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Post-Event Surveys and How to Use Them

As a conference manager, it’s your job to plan abstracts conferences. It’s also your job to solicit feedback after the conference is over because without it, you’ll have limited guidance for future conferences and what you should change, enhance, or keep the same.

You can use surveys before your conference to gauge needs and expectations, during the event to compile live feedback as the conference unfolds, and after the event for a general assessment of all that has happened. As you can imagine, the post-event survey should hold the greatest weight on what you’re going to do for conferences in the future.

Due to its importance, you should take your time in crafting a post-event survey that serves your specific needs. This means instead of focusing on trivial matters like the food, you should focus questions for a few target audiences, including:

• Exhibitors
• Sponsors; and
• Attendees

Exhibitor-Specific Questions

Exhibitors spend hours arranging their displays and even more time planning a strategy to engage your attendees. Gathering feedback from these entities is a great way for you to make changes for events and for exhibitors to evaluate their own performance.

Some sample questions you may want to ask include:

• Were the attendees an appropriate target audience?
• Did the event structure facilitate an appropriate amount of time for attendees to interact with exhibitors?; and
• Why did exhibitors choose this event and were their goals for the event met?

Speaker-Specific Questions (for Attendees)

Speakers are the primary reason attendees come to your event. As such, they are the most important topic you can poll your audience on.

Some sample questions you may want to ask include:

• Did the speaker stick to the promised topic?
• Did the speaker answer appropriate questions for the topic?; and
• Is the information delivered relevant to the attendee’s business?

Sponsor-Specific Questions

Sponsors shoulder much of the cost of the event and, as such, are typically the most critical resource you can draw on for feedback regarding event value.

Some sample questions you may want to ask include:

• Were the attendees an appropriate audience for their product or service?
• Did the event structure facilitate ample time for interactions with attendees?; and
• Did the event offer proper recognition of the sponsorship (whether through signage, on-stage recognition, or other initiatives)?

General Attendee Questions

Attendees are by and far the most important group to survey. Their overall impression of your event is essential to encourage future participation while making changes where necessary.

Some sample questions you may want to ask include:

• Why did the attendee choose to come to the event and were their primary goals achieved?
• What could the event organizers have done differently to improve the event experience as a whole?; and
• Would the attendee participate in the event again and/or recommend it to others?

Take Time to Craft the Perfect Post-Event Survey

While you can use surveys at any stage of your event, they are most important for questioning exhibitors, speakers, sponsors, and attendees once the conference is over.

By taking the time to consider which questions are most beneficial, you will create a short, concise survey that any individual is more likely to answer as well.

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