Pre and post-event survey questions are crucial to improve experiences and cater to attendee preferences. While it may be difficult to receive criticism, requesting feedback is the most effective method for enhancing your event offerings.
However, crafting event survey questions can be time-consuming, especially when you have a lot on your plate. To alleviate this workload, we studied 500 event surveys and consulted multiple event planners to determine the 60 most valuable questions you should ask your attendees.
After going over the 60 examples, we also compiled most relevant questions into 10 templates for different types of events for you to download.
Finally, we will share some methods on how to increase your survey response rate by 200%, so keep on reading!
Types of Event Survey Questions
To capture the voices of your attendees and translate them into actionable insights, you need to ask the following questions:
- Closed-ended questions: These questions have a limited number of answer options, making it easier to code the results.
- Open-ended questions: These questions require respondents to elaborate, explain, and provide their thoughts and opinions, which are valuable for gathering rich, insightful data.
- Ranking-scale questions: These questions require respondents to choose a rating option that best represents their experience of the subject.
60 Event Survey Questions and Examples
So what kind of questions should you include in your event surveys? It all depends on when you’re sending them out, what you want to achieve, and who you want to ask. We divided them into three categories: Post-event Survey Questions, Session-based survey questions,
A. Post-event Survey Questions (1 – 35)
Ask these questions to craft more impactful events in the future.
General
1. What is your level of satisfaction with this event?
This is probably the first and most important question to gauge the general satisfaction with your event before proceeding to the next questions.
2. Which elements of the event did you like the most?
Allow participants to share their favorite moments and the reasons behind their enjoyment. This provides insight into what they value most.
3. What, if anything, did you dislike about this event?
Knowing your shortcomings and how to improve them shows you value your attendees’ opinions.
4. What was your biggest takeaway from the event?
Let attendees share their main learning, inspiration, or valuable information they gained so that you can gauge the effectiveness of your event.
5. Are you likely to participate in one of our events in the future?
Ask this to find out how enthusiastic participants are about your event and compare them to the number of attendees who are back the next year.
6. How did this event impact your perception of our company?
Did the event convey your desired image and values effectively? Did the event marketing and overall message resonate with the audience?
7. Did you feel like the event was inclusive and diverse?
A commitment to inclusivity and diversity is a must for organizations and events. Acting on feedback shows your dedication to these values and attracts a broader audience.
8. Were there any surprises or unexpected aspects of the event?
This allows attendees to share positive surprises that may not have been explicitly mentioned elsewhere and make you aware of unexpected pain points.
9. Was the event easy to navigate?
Could your way-finding be better? Do you need more ramps for those with special needs? Is there anything you may have overlooked?
10. How likely are you to tell a friend about this event?
The real measure of success is when these individuals are not only fans, but are also willing to spread the word and talk about you with their friends.
Suggestions
11. What extra perks would you like to see?
Understanding desired perks helps you tailor your event offerings to better meet attendee needs and expectations.
12. Do you have any suggestions for speakers you’d like to see at the next event?
Consider attendees’ suggestions to ensure your event content stays relevant and attracts those seeking up-to-date industry knowledge from leading speakers.
13. Is there anything else you would like us to know?
Attendees may use this space to mention specific aspects of the event that weren’t directly addressed in other questions.
Service and Communication
14. How would you rate the communication and updates leading up to the event?
This information is crucial for optimizing your future communication strategy, ensuring a smoother, more informative, and ultimately more enjoyable experience for your attendees.
15. How helpful were the staff at the event?
By understanding the areas where staff excelled and where they fell short, you can improve your staff training programs and deployment strategies for future events.
16. How would you rate the food and refreshments?
Food and beverages play a major role in events. The presentation and menu choice greatly influence overall attendee satisfaction.
17. How would you rate the organization and planning of the event?
Discover potential improvements beyond food or speakers in logistics, venue management, session flow, and registration processes.
18. Did you attend the welcome reception?
If the reception had a low attendance rate, it might indicate there are barriers that prevented some attendees from participating.
