56 Essential Event Survey Questions for Attendees, Sponsors & Speakers
Dec 07, 2023 Shruti Shah
Constructing a comprehensive event survey involves a strategic blend of various approaches tailored to the event type and attendee demographics. Event survey questions act as valuable gold mines, capturing insights that help organizers refine future events. Each survey format serves a distinct purpose, combining both quantitative and qualitative data.
In this blog, you’ll find a curated list of questions to jumpstart your event survey strategy by getting strong insights about your event.
What Is an Event Survey?
Event surveys consist of a series of questions that allow you to gain insights about the satisfaction level of attendees. You can conduct surveys before the event, during, and afterward according to what you wish to achieve.
Usually, planners use post-event survey questions to get attendee feedback and refine their strategies for future events. But you can also conduct a survey before the event to learn more about your audience's needs and allocate the budget accordingly.
Benefits of Pre-Event Survey
- Pre-event surveys give you insights into the expectations of the audience so you can tailor the content accordingly.
- Pre-event survey questions on social media can also help fuel excitement about your event. They are thus effective tools for event promotion.
- A survey before the event lets you know whether audiences are interested in attending your event format.
- Through pre-event surveys, you can prompt attendees to start using your mobile event app.
- You get nuanced knowledge like the preferred speakers of your audience, the kinds of activities they enjoy, and how they want the registration process to be.
Benefits of Post-Event Survey
- By gaining insights about your audience through post-event surveys, you understand them deeply and work toward building stronger relationships.
- Post-event surveys help you gauge the impact of your efforts. You can find significant information about attendees' engagement levels and the effectiveness of activities.
- You discover many areas of improvement in crucial planning aspects like logistics, venue management, organization of sessions, and registration processes.
- Find scope of improvement in your lead-generation efforts through a survey after the event.
- You can use post-event surveys as social proof to trigger the interest of investors and sponsors in your future events.
- Post-event surveys are easy to create and send. You can make them follow a custom or readymade template in your event management platform and schedule their delivery.
Most Effective Types of Event Survey Questions to Ask
1. Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs)
You can integrate MCQs strategically to collect specific information on attendee preferences, demographics, and opinions. Craft questions that cover a range of topics, ensuring a comprehensive view of the event's strengths and areas for improvement in a structured format.
2. Net Promoter Score (NPS)
Begin the survey with an NPS question to gauge overall attendee satisfaction and loyalty. This strategic metric provides a quick and easily interpretable snapshot that guides event planners in understanding the overarching success of the event.
3. Open-Ended Questions
Include open-ended questions strategically to encourage attendees to express their thoughts freely. These questions capture qualitative insights, uncovering the "why" behind numerical ratings and revealing specific details that quantitative data might not cover. Open-ended responses add depth and context to the survey results, providing a more nuanced understanding of attendee perspectives.
As a bonus, we've included sample answers to streamline the process and ensure you have everything you need to elevate your event experience.
4. Rating Scale Questions
Event survey questions that ask attendees to rate your event give a glimpse of their general feelings. Attendees need to pick a number on a scale of 1 to 10 and rate their experience. Through such event survey questions, you can determine how happy attendees are with your event or their perception of value for money. You get consistent responses and quantitative event data with these types of questions.
1. Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs)
These questions offer respondents a set of predefined options to choose from, providing clarity and simplicity in responses. This format is particularly effective in gathering insights into attendees' preferences, motivations, and satisfaction levels at various stages of the event.
Here are some MCQ options that you can use in your event surveys:
1. How did you hear about the event?
- Social media
- Email
- Word of Mouth
- Other (please specify)
2. What motivated you to attend this event?
- Professional Development
- Networking Opportunities
- Specific Speaker/Presenter
- Entertainment Value
- Other (please specify)
3. How likely are you to recommend this event to a friend or colleague?
- Not Likely
- Neutral
- Likely
- Very Likely
4. Rate the venue and its amenities on a scale from 1-5.
- 1 (Poor)
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5 (Excellent)
5. Did you find the event schedule well-organized and engaging?
- Strongly Disagree
- Disagree
- Neutral
- Agree
- Strongly Agree
6. How satisfied were you with the event speakers/presenters?
- Very Dissatisfied
- Dissatisfied
- Neutral
- Satisfied
- Very Satisfied
7. Did you feel the event meet your expectations?
- Not at All
- Somewhat
- Moderately
- Mostly
- Completely
8. How would you rate the event registration process?
- Very Difficult
- Difficult
- Neutral
- Easy
- Very Easy
9. What types of networking opportunities did you find most valuable?
- Speed Networking Sessions
- Panel Discussions
- Informal Socializing
- Workshops
- Other (please specify)
10. Which event feature had the most significant impact on your overall experience?
- Keynote Speakers
- Interactive Workshops
- Networking Opportunities
- Exhibit Booths
- Other (please specify)
11. How would you rate the event's inclusivity and diversity efforts?
- Excellent
- Good
- Fair
- Poor
- Very Poor
12. What technology or tools used during the event did you find most beneficial?
- Event App
- Virtual Reality/Augmented Reality
- Live Polling
- Networking Apps
- Other (please specify)
13. Which event communication channel was most effective in keeping you informed?
- Email Updates
- Social Media Announcements
- Push Notifications (App)
- Event Website
- Other (please specify)
14. How likely are you to participate in post-event surveys to further improve future events?
- Very Likely
- Likely
- Neutral
- Unlikely
- Very Unlikely
15. What specific aspect of the event influenced your likelihood to recommend it to others?
- Content Quality
- Networking Opportunities
- Organization and Logistics
- Overall Atmosphere
- Other (please specify)
16. Considering your overall experience, what factor would have made you more likely to give a higher recommendation score?
