Joys of a Stellar Conference Experience

If you've been to many research conferences, especially those attended by qualitative research consultants, then you know the vibe - as my teenagers would say - is immaculate. It's always a treat to spend uninterrupted time with people you admire, who both challenge and support you, who make you think and give you great ideas, but often from long distances apart. At QRCA conferences, and other global qualitative research conferences, suddenly you find yourself up close for days bursting with impressive presentations and evenings spent in meaningful conversation over delicious local specialties in beautiful surroundings. That was definitely the case at the QRCA's Worldwide Qualitative Conference in Lisbon, Portugal, earlier this month.

But there was even more! To shake off jet-lag, I organized an e-bike tour and was so happy to have Kendall Nash , Chris Shields Kann , Abby Leafe , and Cheryl Stella Dalisay join me on a crazy 3-hour ride through the 7 hills of Lisbon, with a stop for delicious pastel de nata (the famous Portuguese egg tarts - yum!) near the port. It's pictured here because I'll never forget the fear we all had on those slippery cobblestones, riding the steep hills up to gorgeous vantage points, but realizing we had to go down yet again - through the traffic, weaving among the tuktuks, cars and trucks on narrow streets, and avoiding pedestrians and cable car tracks as we crossed the everyday traffic. This experience reminded me that it's fun to take risks, to try something new and outside your comfort zone, as long as you have an experienced guide you trust. With our intrepid guide, Xavier (a Lisbon-based journalist and cyclist, who gives these tours for fun), we were in for a memorable experience, with storytelling - including historical facts, architectural details and modern, local culture - at its core. This introduction set the tone for the rest of the conference: learning and bravely adventuring among friends.

So many conference sessions were highlights for me. I had the great opportunity to coach several of my esteemed colleagues as they prepared for the conference, and their presentations were of course my favorites - Lucy Foylan , Tom Rich , Sónia Marques and Daniel Berkal , I'm looking at you! But my notebook is filled with so many great quotes and notes that remind me every session was chock full of value. Here are just a few of my scribblings with stars and arrows around them:

• Simon Patterson (CPsychol, FMRS) from the UK: "AI is here but it needs policing, as understanding the lived experience is key. Empathy is what leads to the eureka moment."
• Irene Keino from Kenya: "Be sensitive. Leave the respondent better off and not worse than you found them."
• Lesley Croskery from South Africa: "There's a big difference between communicating and expressing something."
• Oana Popa Rengle from Romania: "Even 'good old qual' can help devise an empathy framework for high tech. They key is to take both the worm's eye veiw and the bird's eye view."
• Daniel Berkal from Canada: "One of our biggest opportunities in combatting AI conspiracies is to Be Human."
• Paul Kingsley-Smith from the UK: "What we do brilliantly is curiosity. See what is true if we ask questions, then different questions, to understand the nuance."
• Daniel Plettenberg of Germany: "Identity is one of the most important things to think about in the age of AI and the internet." And of his work with young people: "Kids today connect to brands with values, that show what they stand for. Teenagers talk differently about identity as they look for connection. And they need to be prepared for anything in this unpredictable world. Let them speak and we shall listen."
• Darren Harvey from the UK: "Anxiety is fundamental in our lives." And when we're interviewing someone, "We are never just two people in a room."
• Kendall Nash from the US: "Kintsugi (golden joinery) taught me that the process is messy, but the end result is beautiful."
• Cheryl Stella Dalisay from the US and winner of the Sabena-McLean Best Presentation Award: "You never know what someone else is going through. Be kind. Assume their best intentions." (and the rest of my notes are blurry because of the tears - IYKYK!)

This conference was special - not just the main stage presentations but the keynotes, workshops (thanks Susan Newhouse for helping us connect the dots!) and the amazing social events. It felt intimate, powerful and filled with optimism.

I will never forget the perfect dine-around meal at Faz Figura with Jeff Walkowski (and his husband Jeff Wyant), Janet Standen. , Cher Chislett , Tiffany Hays , Darren Harvey , Daniel Berkal (on our 15-year friendiversary, no less!) and Megan Grocki (my newest friend). There is a reason QRCA always does a night of "who knows who you'll meet" at a dinner for 10. I've won big over the years thanks to this tradition.

Profound thanks go to the organizers of this event, especially to Chris Shields Kann for her tenacity in doing five years of work to make this dream of another in-person, global conference a reality. It was a joy to spend time with you and to experience a truly stellar conference, shared among some amazing people.

If you're interested in something similar, please make plans to be in Denver for the QRCA's Annual Conference this coming January. It's going to be fantastic and definitely worth the trip. Who knows what valuable connections you'll make, how many presentations will spark your thinking, and what fun you'll have at our social events (including one I'm leading to Meow Wolf and Raices Brewing). Join us!

https://www.qrca.org/page/annual-conference