Value
19. How did the event compare to other similar events you have attended?
Gain valuable benchmarking data by understanding how attendees perceive your event compared to others.
20. Did you feel like the event was worth the cost?
Whether attendees felt the cost justified their experience is crucial for assessing the event’s success from a return-on-investment (ROI) perspective.
21. How did the event impact your personal or professional goals?
This uncovers topics that were not sufficiently covered, networking chances that were not fruitful, or a shortage of resources that attendees needed to apply their learnings.
22. How would you rate the event’s variety of activities/programming?
Learn if your line-up was engaging and catered to different learning styles and interests.
Sponsors
23. How relevant was the audience for your business/industry?
This question directly assesses the alignment between the sponsor’s target audience and the actual event attendees.
24. What was the ROI of sponsoring this event?
Did they achieve their desired outcomes, whether it’s increased brand awareness, lead generation, or sales conversions?
25. Will we see you again next year?
If not, this provides enough runway to develop relationships with new sponsors.
Speakers
26. Did you receive all the information you needed to successfully present before the event?
If speakers answer negatively, it reveals potential gaps in your pre-event communication.
27. How would you rate our event venue and equipment regarding how it served your keynote?
Understanding specific equipment or venue needs expressed by speakers can help refine your speaker support.
28. Do you have a friend or colleague who would enjoy speaking at our future events?
Speakers have broad professional networks in their field and may be familiar with other qualified experts for your events, giving you access to a wider range of potential speakers.
Virtual Events
29. How satisfied were you with the platform experience?
Feedback on the platform can reveal any technical difficulties attendees encountered, such as connection issues, lag, audio quality problems, or difficulty navigating features
30. What features did you like best about the event experience?
By asking about the “liked” features, you gain valuable insights into the strengths and positive aspects of your virtual event experience.
31. Did you find the event easy to navigate?
Uncover technical limitations or difficulties on the chosen platform, such as difficulty navigating sessions, accessing resources, or engaging with interactive features.
Hybrid Events
32. Did you participate in the event virtually or in-person?
This information helps you continuously improve the experience for both virtual and in-person attendees, and optimize resource allocation.
33. Were the before, during, and post-event communications clear?
The communication needs of virtual and in-person attendees differ. This clarifies if the information provided was relevant and targeted to each audience segment.
34. Were you able to effectively network in a hybrid environment?
Learn how well the hybrid format facilitated meaningful connections between attendees, which is crucial for optimizing future hybrid events.
35. How would you prefer to attend your next hybrid event?
Track evolving hybrid format preferences by regularly polling attendees. Use this data to adjust your event strategy.
B. Session-based Event Survey Questions (36-45)
Each session adds to the success of your event. Gathering attendee feedback is crucial for planning highly-attended sessions.
36. Did you have any issues registering for or attending event sessions?
Asking this question shows attendees that you value their experience and are actively seeking ways to improve future events.
37. How satisfied were you with the speakers and sessions at our event?
A quick and straightforward way to assess attendee sentiment towards the two most crucial elements of most events: speakers and sessions.
38. Were you happy with the time for discussion during sessions?
Assess whether attendees felt they had enough time to actively participate in discussions during sessions.
39. How did you feel about the duration of the content?
Find out if the sessions were engaging enough to hold their attention throughout or if fatigue set in due to excessive length.
40. If you used tech support, how would you rate your experience?
Even if most attendees didn’t require tech support, those who did could offer valuable insights into areas where the support could be improved.
41. Were there any topics or areas that you wish were covered during the event but were not?
Discover knowledge gaps or unmet needs within your target audience, helping you identify potential topics for future events or sessions.
42. Did you find the sessions to be informative and relevant to your interests? Please explain.
Positive feedback affirming sessions were informative and relevant helps justify ongoing investments in speakers, topic research, and content development.
43. Which session did you enjoy the most, and why?
By pinpointing the aspects attendees enjoyed most (e.g., speaker style, content delivery, topic choice), you can replicate these elements in future sessions.
44. How would you rate the session venues? Please provide any suggestions for improvement.
The session’s venue greatly affects attendee satisfaction and comfort. This question assesses the suitability of the venues for the sessions.