- Additional Networking Time
- More Interactive Sessions
- Enhanced Q&A Opportunities
- Better Catering Services
- Other (please specify)
2. Net Promoter Score (NPS) System
The NPS provides a clear numeric measure that helps organizers pinpoint strengths and areas for improvement. This survey is particularly valuable for post-event evaluations, offering actionable insights to enhance future events. Its simplicity and effectiveness make it suitable for events of all scales, providing organizers with a quick yet powerful tool to understand attendee sentiments and foster positive word-of-mouth promotion.
Here are some ways you can optimize NPS in your surveys to get actionable insights:
17. On a scale of 0-10, how likely are you to recommend this event to a friend or colleague?
- 0-6 (Detractor)
- 7-8 (Passive)
- 9-10 (Promoter)
18. To what extent did the event meet your expectations?
- Not at All
- Somewhat
- Moderately
- Mostly
- Completely
19. Would you attend another event organized by us?
- Definitely Not
- Unlikely
- Neutral
- Likely
- Definitely
20. How likely are you to engage with our organization's future events or content?
- Not Likely
- Neutral
- Likely
- Very Likely
21. On a scale of 1-5, how well did the event meet your specific interests?
- 1 (Not at All)
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5 (Completely)
22. How likely are you to share your event experience on social media or other online platforms?
- Very Likely
- Likely
- Neutral
- Unlikely
- Very Unlikely
23. Would you prefer shorter, more frequent events or longer, less frequent events in the future?
- Shorter, More Frequent
- Longer, Less Frequent
- No Preference
24. In your opinion, how does this event compare to other similar events you've attended in the past?
- Better
- About the Same
- Worse
3. Open-Ended Questions
Open-ended questions in a survey can be particularly relevant in settings where the community is tight, and relationships are often more personal. Open-ended questions provide an opportunity for participants to express their thoughts, opinions, and experiences in their own words. This qualitative approach allows for a deeper understanding of the nuances and individual perspectives within the close-knit community.
However, since answering open-ended questions consumes more time, you should keep them to a minimum. Create only a select few questions necessary to assess the event.
25. What was the most memorable aspect of the event according to you?
26. What improvements or changes would you suggest for future events?
27. Describe your favorite session or activity during the event.
28. How can we enhance the overall attendee experience for future events?
29. Share any additional comments or thoughts about the event not covered in the survey.
30. Describe a moment during the event when you felt particularly engaged or inspired.
31. Share any innovative ideas or concepts introduced during the event that you found intriguing.
32. What challenges did you encounter during the event, and how can we address them in the future?
33. Offer suggestions for unique themes or formats that you believe would make future events more appealing.
34. Reflect on any unexpected positive experiences you had during the event that exceeded your expectations.
4. Rating Type Event Survey Questions
Rating-type questions are also easy to understand and cause less fatigue in attendees' minds. Set a least-to-most 5-point rating scale for the attendees to answer the following questions. You can also create a 7 or 10-point rating scale.
35. Please rate your satisfaction with our virtual event platform.
36. How likely are you to attend our event again?
37. How likely are you to recommend the event to your colleague?
38. Please rate your experience so far with the event on a scale of 1 to 10.
39. How would you rate the ease of registering for this event?
40. Please rate our event sessions based on how relevant they were to you.
Event Survey Questions for Sponsors and Speakers
Post-event survey questions for sponsors will help you find ways to boost your relationships with your partners. Survey questions for speakers will let you assess if they found everything necessary to give an impactful talk.
41. Were the audience relevant to your industry?
42. What are your thoughts about the event?
43. Did the event support your objectives?
44. Will you be interested in partnering with us next year?
45. Did you receive the necessary equipment and support to present the content?
46. Can we reach out to you again to speak at our next event?
47. Can you recommend a colleague or an industry professional who will be interested in speaking at our event?
Event Survey Questions for Virtual and Hybrid Event Attendees
Virtual events are no longer a substitute for in-person events. They have become crucial drivers of value. The following virtual event survey questions will help you improve your future experience.
48. Have you attended any of our events before?
49. Did you find the event inclusive and accessible?
50. Please list three features of the virtual event platform that you found useful.
51. Please list two things you liked and disliked about the event.
52. Did you find the virtual networking opportunities valuable?
53. Were there any sound or video problems you encountered during the event?
54. Are you finding the sessions interesting? (To be asked during the event)
55. Was the length, time, and day of the event fine for you?
56. How satisfied were you with the event app?
Tips To Encourage Event Survey Engagement
Persuading participants to take event surveys is often challenging. But with a few simple tips, you can maximize their participation.
- Mix different types of questions in your survey before, during, and after the event. Do not ask the same kind of questions throughout the survey. The more varied your questions are, the more interested participants feel in answering them.
- Post-event surveys get the most responses when asked immediately after the event. This is because attendees' memories of the event are fresh.
- Ask the Net Promoter Score (NPS) question first to get an impression of the overall experience.
- During the event, use the event app to ask questions in formats like polls, Q&As, and quizzes.
- Use a rating scale or multiple-choice questions more as they are less taxing on the mind.
- Refer to a few specific details about the event before starting the survey. This will make the experience come alive in the reader's mind.
- Give incentives to respond to the survey. It can be a discount, a giveaway, or free access to a future event.
DO REMEMBER - A good response rate to a small event survey is usually 20 to 30%. For longer events, a lower response rate of about 10 to 15% is considered decent.
Summing up
The event survey questions above will give you valuable feedback and insights on creating events that leave a lasting impact on attendees, sponsors, and speakers. Your commitment to refining the event experience is the key to a future filled with even more engaging, memorable, and seamlessly orchestrated gatherings. Happy surveying!
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