Membership Benefits

Membership benefits fall into two broad headings, Promotion of Your Business and Personal Development and Information

Promotion of Your Business

The ICG actively promotes the many advantages of using independent market research consultants:

PR and Marketing

An ongoing activity raising the profile of the ICG and the many excellent, experienced researchers – across a wide range of disciplines – who form the membership.

Shared Cost Promotions

The ICG exhibits at the annual Insight Exhibition and the MRS Conference, with places available to members at very affordable rates. In addition, group rates for other conferences are being added.

Business Opportunities

Business prospects from clients, and also from other ICG members are emailed to all members. Clients can email the ICG webmaster with details of projects, which are almost instantaneously circulated to all members via the egroup. In addition, clients have access to members’ details via the Find a Consultant listing on the website and also the hard copy Membership Directory.

Personal Promotion/Publicity

Members are offered free entry in the Find a Consultant listing on the ICG website. This provides contact data, services offered and specialist techniques, sectors and methodologies. The listing is fully searchable and is used by potential clients - and fellow members looking for collaborators. Members can also pay for entry in the hard copy Membership Directory, produced every 2 years. This is distributed free to a wide range of clients and potential clients, both end-users and (large) agencies. Payment for entry in the Directory is at cost, to cover production, printing and distribution.

Personal Development and Information

The ICG is very much involved in providing the opportunity for members to learn, both from each other and from other ‘experts’. We encourage networking and the sharing of ideas and experiences and also aim to keep members abreast of the latest research techniques, issues and legislation affecting the industry:

Training and Events

These include regular lunchtime meetings, with speakers on a wide variety of topics of relevance/interest to independents; half-day training sessions; social and networking events, providing the opportunity to meet other Indies.

Access to Ideas and Specialist Help

Our very active and enthusiastic egroup is a constant, and almost instantaneous, source of information, advice, hints and tips. Members can add comments, look for partners to work with, ask for help (anything from recommendations on digital recording equipment to good B2B recruiters in Norwich). Follow the link to Egroup Comments to see just a selection of the enthusiastic reaction to the egroup.

Indie Newsletter

Issued every 2 months, the Indie gives information on meetings/ talks that have recently taken place, forthcoming events, ICG news, topical information, articles, details of new members.

Annual Members’ Survey

Find out how other Indies operate, the areas they work in, what they charge, and much more from the report on our annual survey, distributed free to all members who complete the survey.