Getting fantastic feedback in your event surveys
Obtaining valuable feedback from your participants via post-event survey questions is crucial to planning for future events! You need to know what worked so you can replicate it—and what didn’t go so well so you don’t repeat it.
How do you get data from your participants that you can actually use? Create a post-event survey with questions that give you important event feedback you can take action on!
Keep in mind that, according to a 2022 study, the average online survey response rate is 44.1%. So you may not hear from all of your attendees, but the feedback you do receive can be crucial in improving your event satisfaction year over year.
The key is making sure you ask the right questions and don’t waste your attendees’ valuable time!
Dive into some pro tips or jump straight to the questions and template:
- Post-event survey pro tips
- Post-event survey email
- Survey questions for every kind of event
- Event survey questions template
Post-event survey pro tips
As you’re building your survey, here are some things to keep in mind:
- Only ask about things you know you can change that will truly improve your event. If you’re not going to act on the feedback, there’s no reason to spend time asking the questions.
- Make sure you state the purpose of the survey before asking questions. Let attendees know you want their HONEST feedback so that you can act on it to improve future events and make their experiences better!
- Let participants know that survey results are confidential! You can provide an optional slot for name and contact if the participant wishes to receive follow-up communication. Definitely follow up with anyone who left less-than-favorable feedback!
- Provide clear instructions. For example, if you’re providing a like/rating scale, be sure to explain if 1 or 10 is the most favorable. You’d be surprised how many people mix these up.
- Consider asking a post-event survey question for some demographic information. This can help you determine which age groups, genders, etc. your event appealed to. You might be surprised to find that your event wasn’t as inclusive as you thought!
- Don’t ask long, complex questions. Keep it simple.
- Don’t ask too many questions. We have short attention spans.
- Try taking the survey yourself to see how long it takes. If it’s more than a few minutes, make some changes!
- Let participants know that you’ll share any planned changes, and let them know when to expect that follow-up. Make sure you follow through and email any changes that were a result of feedback for next year’s event. Seeing their suggestions in action will make them feel valued and increase their loyalty!
Post-event survey email
Unless you plan to have attendees complete a paper survey on-site (which is definitely an option!), you’ll probably want to send the survey via email after the event. Here are some tips for creating your survey email:
- Send your survey promptly—the same day as the event is ideal. People start forgetting what happened if you wait too long, so strike while the iron is hot. You can use a service such as Bloomerang Email Builder or MailChimp to schedule the delivery of your survey via email. Set it up beforehand and you won’t have to worry about remembering to send it while cleaning up and getting everything back in order after your event!
- Start with a thank-you message. You’re asking your attendees for a favor, so make sure to thank them for their time and for attending your event and supporting your organization.
- Specify how long the survey will take. No one likes to begin an online form and then discover it’s going to take half an hour! As mentioned above, take the survey yourself so you can determine how long it will take, and then convey that time in your email.
Survey questions for every kind of event
Asking questions that require participants to choose from options or write in an answer will give you great data! Need some ideas? Try these:
(Just remember that you don’t have to ask all of these questions. Pick the ones that best fit your event/organization and that you will act on.)
General event survey questions
- Is this the first time you’ve attended our event?
- What part of the event did you like best?
- What did you like least?
- What could have made your experience better?
- Was the event too short, too long, or the right amount of time?
- How would you rate the entertainment at the event?*
- How would you rate the value of the ticket price?*
- How likely are you to recommend this event to someone?*
- Where did you hear about the event? (provide options like Facebook, email, word of mouth)
- How would you rate the online registration process?*
- Are you likely to come to our next event?
- Prior to the event, did you feel like you had all the information you needed?
- What was your biggest takeaway from the event?
- Did the event meet your expectations?
In-person event survey questions
- How would you rate the location?* Any suggestions for a better one?
- How would you rate the refreshments offered at the event?*
- How would you rate the on-site registration process?*
- How would you rate the general event signage?*
- Was the check-in table clearly marked and easy to find?
- Were other amenities clearly marked and easy to find? (food and drink tables, restrooms, etc.)
- How would you rate the event parking?* Any suggestions to improve it?
- Is there anything missing from the event you wish we had included?
Virtual event survey questions
- How would you rate the event website?*
- Were you able to find the link to the event easily?
- Did you feel engaged during the event?
- How could we improve our virtual engagement?
- How would you rate the quality of the livestream?*
- What device did you stream the event from?
- Would you prefer more accessibility options?
*You can combine the questions marked with an asterisk under one heading and provide a rating matrix followed by a comment box like the one below:
Once you’ve decided which questions you want to ask, you’ll need to decide how to share your survey. We’ve included a template below if you’d like participants to fill out your survey in person at the event. But if you plan to send a link to a digital survey, you’ll need to choose a platform to host it. You’ll want to consider cost, ease of use, customization options, and additional features, such as conditional logic, multilingual support, and integrations with other software.
Don’t know which service to use to set up your survey? Check out this comprehensive list!
Event survey questions template
If you decide to have participants fill out a paper survey on-site before they leave, you can customize the attached template to meet your organization’s needs. Click the image below to download a PDF template you can edit.
Remember, only ask questions that you can and will act on! If you ask a bunch of questions that don’t really matter and have no intention of changing anything, it’s a huge waste of resources. If you ask about what matters and use the information gained to make your future events better, your participants will keep coming back year after year (and hopefully bring friends!).
