According to conference chair, Kim Larsen, in addition to a significant number of delegates who will be attending the entire two-day event, the conference themed ‘Reflection and progress – from the present into the future’ has also attracted a significant number of day delegates.

This she attributes to the impressive list of four keynote addresses, 17 topical research paper presentations, three opinion papers and two probing expert Q&A sessions, as well the accessible conference venue in the heart of Johannesburg.
Keynote addresses will be delivered by Andy Rice, advertising and branding expert and founding partner of Yellowwood Brand Architects, Sifiso Mazibuko, Facebook national account manager at Cape Town-based Habari Media, Andisa Ntsubane, Microsoft SA Marketing & Communications director, and Will Goodhand, BrainJuicer Juicy evangelist.

Like in previous years, the awards event on the Friday, 17 August, will be a fitting close to the conference when awards will be presented to the best first-time speaker, the best overall paper, the best research user paper (sponsored by Telkom) and the best contribution to research standards for Africa (sponsored by TNS).

Prior to the conference, the day-long ESOMAR workshop titled ‘Measuring Emotions – quantifying a love affair’ by BrainJuicer’s Will Goodhand, is also expected to draw a strong following, building on the success of last year’s inaugural ESOMAR-workshop.

Says SAMRA CEO Leonie Vorster: “We are thrilled that this year’s new come-and-go conference format seems to have found favour. The conference programme is also sure to be spot-on as much of the content will focus on more recent research developments and more innovative ways of doing research, including new and exciting ways of using some of the platforms and technologies that we’ve hitherto not had access to. The number of sources and the amount of information that researchers have access to these days, are simply exploding, so it’s most exciting for both them and their clients who gain increasing value from research.”

The 2012 SAMRA Conference will be taking place from 16 to 17 August at the Rosebank Crowne Plaza in Johannesburg.