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Events

30 Post-Event Survey Questions (+ Why They Matter)

Author: Tatiana Morand
September 13, 2023
Contents
🕑 8 min read

When planning an event, organizers spend countless hours perfecting the details of what attendees will experience when the time comes. Choosing a location, finding a caterer, and marking everything off their planning checklist takes a considerable amount of time. Even planning virtual events can be time-intensive in order to make sure attendees get the most out of their experience. 

So what else can event organizers do to ensure success?

Some organizers might send out event survey questions beforehand to get an idea of attendance numbers, preferences or dietary restrictions. However, feedback doesn’t end the moment the event is over, and learning more from guests after an event is essential for improvement.

What goes into an event survey? How do non-profits continue to leverage successful events again and again? 

Getting feedback from the attendees, event sponsors, volunteers, and fellow staff allows organizers to get a holistic view of the experience. While pre-event survey questions might be more common, also sending out post-event survey questions can help to gather more information about how the experience actually went.

You might wonder: what questions are good to ask on a post-event survey? What questions would help me learn what went well and how to improve on the next event?

This post will tackle the subject of event survey questions.

  • Why is this feedback so important?
  • What are some sample event survey questions?
  • How do you structure the survey so that people actually respond?

Plus, see 30 post-event survey questions to help you shape your own event survey.

Ultimate Event Planning Checklist

What is an Event Survey?

Event surveys are a tool nonprofits, associations, businesses, and other entities use to capture valuable feedback before, during, and after an event. Events can include any gathering from a small volunteer opportunity or fundraiser to a company-wide training or conference, either in-person or virtual.

Pre-event surveys are helpful if your organization is interested in learning about attendees and their expectations for the event.

Mid-event surveys often tackle an organization’s in-the-moment need to gauge the success of an event, as well as let attendees know their feedback is valued.

Finally, post-event surveys provide insight into the pros and cons of the event, allowing you to fine-tune your processes for the next time.

Why are Event Surveys Important?

While there are definite benefits to surveying before, during, and after an event, many organizations choose to send just one event survey to avoid overwhelming event stakeholders. However, pre-event surveys and post-event surveys serve different purposes, and utilizing both can arm your organization with the information it needs 

Choosing to implement pre-event surveys can help you:

  • Build excitement for your event to increase engagement and attendance 
  • Learn about your audience and discover insights on guest demographics
  • Tailor your event to give members the experience they want
  • Eliminate guesswork so you know the expectations before the event begins

With the right questions, a pre-event survey can help event planners know the expectations of the event, how to cater to the needs of guests, get members excited for the event, and be the overall guide when building event details. 

Choosing to implement post-event surveys can help you:

  • Build trust between members and your organization
  • Get feedback from your attendees, event donors, volunteers, staff and more
  • Improve future events to ensure they’re a success every time

With the right questions, a post-event survey can gauge the overall success of an event, provide invaluable data about everything from the speakers to the foods and location, and leave an organization with action items for the next event.

Chances are, some of the feedback from after event survey questions will be positive, and some of it will leave you feeling a bit defeated. Just remember; all feedback is valuable because it helps you adapt and grow.

How To Write, Structure, & Send Your Post-Event Surveys

Now that you’re ready to create a post-event survey, you’ll want to craft one that will achieve the results you’re looking for. 

According to Survey Monkey, respondents are more likely to finish shorter surveys.

So, it’s best to keep your survey between one and ten questions if possible. 

Another way to get your questions answered is to place shorter questions at the top of the survey and those that take more time and thought at the bottom. That way, respondents will feel as though it won’t take them very much time and will be happy to continue answering.

When it comes to what type of questions to ask after an event, ideally, you want to use multiple types. Some sample event survey questions include:

    • Yes or No: When you need a simple yes or no answer, a dichotomous question is for you. It’s great to include an option for respondents to expand on their answer, particularly if they answered “no.”
    • Rating: Asking respondents to rate on a scale is an easy way to gauge positive or negative sentiments
    • Multiple Choice: If you’re looking to compare results across several events or want respondents to choose from a list of pre-selected options, multiple choice questions are ideal.
    • Open-ended questions: These questions give your respondents the freedom to express their opinion and provides context for some of the respondent’s previous answers.
    • Comment box: Including an open-ended question at the end of your survey for any comments is a simple way to gain additional feedback from respondents

While it’s important to include several types of questions on your event survey, the most essential tip is to be clear when crafting your questions. If each respondent interprets the same question differently, you may end up with results that will make it harder to draw concrete solutions and next steps. 

Once your survey is created, the next step is sending it out to respondents.

