After your event is over, the work continues.
Post-event surveys are a valuable way to gather important feedback, helping you, as the event organizer, understand and analyze the success of your event. Capturing feedback is a crucial part of understanding attendees’ experiences, measuring success, and preparing for future events.
This blog examines the importance of post-event surveys, best practices for developing them, and how to effectively gather insights from diverse stakeholders, including attendees, employees, and vendors, through these impactful and powerful methods.
What Is a Post-Event Survey?
A post-event survey is a structured questionnaire distributed to participants after an event to gather feedback about their experiences, opinions, and suggestions for improvement. These surveys can be administered in various formats—online, via email, or even through social media channels—making them accessible and easy to distribute.
The post-event survey questions should include various quantifiable and open-ended formats, such as rating scales, multiple-choice questions, and open-ended questions, to provide as many opportunities as possible for attendees, employees, partners, sponsors, vendors, and others to offer thorough and helpful feedback.
Why Are Post-Event Surveys Important?
Post-event surveys play a vital role in understanding the overall impact of an event. Analyzing the data gathered from feedback surveys after the event can help you in several ways.
Get Feedback for Improvement
Surveys provide valuable insights into what worked well and what didn’t, enabling organizers to enhance future events. With these insights, you can make necessary adjustments for future event components that you and your team may not have previously had a clear perspective on.
Understand Attendee Satisfaction
Knowing how satisfied attendees were with various aspects of the event (e.g., content, speakers, logistics) helps organizers measure success and gain a more thorough understanding of the short- and long-term impacts of the event.
Build Relationships
Engaging with attendees through surveys shows that their opinions are valued, fostering a sense of community and encouraging future participation. You can build trust with attendees by showing you care about their feedback and are open to improving future events to curate the best possible experience based on their input.
Make Data-Driven Decisions
Collecting quantitative data from surveys allows organizers to make informed decisions when planning subsequent events. Based on the survey results, you can determine which aspects of the event were best received or which financial resources had the most ROI, and understand which areas to put the most effort and investment into moving forward.
7 Best Practices for Creating Post-Event Surveys
When building your post-event survey questions, follow these seven best practices to maximize their effectiveness:
1. Set Clear Goals
Before crafting your survey, establish clear objectives. Determine what information you need and how it will be used. What data do you want to extract from the questions, and in what format? This clarity will guide your questions and help you focus on the most critical areas of feedback.
2. Tailor Questions to the Event
Ensure that your questions are relevant to the specific event. This tailoring not only increases the likelihood of obtaining valuable responses but also demonstrates that you value the unique aspects of the event. Tailor questions to the program type (conference, incentive trip, special event, fundraiser, company outing/trip, product launch, etc.), program format (virtual, hybrid, or entirely in-person), and attendee/stakeholder type (general attendees, speakers, vendors/sponsors/exhibitors, employees, volunteers, etc.). You will likely need separate surveys tailored to each attendee type.
3. Collect Demographic Data
Gathering demographic information (e.g., age, profession, location) can help analyze feedback across different audience segments and reveal trends and preferences among varied attendee types. This is also an excellent opportunity to collect data you may not have requested during the initial registration process (e.g., how did you hear about the event, where you are from, department/industry, gender identity, age, etc)
4. Stay Concise
While it may be tempting to ask numerous questions, keep the survey concise. It may be your chance to gather as much feedback and data as possible to reach your goals and improve for future events; however, you will receive a lower response rate if the survey takes too long to complete. In fact, according to SurveyMonkey, completion rates dropped to 5‒20% for surveys that took longer than 7‒8 minutes to complete. Aim for 10‒15 questions that can be answered in under six minutes. Use a variety of formats and include minimal open-ended questions. This consideration helps maintain participant engagement and encourages participants to complete the task.
5. Offer an Incentive
To boost response rates, consider offering incentives such as discounts on future events, access to exclusive content, or entry into a prize draw. Incentives can motivate attendees to take the time to provide feedback.
For a conference, the incentive could be entry into a raffle for a gift card, a complimentary registration for next year’s event, or a small gift card (enough for a coffee, for example). Another option is to offer a small discount on the ticket price for next year’s event for everyone who submits the survey. Be sure to budget or plan accordingly if you decide to offer an incentive.
6. Use a Mix of Question Types
Incorporate a variety of question types, including multiple-choice, Likert scales, and open-ended questions. This variety can help capture different dimensions of feedback and keep respondents engaged throughout the survey.
