Every year in September, ESOMAR, the Global Insights and Analytics Association organizes its annual event, gathering its members and non members from all around the globe, with presentations, exhibitions, workshops and meetings.

For the first time since 2019 and after three long years of digital conferences, we could finally meet one-to-one in Toronto, Canada, to attend ESOMAR 2022 Annual Congress. If some of us, mainly from Asia, couldn’t travel due to sanitary restrictions, 800 attendees from more than 40 countries joined to celebrate our Data & Insights Industry and it successes.

This four-day event included over 40 hours of content from speakers from more than 25 countries, two stages, four networking events, and a Gala Dinner.

A four-day event year with four key reasons (amongst others) to attend:

• It was so wonderful to see people and friends I hadn’t seen since 2019 Congress in Amsterdam, sharing news, hugs and laughs
• It was Esomar 75^th Anniversary
• We welcomed in person the new CEO & General Director, Dr Parves Khan
• 2022 is an election year, Esomar Council will be renewed in October.

ESOMAR was created in 1947 to bring guidance and advocacy to the Opinion and Marketing Research Industry. Since then the organization has significantly grown its membership (8000 members) to become a truly global business community of insights and analytics. Recent years have brought fantastic growth opportunities as well as turbulences and one of Esomar mission is to stand as a lighthouse lighting and shining.

This is why this year the guideline of presentations was articulated around the “What if?” questions to challenge the audience thinking:

• “What If” Data Science enables us to integrate human understanding?
• “What If“ Insights can solve the most complex issues in society?
• “What if” We imagine the Industry for the future?
• “What if” we stopped asking questions?

For the first time, a CEO dinner was organized to share our experiences, visions and to demonstrate our leadership in the industry. Thank you Esomar and sponsors to enable connections with talented and great people, and for the delicious meal!

Let’s jump into a world of opportunities, Innovation, new ways of doing and applying research and insights to our businesses.

See you in 2023 in Amsterdam!