Excited to announce that tickets are now available for our Christmas Party.
Special thanks to our event sponsors, Massive Wave Research, Norstat and Ovation MR.
Event Series: ICG Event
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ICG Book Group: A Travel Guide to Connection by Jonathan Newman
This Book Group will be run by the book’s author – and ICG member! – Dr Jonathan Newman.
You don’t have to have read the book but we encourage you to do so.
A relaxed 45-minute session designed to spark your thinking and join in discussions.
A Travel Guide to Connection is an introduction to conducting ethnography and a way to see your own life with new perspectives.
It shows routes and strategies to explore what it means to be a relational human being in a profoundly interconnected world.
Chapters consider: who we are as we meet and live among others; how bodies and senses inform our understanding of ourselves and each other; how we live together with other species and technologies or objects; and how we form relationships with time, space and transcendent experiences. It also asks readers to explore the ethical dimensions of their research journeys and the value of looking into the discomforts of their own position.
The book serves as a methodological toolkit, an unorthodox introduction to anthropology, stimuli for creatives and a hammer to break you out of your bubble.
Dr. Jonathan Newman is a social anthropologist, researcher, author and podcaster dedicated to uncovering the hidden human layers of our world. As the Director of Deep Research, he has spent years helping companies – including Amazon, TikTok, YouTube, Uber, and Adobe – connect to human lives and needs.
Jonathan’s research is as diverse as it is profound, taking him into the cultural trenches of everything from global coffee and the cannabis industry to the inner workings of education and the international arms trade.
His insights are across academic journals, trade publications and international media, and he is a speaker at global conferences, industry trade shows and festivals.
Whether navigating a corporate culture or a remote community, Jonathan lives by the core philosophy of his latest book: to let go of preconceptions, embrace the unknown with continuous empathetic curiosity and allow deep listening and kindness to lead the way.
“Newman’s brilliant book is a fun, engaging invitation to see the world afresh. With clarity and wit, it shows how an anthropological sensibility – meeting difference with curiosity rather than judgment – is exactly what we need in a time of disconnection and division.”
“This exceptional book fundamentally shifts how we experience the ordinary.
It takes us on a journey of connection with what we thought we knew. This changes everything. Few books so powerfully transform how we perceive the world around us. It is a must read.”
“This book is brilliant: humorous, thought-provoking, sensitive and surprising. It makes you think differently and challenges prejudices you may not even have realised you held. It invites you to imagine how the dragonfly perceives the world, the messages a chair sends out and what it must be like to exist using only a sense of smell. Once read it will never leave you and you will see the world differently”
Register for this session here
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ICG Book Group: The Rules That Make Us by Oliver Sweet
Please join us for this Book Group session where we have the privilege of welcoming our author to talk more about the book and join in our discussions about it.
Culture has got a lot to answer for these days. Culture wars, woke culture, and cancel culture (to name a few!) have made the world feel chaotic. And that change is real – culture is no longer linear, progressive and predictable, and instead has become divergent, oppositional, and unpredictable.
While this is easy to see in politics and society, the same issue applies to organisations and brands. By using an accessible model for understanding culture – The Cultural Trinity – we can find ways to both analyse and change culture in simple, accessible ways.
Oliver Sweet is one of the world’s leading business anthropologists, helping brands like Coke, IKEA, Google and Dyson, as well as foundations and governments, decode why people really do what they do. His book, The Rules That Make US, is a rethink of human behaviour, showing that life, business and society are driven less by psychology and more by culture.
Register for this session here
You don’t have to have read the book to attend but we encourage you to do so! Oliver Sweet | LinkedIn -
Emotional Resilience for Researchers – A Reflective Workshop
Join ICG member and Certified Counsellor Katherine Passerieu in this workshop for 10 ICG members. Hurry – first come first served.Why is this Workshop Needed?
The emotional landscape of research is often overlooked, yet independent researchers are facing increasing pressure to meet time and budgetary constraints, deal with demanding clients, and compete against a rapidly changing landscape.What is Emotional Resilience?
