28 event survey questions to capture attendee feedback

Collecting feedback at every phase of an event is crucial for organizers to understand needs, enhance future events, and guarantee satisfaction. By identifying what works and what needs improvement, you can fine-tune your strategy to deliver exceptional experiences.

Our guide will help you maximize the impact of your events by utilizing pre-event, mid-event, and post-event survey questions. We’ll also introduce the most effective question types and demonstrate how to analyze and act on feedback, ensuring your events are an outstanding success.

Pre-event surveys help you understand your audience's expectations and preferences. They allow you to gather key data on demographics, session preferences, and logistical needs, ensuring a more engaging and satisfying experience.

Asking the right pre-event survey questions enables you to learn what attendees want from the event, like networking events, educational sessions, or entertainment. This attendee feedback is invaluable for customizing content, choosing relevant speakers, and planning activities that resonate with your audience. 

Effective pre-event surveys also help identify logistical needs, such as dietary restrictions and accessibility requirements. This allows you to plan accordingly and ensure attendee comfort.

By aligning your plans with their specific expectations and requirements, you can enhance the overall event experience.

Mid-event surveys provide real-time feedback for immediate improvements. This data helps you enhance the attendee experience during the event.

For example, you can't change the speaker lineup or venue, but you can adjust the temperature, sound quality, and seating arrangements. This proactive approach keeps attendees comfortable and engaged.

Mid-event surveys make it possible to fine-tune the event as it happens, leading to higher satisfaction and a more successful event.

Post-event surveys help you assess the success of your event and measure attendee satisfaction. This feedback is crucial for identifying areas you must change to improve future events. For example, you can learn if the content met expectations, the venue was suitable, or the event staff was helpful.

Feedback from post-event surveys also helps build trust with your attendees. When you act on their suggestions, you show that you value their experience. Implementing changes based on feedback increases the likelihood of repeat attendance and positive word-of-mouth recommendations.

1. Which of the events or speakers are you most excited about?

2. How do you feel about the cost of the event?

3. How do you feel about the location of the event?

4. Are you staying at one of the suggested hotels?

5. How did you hear about the event?

6. What are you hoping to get out of the event?

7. What are you looking forward to the most?

8. What can we do to make the registration process easier?

9. Is there information about the event you couldn't find or access easily?

10. How was the check-in process?

11. How would you rate this year's keynote speaker?

12. Which speaker or event have you found the most informative so far?

13. Is the conference layout easy to navigate and well-marked?

14. Are the speakers relevant to your needs?

15. If you could change one thing about the conference so far, what would it be?

16. How would you describe the atmosphere or mood of the conference?

17. How would you rate the helpfulness of on-site event organizers?

18. How would you rate the event on a scale of 1-10?

19. Which event or speaker were you most pleased with?

20. Did you have ample time to network?

21. What can we do to make next year's conference even better?

22. What kind of speakers would you like to see next year?

23. Did the conference have a cohesive message?

24. Did you learn actionable information that will help you in your work life?

25. What features should we add to the event?

26. Given your experience, would you encourage others to attend next year?

27. On a scale of 1-10, how likely are you to return next year?

28. Net Promoter Score (NPS) survey: How likely will you recommend this event to a friend or colleague?

Maximizing survey response rates ensures you get high-quality feedback to improve future events. Here are some strategies to boost response rates at various stages of the event journey.

These strategies will help you maximize your event survey response rates and gather valuable feedback to enhance future events.

Analyzing survey responses helps you turn raw data into actionable insights to improve event experiences. Use statistical analysis, charts, and graphs to make sense of the data. For example, after an event, use cross-tabulation to compare different attendee groups' feedback to reveal specific areas for improvement.

Consider this real-world scenario: After a large industry conference, 75% of attendees expressed satisfaction with the event overall, but only 50% were satisfied with the breakout sessions. Through follow-up questions, the organizers discovered that the session topics were too broad. They used this insight to tailor future sessions to more specific interests, leading to higher satisfaction in subsequent events.

Once you've analyzed the data, act on the insights. If attendees report issues with event logistics, such as poor sound quality, prioritize fixing these for future events. Share the improvements with attendees to show you value their feedback. Acting on feedback builds trust and encourages higher engagement and satisfaction at your next event.

Effective event surveys at every stage, including pre-event, mid-event, and post-event, are crucial for gathering valuable feedback and improving future events. With a wide range of event survey templates, SurveyMonkey makes creating and analyzing surveys easy, providing you with the data to enhance every aspect of your event. Sign up for free to start building event surveys with SurveyMonkey today.

NPS®, Net Promoter®, and Net Promoter® Score are registered trademarks of Satmetrix Systems, Inc., Bain & Company, and Fred Reichheld.