7. Test the Survey Before Launch
Before distributing your survey, test it with a small group to identify any confusing questions or technical issues. This testing phase allows you to refine the survey and ensures a smoother experience for all participants.
Examples of Post-Event Survey Questions
While you should tailor the questions in your post-event survey to your program, audience, and needs, we’ve created a list to help you get started. Select and adapt these example post-event survey questions as needed to gather the necessary information from attendees, employees, event partners, and other stakeholders.
13 Post-Event Survey Questions for Attendees
When sending out the post-event survey to attendees, include several questions about their experience to gather as much information as possible.
- How did you hear about this event? (Multiple Choice)
- Why did you attend this event? (Multiple Choice)
- How likely are you to recommend this event to a friend or colleague? (Rating Scale: Not Likely at All to Very Likely)
- How likely are you to attend one of our future events? (Rating Scale: Not Likely at All to Very Likely)
- How satisfied were you with the following components of the event? (Matrix Rating Scale: Very Dissatisfied to Very Satisfied or 1 to 10)
- Overall experience at the event
- Location/destination
- Venue
- Number of days
- Timing of programming each day
- Hotel stay (expand on this if it is an essential component of the program, i.e., an employee incentive trip)
- Flight booking experience
- Registration process and efficiency
- Event app user-friendliness and capabilities
- Food and beverages
- Overall offerings of sessions/content topics
- Quality of the session content/speakers
- Relevance of the session content to the session description/your expectations
- Special events (separate questions for each: welcome reception, corporate social responsibility (CSR) activity, networking reception, awards dinner, trade show/vendor show, etc.). If they did not attend these events, include a sub-question asking why
- Giveaways/gifts (quality, appreciation, usability, applicability, etc.)
- Amount and quality of networking opportunities available
- Overall organization of the event
- Friendliness of event staff
- Virtual experience/ease in navigating the virtual platform (if virtual/hybrid component)
- What was the highlight or biggest takeaway from the event? (Open-Ended)
- What was an area of the event that you think we can improve? (Open-Ended)
- Which (3) sessions did you find most relevant and valuable? (Open-Ended w/ 3 Response Boxes or Multiple Choice)
- Which (3) sessions did you find least relevant and valuable? (Open-Ended w/ 3 Response Boxes or Multiple Choice)
- What topics would you want to see at future events? (Open-Ended or Multiple Choice)
- What activities/special events/networking opportunities would you like to see at future events? (Open-Ended or Multiple Choice)
- What were your favorite virtual features? (Multiple Choice or Open-Ended)
- Do you have any additional comments, suggestions, or questions you’d like to share? (Open-Ended; If an attendee leaves a question, be sure to respond to it personally, if applicable)
9 Post-Event Survey Questions for Employees
Inviting employees to provide post-event survey feedback gives them a sense of engagement by making them an integral part of the event’s success. Many of the general attendee questions also apply to employees. Make those that apply to more than one stakeholder group visible to all applicable stakeholders to get feedback from varying types of participants on the same areas of the event.
Some additional questions that may apply specifically to employees include:
- How do you think attending this event impacted your goals? (Open-Ended)
- Did you have sufficient time to meet with leadership, vendors, sponsors, exhibitors, and/or other attendees? (Yes/No)
- How would you rate the communication between different teams and departments? (Rating Scale: Poor to Excellent)
- Was all the required information relayed to you before the event? (Yes/No)
- I am satisfied with what I gained from this event. (Rating Scale: Strongly Disagree to Agree Strongly)
- I felt the trip was an excellent reward for my efforts. (Rating Scale: Strongly Disagree to Agree Strongly)
- I had enough leisure time to enjoy the trip as I chose to. (Rating Scale: Strongly Disagree to Agree Strongly)
- Where would you like to see a future trip held? (Open-Ended)
- Knowing that your time is valuable, how do you wish to spend it when rewarded for outstanding job performance? (Open-Ended)
7 Post-Event Survey Questions for Event Partners (Vendors/Sponsors/Exhibitors)
Another stakeholder group you may wish to get feedback from is your event partners, who were involved in the event’s planning and execution. While you might not send a formal survey to these partners, it is still essential to debrief with them and ask questions about their experience working with you, your team, and/or your clients. Consider questions like:
- Did they feel their services/offerings aligned with the program?
- Did they experience any frustrations or challenges throughout the planning process?
- Do they have any suggestions for how to make the planning process or partnership with you more efficient or seamless in the future?