Emotional Resilience can be defined as the ability to adapt, recover, and maintain well-being in the face of stress or challenges. Resilience can be built through the understanding of what it entails and the practice of recognised well-being routines.About the Workshop
This will be a one-hour reflective and practical space for 10 ICG members to explore the shared experiences of business pressures that they’re facing and offer some simple frameworks to help navigate these. It won’t be therapy, but will be informed by counselling and psychotherapy. It will offer a confidential and respectful space to share and learn.Register here (hurry, only 10 places)
If you don’t manage to get a space or if this date doesn’t suit, please email us by clicking here – if there’s a demand, Katherine may run the session again.
Katherine Passerieu, Author at The ICG Katherine Passerieu | LinkedIn
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ICG’s Annual General Meeting
Join us to hear about what we’ve achieved, our plans for the future and our financial situation. A great opportunity to ask us any questions and make suggestions for the organisation.Login here (no need to pre-register)
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ICG Book Group: ‘Could’ by Tamar Kasriel
We welcome the author of ‘Could,’ Tamar Kasriel, to lead a discussion about this book.
About ‘Could’ In a world where certainty is rare and change is constant, traditional decision-making frameworks often fall short. Could offers a fresh perspective on navigating complexity and embracing the power of possibility. This isn’t just another self-help book. It’s a practical toolkit for modern thinkers who refuse to be paralyzed by uncertainty. Through compelling research, real-world examples, and actionable frameworks,Could transforms how you approach problems, make choices, and shape your future. Whether you’re leading a team, building a business, or simply trying to make sense of an unpredictable world, this handbook will reshape how you think about what’s possible. Could: The Smart Thinking Handbook For When Nothing is CertainRegister here (ICG members only)
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ICG Summer Party (London)
This event has been generously sponsored by AddMaple, Catalyse Research, and Question ProTickets are now available for the ICG’s annual Summer Party on Thursday 2 July, 6pm, at the Lockhouse, Paddington, London.
Tickets are £42+VAT+ticketing fees, to include great food and drinks.Buy your tickets here
THANK YOU TO MOMENTZ (IZZY NURDIN) WHO’LL BE CAPTURING THIS EVENT.
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AI in 2026 – What’s The Wider Insight Industry Saying About It?
This Knowledge Share is presented by ICG member Diana Hilty-Vance and is generously sponsored by Liveminds
In this Knowledge Share, Diana Hilty Vance will feedback on what she heard at the Qual360 Berlin Conference this year, which focused primarily on AI and Qual.
Specifically, she’ll talk about;
- Who is doing what with AI in qualitative research?
- What is AI Slop and why is it problematic?
- What people really think of the tools and services available.
REGISTER HERE
KNOWLEDGE SHARES ARE FOR ICG MEMBERS ONLY -
ICG Members’ Buddy Scheme: June ’26 – Aug ’26 inc
Join our next ICG member Buddy Scheme!
You’ve seen their name on the e-group, you’ve noticed their face at an ICG event, but how do you really get to know them and become known yourself?
You join this quarter’s Buddy Scheme!Now in its 4th year, this is a great opportunity for ICG members to meet and exchange ideas/opinions with another member over a 3 month period.
No huge commitment needed, just a willingness to (probably virtually) meet up with your ‘buddy’ at agreed times and agree to share work issues/concerns/questions with each other.
Suggestions for how to have a successful Buddy experience hereTo sign up to our next Buddy scheme, register here
(Registrations open until end of 26 May)
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Northern Connection
This event has been generously sponsored by Face Facts – Getting Research Done.
Come and join us!
When: Thurs 19 March, 4-6pm and drinks afterwards Where: The Adelphi (Tap Room), Hunslet Road, Leeds, West Yorkshire LS10 1JQ. Why: It will be fun and you know you should The ICG is holding an event to bring researchers based in the North (and hey the Midlands are the North, right?) and we want you there to make it go with a bang! What to expect:- Learn about the ICG and what our members can do to support research agencies and client-side businesses and other indies
- Celebrate and elevate all our amazing businesses in the North – we lead the way on quality and innovation in the North, let’s pat each other on the back
- Meet each other and make firmer connections, drink free beer and eat free nibbles…
Register your free place here
Bonus event: if you are unable to make the 19th or just want another opportunity to network, why not join the research community at Padel Insights Network (PIN) on 18th March? No previous experience is required, everything is provided, so do not worry if you have not played padel before. It’s all about getting together, doing something different and having some fun. More info and tickets here