Last week, the E-Tabs team headed to the Javits Center for Quirk’s New York 2026, joining researchers, insights professionals and industry leaders from across the market research community.
Over the course of the event, we had the opportunity to reconnect with familiar faces, meet new people and have some fantastic conversations about the evolving role of reporting, automation and AI within the insights industry. As always, Quirk’s proved to be a great opportunity to share ideas, learn from peers and hear first-hand about the challenges and opportunities shaping the future of research.
Transforming Brand-Tracking Reporting Through Automation
One of the highlights of the event was our speaker session featuring E-Tabs’ Benjamin Rietti and Laura Pienkowski from Toluna, who explored how report automation is helping research teams transform complex brand-tracking reporting.
Using real-world examples from Toluna’s reporting processes, the session demonstrated how automation can streamline workflows, accelerate delivery timelines and reduce the manual effort involved in producing recurring reports. Rather than spending valuable time on repetitive production tasks, researchers can focus more on analysing results, uncovering meaningful insights and delivering greater value to clients and stakeholders.
Key Themes from Quirk’s New York
Beyond our speaker session and conversations at the booth, several themes emerged across Quirk’s New York. Unsurprisingly, AI remained one of the industry’s most talked-about topics, but the nature of the discussion has shifted, moving from how much AI can be incorporated into the research process to where it can deliver the greatest value. There was a growing sense that AI is best used to augment researchers and improve efficiency, rather than replace the human expertise required to interpret findings, understand context and deliver meaningful insights. Discussions around synthetic respondents, AI moderators and digital twins reflected both excitement about the possibilities and healthy debate around their role in future research programmes.
Alongside this, trust, transparency and data security emerged as major considerations for organisations looking to adopt AI more widely. As the technology matures, conversations are moving beyond experimentation and towards questions around governance, compliance and responsible use of data. How client information is stored, protected and utilised by AI systems is becoming a key factor in technology adoption decisions. There was also growing interest in combining traditional survey research with behavioural and passive data sources to build a more complete picture of consumer behaviour, helping researchers better understand the gap between what people say and what they actually do.
Quirk’s London Key-Hunt
The E-Tabs key hunt returned for New York, with attendees searching the venue for hidden E-Tabs keys and bringing them back to our booth to discover what they had unlocked. It was fantastic to see so many people taking part throughout the event, with plenty of limited-edition Tabby T-shirts finding new homes along the way.
Light Reaction Challenge
Competition was fierce at the E-Tabs booth as attendees tested their speed and reflexes in our light reaction challenge. Over the course of the event, we saw some seriously impressive scores as participants battled for the top spot on the leaderboard. Congratulations to Andrew Arsenault, who ultimately claimed first place and took home the title.
A big thank you to everyone who stopped by the E-Tabs booth, joined our session, took part in the key hunt and spent time chatting with the team. Events like Quirk’s are a great reminder of the innovation, creativity and collaboration that continue to drive the insights industry forward. We left New York with plenty of ideas, valuable conversations and exciting opportunities to build on. Until next time!
We’re excited to keep the conversations going and look forward to seeing you again at upcoming events! To learn more about what we do, click HERE.
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