Last September, we reported on a Research Live article noting concerns that changes to US federal funding legislation could dramatically reduce response rates on Census Bureau surveys

It was surely a tough choice for some: the All-England Championships, the Football World Cup or the Research Network Summer Party? But on Wednesday 1st July, over 60 members and guests chose to spurn the sport and enjoy instead the party atmosphere at Doggetts Coat & Badge.

Over 100 invited guests attended the Archive of Market and Social Research Summer Party, at Kings College, London on Monday 29th June to celebrate its 10th Anniversary.

Congratulation to Research Network member Tariq Mirza, who is included in the recently published MRS list of new Fellows for 2026.

We returned to one of our regular venues for this year’s Research Network Spring Lunch. Ev is a restaurant focusing on Anatolian cuisine and is popular with our members

Our wonderful new Champions were out in force at our Spring Lunch this week, bringing with them a record number of guests and new members.

The famous opening to LP Harley’s novel The Go-Between was beautifully reflected in the latest of the Network’s NED Talks delivered by Peter Bartram on 24 March. Peter drew on over 60 years’ involvement in research, as both a supplier and a client, to produce a fascinating litany of ‘then vs now’ comparisons.

Friends and former colleagues of Liz Nelson gathered on Wednesday 18 March to celebrate her life, at an event organised by AMSR in association with the MRS and the Research Network.

Research Network member Elaine Francis is one of four newly elected members of the MRS Executive Board. She is a Fellow of the MRS and a trustee and board member of the MRBA.

We are delighted to announce that Sheila Byfield will be joining the Steering Committee and taking responsibility for the management of the Oral History programme.

Bidding is now open for the MRBA Auction 2026. This runs from 9:00am on Wednesday 4th March to 9:00pm on Thursday 19th March 2026.

There is still time to donate to the MRBA 2026 fundraising auction, which launches on Wednesday 4th March. No item is too small, and every contribution helps make this event a success. Some amazing prizes have already been donated.

We are excited to welcome Diego Correa to the Steering Group. He will take over as Head of Membership from Jane A’Court and Paul Russell.

According to Research Live, “despite a good-natured debate in Westminster, the stakes are high for future of the research sector”. The motion for the debate, organised by the MRS in partnership with The Debating Group, was that “We no longer need to speak directly to people to understand them”.

The MRS has announced that its new President is to be Baroness Deborah Mattinson. A researcher and political strategist, she takes over the role from Saj Arshad as his 4-year term comes to an end, and as the MRS approaches its 80th anniversary.

Congratulations to Network member Bob Qureshi FMRS, who has been awarded the MBE for services to business, charity and cricket in the New Year’s Honours list.

This year’s Network AGM & Christmas Drinks event took place at the Ipsos offices (just east of Tower Bridge) on Tuesday 2 December. Over 40 members attended and all seemed to enjoy it – for evidence of which, see the photos now available in the gallery.

Commercial chatbots powered by artificial intelligence respond inaccurately and inconsistently to queries about UK census statistics, according to a report published by the MRS Census and GeoDemographics Group (CGG).

Tickets are still available for the Winter Pub Quiz Night on Monday 24th November in support of the of the Market Research Benevolent Association. Join the MRBA for a wonderful evening of fun, raffle, food, and philanthropy.

The Network’s Autumn Lunch was held on Tuesday 14 October in the private dining rooms at Brasserie Blanc’s Southbank restaurant.

Research Network member Simon Chadwick, who has lived and worked in the USA for many years, has been inducted into the Market Research Hall of Fame.

The latest edition of the Newsletter was emailed out to Network members at the beginning of September. It contains updates on activities, details of the forthcoming Autumn Lunch and fascinating articles by members, alongside obituaries and regular items.

Research Live reports that The Insights Association, Nielsen, the American Advertising Federation (AAF) and others are warning against changes to federal funding legislation that could dramatically reduce response rates on Census Bureau surveys.

The 2025 Summer Party was held at Doggett’s Coat and Badge on 2nd July 2025, a return to one of the Network’s favourite venues. The weather was overcast at the start, but soon relented to reveal a near perfect sky and more equable temperatures

The Archive of Market and Social Research held its annual Summer Party on a sunny summer evening on Tuesday 10 June at the top floor conference room and roof terrace of Bush House King’s College London. Around 80 members of the great and good in Market Research and Insights attended a meeting with drinks, speeches, discussion and canapés.

The Research Network is delighted to announce that it has a new sponsor. InsightX Research Solutions, a bespoke data collection and field services company, will sponsor the running costs of the Network for the next 12 months. This is entirely separate from sponsorships for individual lunches and events, which will continue as before.

