According to PAMRO, each of the six daily sessions covered a variety of topics, with presenters representing global brands operating in Africa.

"Without contest, all of the sessions were of excellent quality and the real-life case studies from the continent brought the topics to life," says Dr Sifiso Falala, president of PAMRO and CEO of Plus 94 Research.

"The theme 'Finding certainty in uncertain times' was a thread throughout the three days and the newly introduced online Q&A facility was also a hit, with many delegates able to direct questions to specific presenters," adds Falala.

As is tradition at all PAMRO annual conferences, the industry body organisation wrapped up with the winning papers. The 2021 winners are the following:
  • The Gold Award went to Carel Van Aardt, a professor and research director at the Bureau of Market Research. He presented on the topic of Towards a multi-dimensional consumer segmentation tool for South Africa
  • The Silver Award went to Joe Otin for his presentation on Joe Otin, CEO of The Collective Kenya. He presented on the topic of The Pandemic — A Catalyst for Digital Transformation in Africa.
  • The Bronze Award was scooped up by joint presenters Hendrik Van Blerk, the CEO at The Broadcast Research Council of South Africa, and Audience Measurement Lead at Ipsos South Africa Hendrik van Blerk. Their paper was titled Essential Innovation.
"On behalf of my board, I would like to thank the presenters who worked really hard to present excellent information and relatable case studies. The numerous thought leaders and industry experts delivered flawless presentations and we look forward to what they come up with next year," says Falala.

"Despite pandemic challenges, we believe we were able to deliver a meaningful online experience to delegates within the virtual space, and with any luck, next year we will resume a face-to-face event in Morocco, as planned for 2019. We hope to see you there," concludes Falala.

The conference was free to delegates, with sponsors that included:
  • Borderless Access
  • DSTV Media Sales
  • Nielsen
  • Ornico
  • Plus 94 Research
  • Telmar, and
  • Ipsos.
For more information, visit www.PAMRO.org. You can also follow PAMRO on Facebook or on Twitter