Printemps des Études recently celebrated its 5th year: this is no ordinary trade fair, born out of close collaboration with research institutes?
The Communication/Marketing/Opinion sector wanted to represent itself in a different way to the traditional trade show medium.
The Re-Création collective, which was set up on LinkedIn and now has over 480 members, has brought together research institutes and service providers, as well as institutional bodies such as ADETEM, ESOMAR, IREP, SYNTEC Etudes and the UDA, to set up a new annual meeting.
Following a call for projects, Empresarial proposed a new event concept - Rencontres professionnelles - which was developed around a balance between the exhibition part and the conferences, meetings and workshops part. The first edition in 2012 opened with 111 participants and 51 meetings. Now, 5 years later, Printemps des études has brought together 124 of the industry's leading players, and 71 speeches have been offered to the 2,565 visitors (43.69% increase in visitor numbers since the first event in 2012).
One of the strong points of the event has been that the majority of the participants are institutes, and this is the case again this year. This is one of the things that sets Printemps des études apart from other events, such as
other existing study events, particularly international ones.
Professional organisations are also involved ...
From the outset, the event has counted the sector's professional associations and unions among its supporters. Today, there are eight partners in the event: ADETEM, ESOMAR, IREP, SYNTEC Études and UDA - partners from the first day - have since been joined by AFM, Alliance Big Data and CESP. Two university courses are also supporting the event: the Master Progis Études d'opinion, Marketing, Médias and the Master Marketing et Communication des Entreprises at the Université Panthéon-Assas.
In addition to their moral sponsorship, which reinforces the importance of the event, our partners work alongside us to shape the content of the event (programme committee) and its development (steering committee).
The representative associations and unions are present on the stand they run at the exhibition, where this year they also hosted the Authors' Corner, but they also take part in the conferences at which they speak.
Sir Martin Sorrell opened the show, but he's more of a financier and publicist than an academic?
Sir Martin Sorrell's ability to handle figures was undeniable, but it was his vision of the evolution of marketing and research that particularly interested us. WPP, which he heads up, is the world's leading communications and marketing group, with over 150 different companies and almost 180,000 employees in 111 different countries. Several of the group's companies were also involved in the Printemps des études: Kantar Media, Kantar Worldpanel, Lightspeed GMI, Millward Brown, TNS Sofres and Zappistore among others.
The Group's businesses are organised around 4 sectors: Advertising & Media Investments, Data & Insights, Relations & Public Affairs, and Brand, Identity & Specialised Communications. And it was these sectors and the links between them that interested our visitors, to gain a better understanding of the changes in their own functions.
The fact that research is itself at the crossroads of a number of professions, and that the whole subject of data, digital tools and social networks is developing even further, gives Sir Martin Sorrell's presence in this polymorphous group even greater resonance.
We were delighted that he was able to attend, because in addition to recognising Printemps des études, Sir Martin Sorrell's international vision of the sector underlined the attractiveness of the French market and the role played by research 'à la française'. This recognition was shared by all those involved in Printemps des études.
With the Web, and the social Web in particular, data is everywhere. In just a few years, the profession has changed radically: how do you see it today?
The development of digital technology is undoubtedly a major revolution for the sector. The exponential growth of data and the multiplication of data collection methods are the key features. Research professionals are well aware of the importance of data and the challenges it presents, and in my opinion they have a lot to play for! Experienced in the handling of data, they know how to extract the 'substance' from it. Data analysis is at the heart of research expertise. Transforming these analyses into operational recommendations makes them key players in strategic business decision-making.
Looking to the future, how do you see Printemps des études evolving, particularly in the light of new professions and new players in the field of data?
Our ambition for visitors and participants in the Printemps des études is first and foremost qualitative. The event focuses on innovations, giving visitors the opportunity to take stock of developments in the sector each year.
The research sector is increasingly integrating new data-related professions (data scientist, data analyst, etc.). Combined research and marketing/data and IS training courses are even being developed to enable the two sectors to interact and work together even more effectively. Le Printemps des études gives advertisers the keys to understanding these changes.
So we're multiplying the angles from which we look at the most necessary subjects, and when it comes to data, from one edition to the next we don't approach it from the same angles. This year, for example, the new European regulations on the protection of personal data and a conference bringing together a group of French specialists in advanced statistics took centre stage.
As far as the participants in the Printemps des études are concerned, our aim is to bring together people who have real needs in terms of research and who are decision-makers in companies. The concept of the event is based on a wide range of content in a variety of formats and themes, and on a multiplicity of pretexts for dialogue. The challenge, from one edition to the next, is to ensure that the content, formats and dialogues evolve. Integrating the innovative facets and new professions of research is therefore more than just an avenue to follow...
Join us on 20 and 21 April at the Palais Brongniart for the 6th Printemps des études!
