Can the needs of the market research industry be met by one organization?

At the IIeX Insight Innovation Exchange North America in Atlanta one the speakers made a call for a single market research organization.

My initial reaction was that the idea simply wasn’t feasible from a couple of perspectives.  From a very practical and logistical perspective, how could the vast array of market research organizations around the world be condensed into one organization?  And, how could you convince them that this is a good idea?  From a needs perspective, how could one organization meet the potentially very different needs of the various areas of expertise?  Not only in terms of type of market research but also the array of different verticals that market research serves.

Even though I do not necessarily agree with the idea, it is one that has stayed with me.  Particularly when on a day that I receive various emails from the over half a dozen organizations I belong to and in deciding which conferences to attend this fall.  These events, in particular, bring home just how many market research organizations there are out there.  And, I think maybe consolidation would not be such a bad idea.

But, then as I consider the various organizations that I belong to, I could not envision any one of them serving all of my needs as I belong to each of them for very different reasons.  A couple of them (PMRG and EphMRA) are pharmaceutical-focused as that is the vertical I work in, and are important in staying on top of the changing landscape and regulations.  Others are more general (ESOMAR, CASRO, MRA), and while there is some overlap, each of them provide me with different services and knowledge base. QRCA is important for me to stay on top of what is happening specifically in qualitative research.   I have to admit, I sometimes wish I could find a QRCA equivalent for quantitative research (it may be out there and I’m just not aware of it), but I stay abreast of new technologies in quantitative research via some of my more general memberships.

As I review these organizations and the reasons I belong to each of them, I simply can’t see how one market research organization could meet all of my needs along with all of the needs of my colleagues who work in other verticals without being as big and as complex as these individual organizations.

And, in creating that large and complex of an organization, I think you would lose the collegial feel of each of these organizations, which I think is just as important as the services and learning opportunities they each provide.

What do you think?  Could all market research professionals be served by one organization?