating Jigsaw’s Whycatcher platform. The platform has WhatsApp integrated into its service, enabling people across the world to use it. It was ineresting to learn about how simple yet effective these concepts can be and good to hear how Alex learnt from failures to deliver success in an agile and effective way.

IIEX Europe has been a stand-out, especially for me, as a newcomer to insights. We need these events for people to come together, network, and ultimately learn from each other. I’m not sure how the quality compared to previous years, but it was an excellent way for me to integrate and feel at one with the industry. Despite a few repetitive conversations on some topics, it really clarified where the industry stands at this time. There are so many great people to learn from. And what’s better is that so much can change in 12 months, we’ll all be back ready to see what the world of insights has to say in 2023.