Have you ever completed an event and wondered how the attendees felt about the event?

It’s important to collect feedback from event participants, during or immediately after the event.

The post event survey questions you ask will vary depending on the type of event you planned, because the goals and event objectives are likely different. That being said, there are a few general questions that are suitable for any post-event survey.

I realize that putting together a post-event survey takes time, so I’ve put together a list of event-specific questions you NEED to ask your attendees upon event completion.

In fact, the event really isn’t “complete” until you’ve collected and analyzed your event surveys.

General Post Event Survey Questions

• Overall, how would you rate the event? (Likert scale ranging from very unsatisfied to very satisfied)
• Please rate the following aspects of the event: (Likert scale ranging from unsatisfactory to very satisfactory)
  • Date and time
  • Location
  • Food and beverage
  • Vendors
  • Speakers
  • Sessions

*    The aspects you include in this section can be altered to fit the details and type of event you planned

• What did you like most about the event? (Open-ended question)
• What did you like least about the event? (Open-ended question)
• How do you think this event could have been improved? (Open-ended question)
• Was this the first time you attended one of our events? (Yes/No)
• Based on your experience at this event, how likely are you to attend future events? (Likert scale ranging from very likely to not at all likely)
• How likely are you to recommend our events to a friend/colleague? (Likert scale ranging from very likely to not at all likely)
• How would you rate the communication throughout the planning process? (Likert scale ranging from poor to excellent)
• Do you have any other suggestions or comments to help us improve our future events? (Open-ended question)
• What additional feedback do you have? (Open-ended question)

Event-Specific – Post Event Survey Questions

These questions can be altered to fit your specific event:

• In your opinion, did the event meet its objective? (Likert scale ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree)
• How well was the event structured? (Likert scale ranging from very well to very poorly)
• Was there enough time for discussion? (Yes/No)
• Which topics would you like to see covered at future events? (Open-ended question)
  • This is a great opportunity to gather information for you or your client to use for future events
• How did you hear about this event? (If applicable, open-ended or list of choices)
• How useful did you find the information presented at the event? (Likert scale ranging from very useful to not useful at all)
• Was the staff polite and helpful? (Yes/No)
• Was the speaker engaging? (Yes/No)
• Did you feel prepared coming into this event? (Yes/No, Why)
• Did you have an opportunity to ask questions during the event? (Yes/No)
• Did the event improve your skills? (Yes/No)

If you have any additional (and relevant) questions that you’d like to ask, add it! My only suggestion is to be mindful of the length of the survey because the longer the survey, the less likely you are to get responses.

 

Send the Survey

Once you have created your post-event survey, you have to send it, and which method of transportation you use to send the survey, can dramatically impact the response rate and results. There are two primary forms of transportation: digitally or physically.

If you choose to have pre-printed surveys available at the event, be sure to have pens or pencils to complete the survey, as well as a box or some other location for the surveys to be collected. This is a great method to ensure a high-response rate and more honest answers, however this option is bound by time and place.

Digital surveys offer great convenience, as the attendees can complete the survey at a time and place convenient to them. The only down side to this, is that many attendees do forget to complete the survey or complete it a few days after the event, when the details are no longer fresh in their mind. There are multiple online survey platforms, but something as simple as Survey Monkey is a great option and offers a very user-friendly interface.

Review and Learn

Hopefully the feedback you receive aligns with your perception and expectations of the event, but regardless of whether the feedback was positive, negative, or neutral, the whole point of a post-event survey is to learn and act on the information you collected. If you need to, follow up with the attendees to learn more about their thoughts and opinions.

This is a great opportunity to reflect on the event and gain insight on areas that need improvement. No event will go exactly as planned, but you can definitely learn and grow when you’re able to get multiple perspectives on the events you plan.

 

Now, I’d like to hear from you…

Tell me in the comments below, do you use post-event surveys?

What’s one question you’d add to the list above?

Please share as much information as you’d like. Thousands of event planners come here each week to gain knowledge and insights and your suggestions might help them.

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Thank you so much for joining me and being a valuable part of this community.