Join us for this panel discussion about the impact that getting a properly representative sample can mean for the effectiveness of your research, and how to go about persuading clients of the importance of this. We welcome Daniel Singham (Yonder Data Solutions) and Kate Dale (This Girl Can) to share their experiences, alongside ICG member Annabelle Phillips, who’ll give her experiences from a qualitative perspective. We will then open up for a discussion about the challenges we face in this and where to go/what you can use to help navigate this. This will be a discussion rooted in real case studies and shared experiences. Daniel Singham Daniel Singham is Commercial Director at Yonder Data Solutions and a member of the MRS Main Board, with more than 20 years’ experience across commercial and operational roles in market research. He also chairs the MRS Representation in Research Committee, where he champions inclusion, representation and better reflection of diverse audiences across the industry. Kate Dale After starting life as a journalist, Kate evolved into a campaign and digital specialist. She’s currently leading This Girl Can – Sport England’s award-winning, disruptive campaign to get more women more active. She’s a strategic communicator with extensive experience in producing integrated behaviour change and marketing campaigns. Kate is also a confident and inspiring public speaker, experienced writer and analytical campaign and content strategist. Outside work, she’s a stand-up comedian and co-owner of The Queer Comedy Club and Milli Productions. Annabelle Phillips  Annabelle is the founder of AP Research, specialising in getting beyond the obvious, finding the insights that make effective solutions that make the difference. She combines social and market research approaches – using creative research solutions often with the seldom heard. She was previously ICG committee member responsible for Diversity & Inclusion, sits on the MRS EDI Board and its Social Equity Group.

Register for this session here 

This webinar has been generously sponsored by Babble Research, Research, Meeting and Training Facility in Solihull Birmingham  In a world which is increasingly digitised, and in an industry in which digital and agentic services abound, it’s hard to remember the power that in-person, real-life, human interactions can bring at every stage of the research journey. This webinar will act as this reminder. We welcome representatives from two industry initiatives, ‘Power of Presence’ and ‘The Fieldwork Collaboration Group’ to talk about their work, after which we will open up the discussion for your thoughts. Specifically, you will leave the webinar with;

• A greater understanding of what these industry initiatives are doing – and how we can all benefit
• An understanding of the sorts of arguments that you can present to clients who resist the human advantage
• An appreciation of the power of industry collaboration (rather than competition)
• A sense of hope about the future of the Insight sector.

Power of Presence

As research becomes increasingly digital and AI-supported, the industry is asking an important question: what role does human presence still play in insight? Drawing on findings from the Power of Presence (POP) industry survey, this session explores why connection remains central to understanding people. Rather than positioning technology and human interaction in opposition, POP highlights the importance of balance. In a screen-mediated world, the ability to connect, observe and engage meaningfully may be one of the most valuable and undervalued skills in modern research.

The Fieldwork Collaboration Group

The Field Collaboration Group (FCG) was formed in early 2025 by Richard Bryan, Managing Director at Qa Research and Kathy Tomlin, Managing Director at QRS Market Research. It is a collective of market and social research agencies’ across the UK that offer or use face-to-face research as a key service offering. The aim is to grow the volume of interviewers, particularly in low coverage areas across the country. Since the Covid-19 Pandemic the volume of face-to-face interviewers and recruiters has declined significantly, with many at the time deciding to retire or find other forms of employment. Some parts of the country have a very low volume if any interviewers at all, which affects our industry’s ability to fully meet client demands for this methodology when required. The face-to-face research method is critical to accessing parts of the population that are harder to reach via online research methods. It is able to target very specific local geographies and therefore fulfil survey quotas that other methods struggle to achieve. The main goal of the FCG collective is to boost face-to-face interviewer numbers by 100-200 into the market and social research industry over the next couple of years. Interest in the group is continually growing with 16 companies actively involved. In March 2026 the FCG are running a pilot training session with prospective interviewers in Greater Manchester following a recruitment process in the region and working collectively to produce training materials. Following the pilot agencies across the FCG will share and discuss lessons learnt and agree improvements that could be made to the process. They will then select another region in the UK to deliver a recruitment and training session, focusing on a locality that has low interviewer coverage but continued high demand for this methodology. During the webinar Richard and Kathy will share more about the FCG and its aspirations and how others can get involved.

Our Speakers:

Cara Allan  Cara is a Director at Plus Four Market Research (and The Qualitative Lab, London SW19) with over 20 years of international qual and quant expertise. She is known for her quick grasp of complex issues and cutting through the noise to achieve clear, human-centred insight. Cara energises projects with creative thinking, combining methodologies to produce tailored approaches across sectors. She brings audience motivations to life and delivers sharp, actionable findings that inspire confident decisions and drive meaningful change. With an awareness of the need for an evidence base, Plus4 have supported the POP campaign delivering a pro bono industry survey. Richard Bryan Richard is Managing Director of Qa Research a full service social and market research agency operating in a range of sectors including transport, education, utilities, health and social care, agriculture, environment, and tourism. Qa offers a wide range of online and offline qual and quant research services. A key part of Qa’s offer includes face-to-face surveying, often as part of multi-mode projects or as the only method on a project. Richard worked with Kathy Tomlin as a joint founder of the Field Collaboration Group (FCG) to bring the industry together to help boost the volume of interviewers in low coverage areas of the country. Richard chairs monthly online meetings with the FCG and provides advice on strategy. He also chaired a smaller group of FCG members to focus on developing the process and materials for training new interviewers. Sam Grey Sam is Managing Director of i-view London and has worked in market research for over 24 years. Beginning her career in recruitment and fieldwork operations, she has supported both qualitative and quantitative research across a wide range of sectors. Sam now leads one of the UK’s most awarded viewing facilities and is the founder of the Power of Presence (POP) campaign, a collaborative initiative bringing together UK viewing facilities to champion the value of face-to-face research. Her work is grounded in the belief that insight is created through human connection, and that as research evolves, empathy, interpretation and presence remain central to its impact. Kathy Tomlin Kathy is Managing Director of QRS Market Research with over 30 years’ experience in the industry. As a fieldwork specialist, Kathy initially started as a telephone interviewer and mystery shopper before her career spanned into all methodologies and areas of the business. Operationally, it has been impossible to ignore the sharp decline in UK based interviewers following the Covid pandemic and its resulting impact on fieldwork coverage, quality, and cost — issues Kathy believes are critical to the long-term sustainability of face-to-face research. As a joint founder of the Field Collaboration Group (FCG), Kathy is responsible for overseeing the group’s operations and co-ordinating its first recruitment pilot in March ‘26. Boosting interviewer numbers and maintaining a quality field force is imperative for safeguarding the long-term survival and future of face-to-face interviewing in an evolving research landscape.

Register for this session here