New York sessions and networking
Arriving to Quirk’s New York 2022
I started working at Quirk’s in March, just in time for the Quirk’s Chicago event. Little did I know, the dates I had requested off before starting would lead me to miss out. As the Quirk’s New York event approached, the anticipation was building. I had never been to a large event and New York was expected to have a high turnout. Not only did it sell out, it was also the largest Quirk’s Event to date! I had a direct flight from Minneapolis to Newark, as I was trying to make the travel day as simple as possible however the East Coast weather was not on my side. Ultimately, the direct flight was canceled, leading me to choose the only one that would get me there on time.
After a cancelled flight, a 2 a.m. wake up, an hour layover in Houston and my first New York City Uber drive, I finally made it to my first event. It was exciting to meet all my coworkers in person. We took our “Friends” themed company picture and prepared for the coming days.
Attending sessions: learning about marketing research from the experts
I was eager to attend as many sessions as possible, wanting to learn more about marketing research, however I had been encouraged to only attend a handful each day to avoid burnout.
One of the first sessions I attended was “Insight community, evolved: How Samsung is engaging Gen Z” with Matt Kleinschmit of Reach3 Insights and Roberto Cymrot of Samsung. The session focused on how to adapt to the younger audience. Many companies are relying on engaging with Gen Z via e-mail even though Gen Z doesn’t prioritize that form of communication. The channels used to communicate with Gen Z heavily impact the response rates from them. Reaching out in a conversational style allows Gen Z to feel like they are being heard, not studied.
A memorable first day session was “Data and creatives: Immovable object vs. unstoppable force?” with Brad Dancer of WWE. Growing up with two brothers led me to be a major WWE wresting fan. I had only seen the front end of the channel, the wrestlers, costumes and personas, but it was interesting to hear about the back end of the company. Dancer offered advice and presented some of his rules, including when things go bad, be respectful and make your point, support with any necessary information, move on.
Biases, opportunity and innovation
In my last semester of college at the University of Minnesota, I was a teaching assistant for a race and racism course. When I heard that Pepper Miller would be presenting “Let me explain Black again: Uncovering biases and blind spots to win the loyalty of Black America,” I was eager to attend.
It was interesting to see what I instructed on be intersected with the marketing research industry. Miller touched on the fundamentals of the Black identity through a historical explanation of the centuries of social injustices and unfair treatment. She also presented on the awakenings from each generation, Boomers and Gen X with the Civil Rights and Post-Civil Rights Era, Millennials with the Zimmerman verdict and Gen Z with the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter Movement. Lastly, Miller emphasized that different does not mean deficient and established that differences may lead to opportunity and innovation.
Meeting the industry: Networking in casual settings
It was great to attend sessions and meet everyone at the event, but it was also fun to meet people in more casual environments. My first stop after landing was the WIRe event, where I spoke to many of the women who are advancing the marketing research industry. Attending the MR Jam Session and the Happy Hour at Javits after the sessions had a less formal aura as well.
I learned a lot about the marketing research and insights industry from my first Quirk’s Event. From attending sessions, learning the event technology and putting faces to names, Quirk’s New York 2022 was beyond memorable. If you missed out on any of the in-person events, be sure to attend our last event of the year virtually or keep an eye out for our 2023 event dates!