Recently, I had the privilege of attending CRIC’s national conference at The Carlu in downtown Toronto (CRIC stands for Canadian Research Insights Council). The conference was an opportunity for Canada’s research, analytics, and insights community to come together to share ideas and celebrate innovation beneath the timeless Art Moderne ceilings of the former Eaton’s Seventh Floor. With the theme “Depth in the Age of Instant,” the event was excellent, delivering thoughtful programming from beginning to end, and I returned to Ottawa feeling enriched and optimistic. Here are some of my main takeaways.
Artificial intelligence, of course!
Over the two days of sessions and face-to-face chats, it was impossible to miss how dominant the topic of AI was in nearly every conversation. The tone wasn’t really about hype or fear; these discussions were nuanced and constructive. I heard a mix of optimism, trepidation, and pragmatism as Canada’s research and insights community shared thoughts about AI’s role in their own work, as well as the role it is playing within their clients’ organizations.
To me, the consensus viewpoint was that while AI tools have tremendous capacity to help us work faster and dig deeper, researchers are still at the helm, guiding methodological rigour, interpreting results wisely, and using our experience to provide strategic advice to our clients. In other words, the risk isn’t about researchers being replaced by AI, it’s about how we maintain control over our processes to ensure this new generation of tools can help us without harming the credibility or the impact of our work.
Moving from research to reality.
Something else I took away from the sessions is that there still exists a language barrier between insights professionals and those who are meant to be using insights to inform strategy. We are gathering and creating data at a pace that was unimaginable when I first started in this industry, but no matter how much information we can process, the best insights professionals in the business are still the people who can interpret all of that succinctly and deliver something that clients can act on. No technology can replace true wisdom!
This also reminded me of how we approach research differently at Counsel Public Affairs, and why it’s so rewarding. Here, we work very closely with our colleagues in other disciplines, which also puts us closer to clients, narrowing the gap between research insights and strategy execution. Speaking to industry peers at the conference, from major vendors to client-side buyers, gave me a different perspective on Counsel’s special niche in the insights ecosystem.
What stood out most, however, is how uncommon that level of integration still is. In many organisations, research remains adjacent to decision-making rather than embedded within it. At Counsel, the connection between insights and action is built into our model. By integrating research directly with public affairs, communications, and strategic advisory work, we move beyond identifying what the data says to helping shape what organizations do next. At a time when many in the industry are focused on making insights more actionable, it reinforced for me that this approach is not only distinctive, it’s essential.
Climbing out of our silos.
The research I do in the public affairs space is interesting precisely because it can touch on almost any subject matter, including sectors with well-developed research marketplaces, like packaged goods, financial services, and health care.
Gathering with peers in different sectors at the CRIC conference gave me an opportunity to see many examples of insights teams tackling business questions and challenges with creative, structured approaches to research, data analytics, and decision-making. Sector-specific examples are useful to me, because they expand my capacity to understand the context that my own clients are working in. More importantly, seeing other researchers in action is an important reminder that innovation comes in many forms, and sometimes it simply requires peeking outside of our silos and applying proven approaches in a new context.
Back to life, back to reality.
Settling back into my routine in Ottawa, it’s not just some specific ideas or techniques that I’m adding to my toolbox, but a broader sense of perspective. Connecting with peers across sectors, reflecting on how our tools are evolving, and revisiting the fundamentals of good research all reinforced for me just how dynamic and interconnected this industry still is. Perhaps technological advancement does mean that the insights community is at a crossroads, but we will light the way forward the way we always have, by staying curious, collaborative, and grounded in strong principles.
Counsel’s Opinion Research team offers bespoke research and engagement services to clients in a wide variety of industry sectors including education, health care, technology, tourism, and labour. Contact us to learn how our research-driven advice can help you sharpen your messages and your strategies.