Being stereotypically English, I dislike hyperbole.

I bristle when I am told something is awesome. I have a deep suspicion of razzmatazz.

Despite this I can say without hesitation last week’s #WWQual conference was the best research event I have ever been to. I have never got more value from a conference.

The workplace of the future will be very different to the one we know today, and employers must adapt and develop a future proofed employer proposition if they are to continue to attract and retain the best talent.  So was the crux of the talk given by Sally Bucknell, EY’s Head of Diversity and Inclusiveness for UK and Ireland who spoke at a recent event held in Leeds that Trinity McQueen attended as part of our involvement in The Leeds Fund.

It’s a cold and wet Wednesday morning in Manchester. A group of 25 eager qual researchers gather at Aspect Viewing Facility to hear Dr Nick Gadsby from The Answer demystify the world of Semiotics.

We need to change the ways we shop, but behaviour is hard to change. It could become even harder to change if all customers are treated the same. Environmental issues, and the use of plastics in particular, are the hot topic of the day. As a society we are slowly accepting that our use of plastic is dangerous and that change is sorely needed.

Trinity McQueen were proud to be a part of the Leeds Digital Festival this week, a city-wide event to celebrate the digital community in Leeds. Exploring the role that digital technology plays in consumers lives has become a key part of our research offering, so we were excited to share our latest thinking and showcase how we are using technology more than ever before, to get closer to real-life behaviour.

We all know behavioural economics is a big issue for our industry. What I know after attending Tuesday’s MRS event is that it is also far too complex a topic to cover in an hour’s session. You could have the oratory skills of Barack Obama, the wit of Oscar Wilde and have Kahneman there field questions, and you’d still only be able to achieve so much.

Let’s be honest, Belgium receives its unfair share of ridicule, especially from a close neighbour.  And that simply isn’t cricket.  A birdie told us there are some little known gems worthy or exploration for our cultural, gastronomic and architectural adherents.  Paying a wee visit is clearly the right thing to do. 

Last week, we were delighted to be present at X4 Europe, Europe’s largest experience management event that is run, and hosted by Qualtrics. We have been working with Qualtrics for a number of years now, and were keen to hear what they, and some of the world’s leading businesses had to say about CX.

A dream brief: writing a post on Sergio Leone’s final Spaghetti Western, starring a young and very cool Clint Eastwood.  So cool in fact, we nearly named our company after him.  But you’re only as cool as your last movie, and we preferred Steve.

It’s hard to ignore just how much of our lives as consumers are in some way influenced by Amazon. The news earlier this year that the tech giant accounted for a monumental 44% of online sales in the US in 2017 was staggering and no doubt daunting for the huge range of retailers trying to keep pace with them.

The Visual Media Conference in Leeds held recently promised to expose the effectiveness of colour in marketing and communication and explore the hype around Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Consumer Behaviour – and it certainly didn’t disappoint. 

Over the Christmas period, we saw the rise in popularity of luxury advent calendars, with many retailers trying to tempt consumers away from traditional chocolate versions with those including an assortment of alcoholic tipples and luxury beauty offerings.In the same way, retailers are now attempting to continue this trend into the Easter festivities.

Around the world public awareness is beginning to rise about the imminent arrival of Cape Town's Day Zero, when the city will become the first major metropolitan area in the world to run out of water. Thankfully, in the UK we haven’t suffered the same catastrophic drop in the level of rainfall that has struck Cape Town. However, we know consumers and businesses in the UK tend to take their water supply for granted.

On Thursday night last week Trinity McQueen’s crack five a side team took to the (plastic) field for the first time.Despite watching inspirational clips of Kilmarnock’s incredible form under the tutelage of Steve Clarke, our team fell just short, losing a very tight and keenly contested affair 7-5 to our friends at ResearchBods.