Most organizations distribute surveys online — this is a common route, as digital surveys are easy to distribute and response rates can be higher.

However, some choose to send a physical copy along with a return envelope through direct mail. 

If you do decide to go the more popular online route, there are multiple free or reasonably priced software programs, including Survey Monkey, Google Forms, and Typeform. These can be a cost-effective way to get feedback, especially if you’ve already invested in event management software.

Some of these online survey creators have event-specific templates, which you can fine-tune to meet your event and organization’s specific data needs. Once you’ve completed the survey, distribute it online through:

  1. Social media
  2. Email
  3. Embedding on your website

How To Encourage Event Survey Engagement

Truth be told, distributing the survey isn’t the hard part; it’s encouraging folks to respond that often stumps staff.

To encourage responses, try the following:

  • Send the post-event survey out no later than 48 hours after the event.
  • Ensure you’re sending out each event survey to the right audience. You don’t want attendees to get survey questions meant for presenters and vice versa.
  • Keep the survey succinct and relevant to the event (this means no extra questions for data-capturing purposes!).
  • Increase buy-in with an incentive, such as discounted ticket prices to the next event or a raffle entry.
  • Re-send the survey link to those who haven’t responded after a week, along with a personal request from a member of your staff or event committee member.

event registration callout

30 Post-Event Survey Questions

Now that you have the background, you’re ready to find the best questions for your unique survey. The 30 post-event questions listed below are separated by intended recipient: attendees, sponsors/presenters/volunteers, and fellow staff.

Take a moment to read these questions, choose the ones that best relate to your audience, and fine-tune them to relate to your event.

19 Event Survey Questions for Attendees

Yes or No

  1. Would you recommend this event to others?
  2. Did the event meet your expectations?
  3. Was the event structured well?
  4. Do you plan to attend another event in the future?
  5. Did the event improve your “purpose of the event”  (provide skills/broaden your knowledge/introduce you to others)?
  6. Would you like to learn more about volunteering or becoming a member of the event steering committee?

Multiple Choice

  1. How would you rate the event?

  2. How would you rate the date and time of the event?

  3. How would you rate the event’s location?

  4. How would you rate the food?

  5. How would you rate the entertainment/programming/speeches?

  6. How would you rate the cost?

  7. Was the event length just right, too long, or too short?

Open-Ended

  1. Why did you decide to attend this event?

  2. What did you like about the event?

  3. Where can we improve for next time? ( What would have made the event better?)

  4. What was your biggest takeaway?

  5. Are there any topics you’d like us to cover in future events?

  6. Please share any additional suggestions for future events.

6 Event Survey Questions for Sponsors, Presenters, and Volunteers

Yes or No

  1. Did you receive all the information you needed before the event?

  2. Would you be interested in partnering with our organization again for a future event?

  3. Did you have all the equipment and support you needed to effectively present/sponsor?

  4. Volunteers, did you feel prepared to assist with the event?

Open-Ended

  1. What can we do differently to improve the event experience in the future?

  2. Please share your thoughts on the event overall.

5 Event Survey Questions for Staff

Yes or No

  1. Did the event meet our organization’s objectives?

  2. Would you consider the event “successful?” Why or why not?

Open-Ended

  1. What was the highlight of the event?

  2. Do you have any suggestions for future events, including date/time, venue, speakers, sponsors?

  3. What can we do to improve for the next event?

As you dive into the process of creating a post-event survey, don’t hesitate to use the questions listed above as a starting point. Here are some additional questions to help spark some creativity.

I used many of them in the post-event survey I created for our nonprofit’s young donors. I was pleasantly surprised by the response rate, and I’m going into our next event armed with the information I need to make it even more effective for our attendees!

Remember, the more information you can capture regarding the event, the chances of successful future events rises. Plus, your attendees, event volunteers, presenters, and others will feel heard and appreciated, paving the way for deeper relationships down the road.

We’d love to hear about any go-to survey questions you use to tease out information from event attendees. Share them in the comments below!

Final Thoughts

In summary, planning any sort of event requires a lot of time and effort. Whether it be virtual or in-person, creating a pre-event survey for attendees to answer honestly will allow your non-profit to gather insights before the event to help tailor it perfectly to your guests’ expectations.

A post-event survey will provide you insights on how to do better. Getting feedback from guests will help to strengthen the relationships and partners you work with, and ultimately lead to improvement for your organization. 

The best part? In our digital age, gathering this feedback is quick and easy with the right tools. Following our list of event feedback survey questions and signing up for an online survey creator will have you hosting your most successful event in no time.

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