A new independent report The Business of Evidence 2026 demonstrates the major contribution of research to Britain’s intelligence capital and UK PLC. The professional research and evidence (R&E) market generates £18.74bn of gross value added (GVA) to the UK economy each year, making it larger than the entire publishing sector and over twice the economic value of the UK’s music industry*.
Delphi Group
946 – The Market Research Society is born on 5th November in the offices of the London Press Exchange. With 23 founder members, the early meetings operated as luncheon club where practitioners of market research – very much a fledgling discipline – meet to learn the business and keep in touch with industry developments.
1950 – The first weekend school is held in Stockport, Cheshire.
1953 – The Market Research Society Limited is incorporated as a company.
1954 – The Society adopted its first Code of Standards – covering ethics, reporting and survey standards.
1955 – The first summer school is held in Oxford.
1957 – Membership of the Society grows to 300. Having gained a track record the Society is allowed to drop ‘limited’ from its title. 1957 also sees the first Conference, held in Brighton.
1959 – Membership grows to 566. A thriving Society develops with a Code of Conduct, an Annual luncheon, Conference and a Summer School all in place.
1959 – Commentary – Volume 1 of the Journal of the Market Research Society – is published
1961 – The need for full time staff is met with the first MRS secretariat offices opening at 39 Hertford Street, Mayfair, London. The first award of the Society’s Gold Medal is made this year.
1964 – The first Market Research Abstracts is published.
1966 – MRS Newsletter is first published.
1968 – The first MRS Yearbook is published.
1970 – The first full-time Education Officer is appointed.
1974 – MRS diplomas are first awarded at the Society’s Annual General Meeting.
1977 – The MRS Secretariat moves to larger offices at 15 Belgrave Square, London.
1979 – The Interviewer Card Scheme comes into effect.
1985 – Membership reaches 929 Full and 3837 Associate members.
1986 – The Society Secretariat moves to 175 Oxford Street, London as total MRS membership reaches 5,247.
1990 – MRS purchases its current offices at 15 Northburgh Street.
1992 – MRS Newsletter is relaunched as Research magazine.
1993 – MRS Codeline Advisory service is established.
1994 – MRS Certificate introduced in association with Leicester Business School.
1996 – MRS celebrates its Golden Jubilee; 41 members become the first Fellows of the Market Research Society (FMRS).
1997 – MRS holds its first international training course in Hong Kong.
1998 – The first MRS website is launched.
1999 – The first annual MRS Awards Dinner takes place.
2000 – The Journal of the Market Research Society becomes the International Journal of Market Research
2001 – MRS Disciplinary Authority created to hear tribunals involving members.
2002 – Research Live website is launched.
2005 – MRS Company Partner Service established; MRS Code of Conduct applies directly to research organisations for the first time.
2006 – MRS integrates services of the British Market Research Association (BMRA); becomes a unified professional and trade association and joins EFAMRO, the European Research Federation.
2012 – 4000th candidate registers for the MRS Advanced Certificate in Market and Social Research Practice.
2012 – The Global Research Business Network linking more than 2500 research businesses in 25 associations on 5 continents is launched at MRS Annual Conference.