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November 30, 2022

Choosing the Top Event Survey Questions and Why They’re Essential


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If you have ever organized an event or thought about organizing one, you already know it can be time-consuming, costly, and require a lot of effort. On the other hand, events can be quite rewarding! It is always awesome when your plans go on without a hitch but quite awful when issues arise, often out of your control. Learning from your experience, good or bad, and getting feedback from others is a great way to help you create better events in the future. 

Creating a simple event survey is key to your future events, and sometimes even how you do business. Surveys are not new and most of us are usually willing to help with our 2-cents worth (whether asked to or not!) We almost feel obligated nowadays to fill out a survey if it isn’t too long and if it is for a brand or business we like. So get creative, find out what your audience and attendees want and need. Then give them what they are asking for! Sound simple enough? That depends… read on to know the ins and outs of using event surveys. 

What Are Event Surveys?

Not sure what event surveys are all about? When you create survey questions for events and use them at meetings for audience members, you get valuable insight into whether an event is a success. In addition, an event survey lets you learn more about the people who attend your events and the things that matter most to them. 

The information provided in these surveys lets you know whether changes need to be made to future events to ensure attendees are satisfied with the experience. In addition, employees, clients, and customers can provide you with important information about creating events that people want to attend. Unfortunately, some people can be brutally honest, so make sure to have thick skin when reading the responses. After all, you did ask for their opinion!

How and When To Use Event Surveys 

Should I use a survey before the event? During the event, while people are having fun? Or, should I just wait until after the event in case the feedback isn’t good? The truth is, you can use conference survey questions anytime. Use a survey before the event, while the event is taking place, or after the event is over and done with. Some organizations may want to incorporate event surveys at all three points, and others may only implement them once. It is good to catch people at different times. 

For instance, you might send out the survey before an event if you want to get information about the attendees – their arrival time, how long they will be present, and so on. This might give you a better idea of your audience and how involved they are. Pre-event surveys can also be used to gauge audience interest or get insights into which speakers and topics might be the most popular. Surveys, while the event is live, can help you understand your audience’s behavior and opinions in real-time. This will help you gauge how well your event is going and if you need to change anything on the fly! On the other hand, a questionnaire after, or at the end of the event is the perfect solution for getting feedback on what guests especially liked while attending. This is where the brutally honest surveys come rolling in, good or bad. Don’t be scared, you might be pleasantly surprised!

When it comes to the specifics of how you want to incorporate event surveys, you have several options. For instance, you can distribute the survey in one or more of the following forms:

Web Survey – This survey works well as a contact form, lead capture tool, and more. It can be created as a slick pop-up that attendees see when visiting a specific web page. Add it to the event landing page or the homepage for visitors to notice and respond to.

Mobile Survey – For those who want feedback at the venue, mobile surveys can be placed on tablets or phones located inside. Another option is sharing a URL during a presentation so guests can immediately answer survey questions in real-time.

Embedded Survey – An embedded survey has better response rates because it offers a more refined user experience. It can be placed on a webpage or in an email and doesn’t require the attendee to go elsewhere. Responses are quick and easy to send.

Social Media Survey – Sharing a survey through social media will invite more respondents than email typically does. Anyone who sees the post may respond, though, whether you wish for them to or not. However, this can be a good way to gauge interest before the event.

Shared Survey URL – The simplest way to share event survey questions is through a URL. Send by email, through text message, or any other method that works for you. Sharing a direct link is quick and easy so that you can focus on other aspects of the event.

Types of Event Surveys

We mentioned that you could distribute your survey questions at various points in the event process. These surveys offer a way to ensure attendees enjoy an event and can help you meet other marketing goals. Below, we’ll delve into each kind of survey and what it offers for your next event. 

Pre-Event Questionnaires

As the event organizer, you might choose to send out an event survey before an event to ensure you have all the logistics covered. This survey can also be used to create the most relevant content for the event. The better you plan things out ahead of time, the better the event will go over.

How you create the survey will depend on your goals and how much independence you wish to give your attendees. There are several things to consider before making your pre-event survey.

– How flexible you are to topics, speakers, and content and whether attendees can offer input on these things.

– What kind of details you need from the attendees for the event, such as when they can arrive and what accommodations they might require.

– Details that would be useful but not mandatory to know, such as job titles and employers. Pre-event surveys tend to get more responses than post-event surveys, so add important questions to them.