With two new interviews now available, the Network’s Oral History project has reached the milestone of 50 completed and published recordings since its launch in 2011. The latest two subjects are Jo Corneill and Peter Menneer

The MRS has published its list of new Fellows of the Society for 2025. It includes two current Research Network members, Paul Edwards and James Turner.

The Network’s Spring Lunch on Tuesday 29 April explored a new venue, the Stoke House on Buckingham Palace Road, close to Victoria station. With some 80 members and guests, attendance was higher than for several years. And deservedly so: food and service were excellent, as was the company, of course!

The MRS Conference was at the Hilton Bankside in Southwark as usual. Our stand was in the conference entrance area upstairs with the other MRS affiliated bodies. Our pull-up banner and cards with QR codes connected to the Network’s website were very popular and generated a number of serious membership enquiries.

Research Network member Liz Norman is one of three newly elected members of the MRS Executive Board.

The MRBA’s annual auction has started! This event is a vital way for the MRBA to raise much needed funds to help those in financial crisis in the research industry. The auction is now on and runs until the evening of Wednesday 19th March.

The 2025 MRBA Auction kicks off at 9 am on Monday 3rd March and runs for over 2 weeks until 9 pm on Wednesday 19th March. The MRBA are looking for donations, no matter how small, for this year’s Auction – every item they can auction helps make the event a success.

Adam Phillips, who heads the Research Network’s Steering Group, is to relinquish his role as CEO of AMSR, the Archive of Market and Social Research. He has run the Archive since it was first formally established in 2016 and will remain a member of its Board of Trustees.

The Network AGM & Christmas Drinks event was held on Thursday 5 December. The weather was uncooperative, which impaired attendance somewhat, but those who made it all seemed to enjoy it

Two new Oral Histories have now been published on the AMSR website. Peter Hayes (retired Director of Research International) and Lawrence Bailey (formerly of BMRB and Leeds Business School, among others) have been interviewed in recent months

MRBA, the industry’s charity, has launched its December fundraising campaign with a promise of matched funding from one of its corporate patrons, Rigour Research. The company will match all donations pound for pound, up to a limit of £5000.

The Network’s Autumn Lunch, held on Tuesday 22 October at the Union Jack Club, was a great success. Roughly 70 members and guests attended at the venue close to Waterloo Station. The meal and service were superb and so, of course, was the company!

Several members of the Research Network feature in this year’s Insight250, a list that celebrates influential people in the industry and is published annually by ESOMAR and mTab.

The Research Network now has its own page on LinkedIn. Please link with us and help us spread the word about the Network.

The Research Network celebrated the great British summer on 2nd July at Doggett’s Coat & Badge at the southern end of Blackfriars Bridge, and the seasonal weather (overcast skies and showers) did nothing to dampen members’ enthusiasm for a party.

The Archive of Market and Social Research (AMSR) annual summer event took place at Bush House in Aldwych on 10th June. The event was attended by many past and present research and insight luminaries, as well as a small number of students who are using the Archive.

Two members of the Research Network have been honoured in the latest MRS Excellence Awards: Ian Brace receives the Gold Medal while Don Osborne has been made a Fellow of the Society.

Two new recordings in the Oral Histories programme have recently been released. Interviews with Mike Kirkham and Sarah Taylor are now available on the AMSR website.

For this year’s Spring Lunch the Network returned to Ev, a favourite venue in the central but leafy environs of Southwark. Once again they did us proud, with a delicious menu of Turkish cuisine, and nearly 80 members and guests turned out.

The latest of this year’s NED Talks was held on Wednesday 20th March when John Griffiths spoke on the subject of ‘How electronic music went into the box and is coming out of it’. This was a fascinating “romp through the evolution of electronic music to the present day with examples of how it is being made and shared”, as John himself described it.

The Research Network was represented at the MRS Conference, with a prominent stand in the lively exhibition area. This was very busy during coffee and lunch breaks and recruited more than 25 potential new members.

Jane Frost and Debrah Harding, Chief Executive and Managing Director respectively of the MRS, have both been named in the 2024 Women in Trade Associations Powerlist.

The MRBA has launched its annual fundraising auction, which runs until Thursday 21st March. Bid now to snap up a bargain and support the MRBA.

This year’s MRBA Auction will start on Thursday 7th March and finish at 9pm on Thursday 21st March 2024. The MRBA are looking for donations, no matter how small, for this year’s Auction.