The Media Research Group epitomises collaboration, says Frances Sheardown – and we should celebrate that fact at next week’s MRG conference.
“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” – Helen Keller, author and political activist
There can be few things that are more rewarding than working together as a team to a mutual good: we learn it in the playground and I suspect most of us have ‘collaboration’ in some form or another within our company values and working objectives.
I personally find that the Media Research Group epitomises this: the industry coming together to share learnings and best practice, to develop and nurture young talent and to celebrate the very best in media research thinking.
This can take a number of forms – from our regular evening meetings at which people volunteer to talk about their recent research, and which provide an opportunity to learn about, and discuss, the latest work in the industry, through to our Tools of the Trade training course at which guest speakers share insights with those new to the media research industry, laying the foundations for their future careers.
The annual conference is perhaps the highlight of the MRG calendar and last year’s conference in London took ‘Celebrating the Best of 2013’ as its theme. It was a showcase for research conducted by media agencies, media owners and media research agencies throughout the year.
The forthcoming conference in Berlin looks set to be the same: we’ll be ‘breaking down barriers’ but also celebrating the great work the industry has done in 2014 and sharing ideas, allowing others to benefit from our experience and taking delight in others’ successes.
The JICs panel at the conference is an illustration of how the industry is working together: the JIC leaders will discuss the challenges they face and how the media industry is coming together to face these head-on.
It is the first time Justin Sampson of BARB, Simon Redican of the NRS, Jerry Hill of Rajar, James Whitmore of Route and Keith Donaldson of JICREG will have appeared on a platform together. The IPA’s Belinda Beeftink will be in the chair.
You have the opportunity to put a question to them or join us in Berlin to experience what is sure to be a fascinating discussion.
The conference is 12-15 November and tickets can still be bought on the MRG website. It would be great if you could join us to share your thinking and contribute to the industry debate.
Frances Sheardown is co-chair of the Media Research Group