– The amount of time you have available to create the survey assuming you will offer attendees several weeks to respond.

Think about which is more important to you? If getting the largest number of responses is important, you might send this survey out several months before the event. However, if the questions are largely about logistics, a couple of weeks is often enough. It’s also possible to send out two surveys at those intervals for maximum exposure.

Mid-Event Surveys

Using surveys during the event is a great way to learn more about whether people enjoy an event while they are experiencing it. Although you can usually tell when people are enjoying your event, a survey could be a great way to get poker-faced guests a chance to participate. Whether you want to learn more about the event, feedback on a product or service, or perspective on the industry, the best time to do so is during an event where you’ve brought together a targeted audience.

Mid-event surveys can help with both market research and lead generation. Make it fun and engaging for the best participation! When it comes to market research, you can get impressions about a product, learn about the challenges of an audience, and gain information about customer profiles or trends about your industry. This type of survey can also be used to help drive the event flow based on real-time information, similar to a simulation.

Post-Event Feedback Forms

The post-event survey is your chance to share event evaluation questions that can be used to create even more successful events in the future. This is the ideal moment when you can prove ROI, get metrics on how well things went, and look at insights for the future. This can be used to show sponsors the impact of the event and how it creates value for their brand. After going over the metrics, follow-up with attendees, find out the overall reaction about the event and move forward toward the next presentation or conference you’re hosting. 

In most cases, the survey questions to ask after an event will be a blend between structured questions and free space for attendees to share their thoughts. This survey will typically be the last touchpoint to engage with attendees, so it’s also a good time to thank people for coming or direct them to take other actions. 

No matter when you decide to use a survey, keep in mind that polls and questionnaires are your guides to better events. They give you free useful data that you can use to plan your next events. The people have spoken!

Yes or No Type Event Surveys

Yes or no questions are short and sweet! If you want quick simple answers, use yes or no event survey questions. It can be a good idea to give attendees space to expand on an answer if they want to do so. Multiple choice or rating questions let attendees answer based on a scale or choose an answer from a list. You can also incorporate open-ended questions into your survey if you want to get more information about attendees’ opinions on specific parts of the event.

The Benefits and Advantages of Event Surveys

There are many ways that event surveys can help your company. For example, it can help you understand your performance more realistically, aid in creating new marketing strategies, generate more engagement with your brand, and more. This is where the rubber meets the road!

Assessment of Performance – Even if you think an event went perfectly, attendees may not always agree. Surveys can ensure you understand what went well and what didn’t quite land. You can learn what people think about your brand and see if it matches your expectations and measure the quality of the theme or content you provided.

Marketing Strategy Development – Attendees can share information about the demand for the things you offer. Feedback and comments can give you insight into whether you are keeping up with the latest trends. That information can be used to create marketing techniques that ensure success.

Create Room for Improvement – Events are a key component to business success, which means you likely want to host more. However, getting the best results requires an understanding of where you can improve. Surveys let you look at the good and bad aspects of an event to make changes moving forward.

Event Survey Questions For Attendees

Now that you know everything you need about meeting survey questions, we want to share a sample batch that you can use for your own purposes. We’ll offer post-event survey questions, questions you can use before the event, and a few you can use during the event to get the insight you need. You can tailor these to your needs and come up with new questions that are more specific to your niche.

Pre-Event Survey Questions

– What made you aware of the upcoming event?

– Why did you choose to attend this event?

– What classes/features/speakers are you most interested in?

– Do you have special needs or requirements we should know about?

– Is any of the event information confusing or difficult to find?

Mid-Event Survey Questions

– Were you satisfied with the check-in process?

– What are you enjoying the most about the event so far?

– Is there anything you have disliked about the event?

– How satisfied are you with the sessions/venue/speakers so far?

– How would you rate the overall event at this time?

Post-Event Survey Questions

– How satisfied were you after attending the event?

– Are you planning to attend the conference again in the future?

– What improvements can we make for next year?

– What was your favorite part of the event?

– How well were your objectives met as a sponsor of the event?

Conclusion

Now that you have all the information you need about event survey questions and several sample questions to customize for your needs, you’re ready to incorporate surveys into your upcoming virtual events. 

Everytale makes it easy to send out event surveys and to conduct polls during live events. Talk to our team for more information on how we can help create, broadcast, promote and monetize your events.