Monday, February 2
12:00 pm - Cultural Event (optional ticketed event)
Those who purchase a ticket will meet in the hotel lobby at 12:00 pm.
1:00 pm - Registration desk open for badge pick up
4:00 pm - Leadership Meeting & Reception
5:00 pm - First Timers Welcome Session
Come to the First Timer Welcome session for a little information and a jumpstart on conference networking. Join us if you are new to QRCA, are a qual crew leader, or if you're just back for more QRCA fun!
6:00 pm - Early Arrivals Dinner (walking distance)
Many attendees arrive the night before the conference. In recognition of this, we are organizing an Early Arrivals Dinner for a first-look meet-and-greet opportunity within walking distance of the conference venue. The setting is fun and casual as we unwind from our travels and prepare for the days ahead. Our conference veterans recommend this event as a wonderful way to step into the QRCA conference experience.
Tuesday, February 3
7:00 am - Healthy Connections - Zumba
Ditch the workout and join the party! Fuse hypnotic Latin rhythms and easy-to-follow moves to create a high-energy, calorie-blasting, total-body dance-based workout!
8:00 am - Marketplace & Registration Open + Breakfast
9:00 am - Conference Welcome & Keynote
- Sonny Melendrez
10:00 am - Sponsor Spotlights
10:45 am - Marketplace Break
11:15 am - Speed Dating with First Timers
This conference favorite is open to all conference attendees! Join us for a high-energy, quick-paced, unconventional networking event. Please come show our First Timers what QRCA is all about!
11:15 am - Roundtables Breakouts
12:15 pm - Lunch
1:30 pm - Workshops
- Sara Bodde - "Acting for Insights: Acting exercises to help improve your moderating"
- Emma Bonilla - "That’s Not an Insight… Or Is It?"
- Jonathan Schneider - Qual Foundations: "That's A Great Question"
- Jen Spainhour - “The Insight Starts Within: Using Self-Awareness to Elevate Your Moderating and Analysis”
- Jay Zaltzman - "Accessing participants’ subconscious minds"
3:00 pm - Breakout Sessions
- Qual Foundations: Abby Leafe & Kate Watson - "Crack the Pack: An Intro Playbook to Packaging Research"
- Tech: Susan Saurage-Altenloh, PhD - "Human-First Insight in an AI World: Future-Proofing the Qualitative Researcher"
- Tools: Susan Newhouse - "The Bold Spark: Energizing Insights Through Creative Engagement"
- Moderating: Reginald Alston - "Seeing the Respondent in the Best Light: Mastering Nuances in Qualitative Research"
- Analysis: Jeffrey H. Witte, PhD - "Old School: Manual Coding and Analysis of Qualitative Data"
4:15 pm - Breakout Sessions
- Tech: Andy Garlikov - "From Duct Tape to Doing it Right: Tech for Solo Quals Who Do It All"
- Qual Foundations: Laura Quinn - "The Basics of AI in Qualitative Research Preparation and Analysis – Maximizing Gains, Minimizing Risks"
- Tools/Method: Martha Cowley and Alex Chew - "Real People, Real data: Fighting Fraud in Qualitative Research Using Probability-Based Panels"
- Naomi Henderson Winner: Marta Villanueva & Ally Johnston - "It's Not Me, It's You: Why Consumers are Breaking Up with Brands"
- CRIC: Andrew Stavisky & Darby Steiger - "Cognitive Interviewing 101: Adding a Crucial Blade to Your Qualitative 'Swiss Army Knife'"
5:00 pm - Marketplace Social
6:30 pm - Dinner Dine Arounds
Wednesday, February 4
7:00 am - Healthy Connections
Yoga - Led by Simon Salt
Local Walk - Led by Cher Chislett of Insight Culture
8:00 am - Marketplace & Registration Open
9:15 am - QRCA VIEWS
Tamara Kenworthy & Dean Stephens - "Quallies Afire: QRCA VIEWS Lights up the Stage with Hot Topics in Market Research"
10:00 am - Sponsor Spotlights
10:30 am - Marketplace Break
11:00 am - Workshops
- Carina Crabbe - "Bringing Yoga Philosophy into Qualitative Research"
- Claire Kuhn - "Maintaining Human Magic in Digital Workshops"
- Qual Foundations: Pam Goldfarb Liss - "DIY Your Own Projectives: A How-To Create Your Own Workshop"
- Allison Rak - "Let Them: The Mindset Shift That Could Change How You Do Research"
12:15 pm - Lunch
1:15 pm - Breakout Sessions
- Analysis: Chris Hauck - "How does competitive context make your research better?"
- Biz Dev: Benjamin Allen and Kai Fuentes - "The Business Behind the Breakthroughs: Money Management in Qual Research"
- Tools: Tom Rich - "Laddering Up to the Astral Plane. What qualitative researchers can learn from psychic cold reading techniques"
- Tech: Lauren McCluskey - “Talking to a Bot: What Moderators and Participants Really Think About AI Moderation”
- Qual Core: Martha Hayward - "What is Strategy? A Market Researcher's Guide to Strategy Fundamentals"
2:00 pm - Roundtables (Small Groups)
3:15 pm - Breakout Sessions
- Analysis: Paul Peterson - "The Real Research Problem? Listening to the Wrong People."
- Biz Dev: Crystal Kendrick - "The Business of Research: How to Market, Prospect, and Partner Like a Pro"
- Tech: Allison Wilt - "The Impact of Agentic AI on Corporate America"
- Qual Foundations: Jeff Hecker - "Smart Starts: The Art and Science of Qualitative Research Design"
- TBD: Chris Kann
4:30 pm - Happy Hour & Awards Ceremony
Time to toast and recognize our outstanding QRCA members!
7:00 pm - Party!
Buses will transport you downtown to SMOKE SKYBAR for an evening of fun, food and dancing where you can celebrate with your fellow conference attendees. Take advantage of the connections you've made so far, and maybe even make some new ones! QRCA Bingo cards will be available for all First Timers AND returning attendees (new this year!). Prizes will be awarded at the end of the evening.