Dear Esomar Members, dear colleagues and partners,
September is always a special month in the life of our association, and this year it has been extraordinary. Transformation has been the thread running through every meeting, stage and conversation of the past weeks, and I am delighted to share with you what has been an energising month for our community.
Council Meeting – Making Our Transformation Tangible
In the days before Congress, your Council met and invited the Esomar Committees to join us in shaping the Plan 2027. Our ambition is simple to state and demanding to deliver: to make our transformation tangible for you, our Members, through priorities, tools and services that you can feel in your daily work. The energy and generosity with which the Committees engaged was a strong reminder that transformation is not something an association does for its Members, but something we build together with them.
Esomar Annual Congress – Valencia
Our Annual Congress in Valencia has been a massive success, welcoming 1,365 professionals from 80 countries. Its theme, Metamorphosis, could not have been more fitting for a profession that is reinventing itself, and in my opening address on the first day I began by thanking you for what makes everything possible: “the trust you place in your association year after year.”
Several moments will stay with me: the Awards Ceremony celebrated the excellence and creativity of our community; we launched Global Quality Data, an important step in reinforcing confidence in the data on which our profession relies; the ISO 20252 Technical Committee met during Congress, keeping the international standard for our sector firmly in the hands of those who practise it; we launched the AI Alliance, our member-driven initiative dedicated to the responsible adoption and governance of artificial intelligence in research, data and insights; and the Insight250 Legends were announced, honouring individuals whose contribution and impact have shaped our profession.
Across the stages and the exhibition floor, it was clear that our profession is truly shifting, embracing AI and new technologies not as a threat but as a lever for better, faster and more trusted insights. A Congress of this scale is only possible thanks to many people, and I want to thank them warmly: every attendee who travelled to Valencia and brought curiosity and generosity with them; our exhibitors and sponsors, whose commitment makes this event possible; the national associations, who are such vital partners; the Esomar team, whose dedication behind the scenes is remarkable; and our representatives around the world, who carry our voice in their countries every day. Thank you all.
Esomar Connect in Milan (Italy), Montevideo (Uruguay), and Printemps des Études in Paris (France)
Our month did not end with Valencia. In Milan, Esomar Connect brought the Italian community together around the theme “Transformation”, and I was delighted to take part alongside Alberto Stracuzzi, and Enzo Frasio, Esomar Representatives in Italy. In Montevideo, Esomar Connect gathered the Latin American community for a rich exchange on the future of our profession in the region.
Then, on 24 and 25 September, the Printemps des Études took place in Paris. Esomar joined the conference of associations alongside Adetem, AFM, CESP, IREP, Union des Marques and Syntec Conseil, with Philippe Guilbert, from our Professional Standards Committee, moderating a discussion on AI and synthetic data, and I was honoured to be invited to introduce the closing conference. My thanks go to the organisers for their invitation, their partnership and their trust.
These gatherings remind me that our global community lives first and foremost in its national and local communities, and this momentum will carry on: our Latam and
APAC tour will take us to meet Members across both regions throughout October and November.
Moving Forward Together
Our profession is moving forward into its transformation, and I am convinced that three words will guide us to succeed: trust, collaboration and movement. Trust, because it is the foundation of everything we do. Collaboration, because no one transforms alone. And movement, because standing still is the one option we do not have.
Thank you for walking this road with us.
Warm regards,
Anne Sophie Damelincourt
President, Esomar