- What worked well and what didn’t work well in their opinion, etc.?
- Would they partner with you/client for a future event?
Event partners also need to understand the impact that their services and performance had on attendees by having open and candid post-event debrief conversations. Like you, they will likely appreciate this feedback to improve for the future. Consider asking these questions to event partners:
- How satisfied were you with the following components of the event?
- Were there any challenges you encountered during the event?
- Did you achieve your goals for exhibiting/sponsoring the event?
- Were the event attendees the appropriate audience for your products or services?
- Did the event venue provide appropriate branding recognition for your sponsorship level?
- Did the exhibit booth provide appropriate branding opportunities for your exhibitor level?
- Would you consider participating as a vendor/sponsor/exhibitor in future events organized by us?
How to Build & Distribute a Post-Event Survey
The process of building and distributing a post-event survey requires careful planning and execution, and each step is critical in ensuring that the survey effectively captures valuable insights from participants. By following these steps, you can create a structured approach to feedback collection that enhances the overall event experience for all stakeholders involved.
Step 1: Choose the Right Platform
Selecting a suitable survey platform is the first step to successful survey distribution. Popular tools like SurveyMonkey, Google Forms, and Typeform offer user-friendly interfaces and customizable templates that simplify the survey creation process.
When selecting a platform, it’s essential to consider several key factors. First, ensure that the platform is intuitive for both creators and respondents, allowing for a seamless experience. Additionally, look for customization options that will enable you to tailor questions, add branding elements, and create a visually appealing survey. Lastly, opt for a platform that provides robust reporting and analytics tools to help you quickly analyze responses and generate insightful reports.
Step 2: Design the Survey
Designing the survey effectively is an integral part of collecting meaningful feedback. Start by organizing the questions in a logical sequence to ensure that the survey is easy to follow. Begin with general questions and gradually move to more specific topics to guide respondents smoothly through the survey. Visual appeal should also be a consideration; using branding elements such as logos and colors can create a cohesive look that enhances engagement and increases completion rates. Furthermore, clarity is key—ensure that all questions are clear and straightforward. Avoid jargon or overly complex language that might confuse respondents.
Step 3: Distribute the Survey
Once the survey is designed, the next step is to distribute it to your audience. There are several effective distribution methods to consider. Email campaigns are a popular option; send the survey link via email to all attendees, employees, and vendors, personalizing the message to express appreciation for their participation and emphasizing the importance of their feedback. Another option is to promote the survey on your event’s social media channels, which can help you reach a wider audience and encourage more responses.
If applicable, you can also embed the survey on your event website or post it as a blog to drive traffic and increase participation.
Step 4: Follow Up
Following up after the initial distribution is vital for boosting response rates. One effective strategy is to send reminder emails a few days after the initial distribution. This gentle reminder can reiterate the importance of their feedback while including the survey link and any incentives offered to encourage participation.
Additionally, creating a sense of urgency by specifying a deadline for completing the survey can motivate respondents to provide their feedback promptly.
Step 5: Analyze the Results
Once the survey period has ended, it’s time to analyze the data collected. This step involves compiling the responses and organizing them for analysis, which is often streamlined by most survey platforms.
As you analyze the data, look for trends and patterns in the feedback. Identify which aspects received high satisfaction ratings and where participants expressed concerns or suggestions for improvement. It’s essential to strike a balance between quantitative data, such as numerical ratings, and qualitative data, including open-ended comments, to gain a comprehensive understanding of the event’s performance.
Step 6: Share Findings
Finally, sharing key findings with stakeholders helps foster transparency and continuous improvement. One effective method is to create a detailed post-event report summarizing the survey results, including key insights and actionable recommendations. You can also share highlights and outcomes directly with attendees, employees, and vendors through email or social media to keep them informed and engaged.
Use the feedback gathered to inform planning for future events, demonstrating to participants that their opinions matter and contribute to positive change within your organization.
The Team at Castle Can Help You with Post-Event Surveys (& So Much More)
Building a compelling post-event story begins with effective post-event surveys. By gathering and analyzing feedback from attendees, employees, and event partners, you can gain invaluable insights that lead to improved experiences and successful future events. If you implement these best practices and thoughtfully craft your survey, you’ll be well-equipped to tell the story of your event and enhance its impact for years to come.
At Castle, we’re experts at creating post-event surveys, getting valuable insights for our clients, and so much more. Contact us today to learn how our events team can help you throw your next event.
