No doubt that July was an exciting month for researchers from the academic, government, private and voluntary sectors passionate about survey research and methodology. From the 15th till the 21st of July, A Cidade das Sete Colinas, Lisbon was the home for more than 500 researchers and survey practitioners from all around the world, and the reason was no other than ESRA and WAPOR.
Sample Solutions had the privilege to be a part of this experience by attending the 70th annual conference of The World Association for Public Opinion Research (WAPOR) and the 7th conference of the European Survey Research Association (ESRA).
Offering a diverse program, WAPOR and ESRA stayed true to their core values of emphasizing the public opinion in shaping and serving society and promoting the appropriate use of surveys in academic, policy, and commercial research. The lectures, courses and seasons presented by professionals from around the globe were a great way to catch up with the latest trends and innovations from the research industry. From topics like paradata, linking big data and surveys, coverage errors and sampling methods, to panel discussions and poster sessions, the conferences kept the attendants busy and presented a great opportunity to learn and discover new techniques and approaches that will have a positive and lasting impact on Sample Solutions’ sophisticated sampling methods. In between juggling presentations, meetings, workshops (and some viewpoints here and there), Sample Solutions enjoyed interacting with clients and discoursing the benefits of telephone sampling. The delegates were all too generous in sharing ideas, insights, and expertise about improving the quality of survey research. While mixing, and mingling over coffee, lunch, gala dinners and cocktails, with the crème de la crème from the research industry, Sample Solutions had the opportunity of meeting some amazing people who made the time in Lisbon even more enjoyable.
While preparing the deliveries of the next sets of telephone sample, evocation on the memories from an unforgettable week is inevitable. All in all, it was an experience which resulted not just in amazing insights and ideas, but also with friendships with people with whom it turns out Sample Solutions shares more than just the love for sampling.
Until we meet again next year in Marrakesh (WAPOR), Denver (AAPOR) and who knows where ESRA will be hosted in 2019, and in the meantime check out where can you find Sample Solutions next in 2017
Carsten Broich
Carsten is the founder of Sample Solutions and Lifepanel with over a decade of sampling and social research experience. A trained aerospace engineer who discovered his love for random phone numbers.
