To understand the attendee experience at your events, all you have to do is ask. If done right, the answers will help you build an even better experience the next time around because they’ll provide you with insight into the perceptions of participants and speakers.
But it’s easy to get mired in survey design: What kinds of questions do you want to ask? How do you write them in a way that provides accurate, constructive information? The phrasing of survey questions is important to get valid information, so even multiple-choice questions must be created in a way that allows all possible answers.
Below are 29 sample questions you could ask your attendees, speakers, or vendors. Remember, these are just sample questions. Use them as a starting point when determining which questions are most relevant for your audience.
Sample Questions for Attendees
• How would you rate your overall event experience? (Ranked)
• Would you recommend this event (or similar events) to friends, colleagues, or customers? (Yes or no)
• How likely are you to recommend this event (or similar events) to friends, colleagues, or customers? (Ranked)
• What motivated you to attend this event? (Open ended)
• What were you hoping to learn or gain from this event? (Open ended)
• How did you hear about this event? (Multiple choice)
• Which sessions were most valuable to you? (Multiple choice)
• Which speakers were your favorite/most influential/most engaging? (Multiple choice)
• How satisfied were you with the following?
- Venue (Ranked)
- Food (Ranked)
- Session variety (Ranked)
- Entertainment (Ranked)
- Activities (Ranked)
- Communication (Ranked)
• Were there any sessions that did not meet your expectations? (Yes or no, but include an option to provide more detail)
• How would you rate networking opportunities to speak with other guests? (Ranked)
• How useful was the event app? (Ranked)
• How well-organized/scheduled was the event? (Ranked)
• What could we include or improve to make the event better? (Open ended)
• Is there anything you would have liked to add to the event or your experience? (Open ended)
Sample Questions for Speakers/Presenters/Vendors
• How would you rate your overall event experience? (Ranked)
• Would you recommend this event (or similar events) to friends, colleagues, or customers? (Yes or no)
• How likely are you to recommend this event (or similar events) to friends, colleagues, or customers? (Ranked)
• How useful was the event app? (Ranked)
• How did you hear about this event? (Open ended)
• How would you rate communication and information provided? (Ranked)
• How well-organized/scheduled was the event? (Ranked)
• How would you rate support from event/venue staff? (Ranked)
• Was there enough time to interact with guests, other speakers, and attendees in an informal setting? (Yes or no, but include an option to provide more detail)
• What was the best part of the event [in your role]? (Open ended)
• What could we have done to improve the experience? (Open ended)
• Did you receive any direct feedback from attendees? (Yes or no; if no, tailor the survey to skip the sub-question below)
• If so, was the feedback positive or negative? (Multiple choice, but include an option to provide more detail)
• How satisfied were you with the following?
- Venue (Ranked)
- Food (Ranked)
- Session length (Ranked)
- Entertainment (Ranked)
- Activities (Ranked)
• Was the audience at this event relevant to your business? (Yes or no)
• Were you successful in meeting your goals for the event? (Yes or no)
These questions can be tailored to the target audience to assess their experience based on their role. When parsing through responses, look for trends and patterns – anything that can help you make data-driven decisions for your next event.
Justin Myers is vice president, client development and marketing at Kansas City-based events agency Bishop-McCann. The article has been excerpted with permission from “Post-Event Survey Questions and Tips for Reliable Responses,” which also includes advice on getting more responses and tips for writing questions. Find it on the Bishop-McCann blog.