45. How would you rate the audio and video quality at the event?
High-quality audio and video are paramount for delivering a clear, engaging, and professional event experience.
NOTE: Whova offers a unique session-based survey system that can save you countless hours on conducting survey for every session. Request a demo now to see how it works!
Pre-event Survey Questions (46 – 60)
Pre-event surveys create excitement and anticipation for the event. It actively involves attendees in planning and fostering investment in their upcoming experience.
46. What motivated you to attend this event?
Understanding attendee motivations enables audience segmentation, allowing for more tailored messages and increased engagement.
47. How did you hear about this event?
Directly assess which marketing channels successfully reached your target audience and promoted your event.
48. What is your level of knowledge or experience in this field/topic?
Based on the responses, you can offer pre-event resources such as introductory materials, glossaries, or recommended readings to help attendees prepare for the event based on their current knowledge level.
49. What are your expectations for this event?
Knowing attendee expectations allows you to set realistic benchmarks for measuring their satisfaction after the event.
50. What topics or themes are you most interested in learning about at this event?
Analyzing attendee interests can ignite creativity, sparking new ideas for session formats or interactive activities.
51. Do you have specific goals or objectives for attending this event?
Being privvy to attendees motivations and objectives helps you tailor the event experience to meet their needs and expectations better.
52. What can we do to make this event the best experience ever?
While implementing all suggestions might not be feasible, understanding attendee preferences allows you to personalize the event experience to the best extent possible.
53. What kind of SWAG do you prefer (pens, notebooks, tote bags)?
Catering to attendee preferences avoids spending money on SWAG that will end up unused and discarded.
54. What are your food preferences?
Identify attendees’ dietary needs (allergies, sensitivities, and religious restrictions) to plan the menu and provide safe and enjoyable meal options for all.
55. What tools or information do you need to enjoy the event?
By asking this question, you demonstrate your commitment to providing a well-organized and inclusive event for all attendees.
56.. What kind of networking opportunities would you like during this event?
Get valuable insights into attendees’ preferred networking styles, enabling you to create a more engaging networking environment.
57. How do you prefer to receive event info and updates?
Customize your communication tactics to suit the preferences of attendees. This guarantees they receive essential information in the manner that they find most convenient and interesting.
58. Are you attending this event as an individual or on behalf of a company/organization?
Many company representatives at the event could mean potential sponsorship or partnership opportunities. Use this to establish mutually beneficial partnerships.
59. As a virtual attendee, do you want to engage with in-person attendees?
Platforms with features like chat, breakout rooms, or Q&A specifically designed for virtual-to-in-person interaction can be prioritized if there’s a high demand.
60. Is there anything else you want us to know before the event?
Prioritize attendee satisfaction and gather valuable insights to personalize the experience, address any concerns, and ensure a successful event for all.
10 Event Survey Templates for Different Event Types
If you want to collect in-depth feedback related to your own specific event, tailor your questions to the type of event you’re organizing — an association annual meeting event, an academic conference, or an expo, for example. Below are some post event survey sample questions for specific types of events:
Event Survey Template 1: Leadership Conferences (18 questions)
- Please share one specific leadership skill you strengthened during this conference.
- After attending the conference presentations, which of the following leadership topics which would you like to learn more about in more depth?
- Download all 18 questions
Event Survey Template 2: Diversity Events (18 Questions)
- To what extent did the presenters inform __[Your Organization’s]__ strategy for inclusion?
- What do you believe your organization can improve upon to foster a safe and inclusive environment?
- Download all 18 questions
Event Survey Template 3: Women’s Leadership Conferences (17 Questions)
- How effective do you feel this conference was in addressing relevant issues for women in your community/industry?
- Based on your experience, would you recommend this event to other women in your community/organization?
- Download all 17 questions
Event Survey Template 4: Annual Association Meetings (18 Questions)
- What do you feel is the most important benefit of __[Your Association Name]__ membership?
- Would you recommend next year’s conference to friends/family/colleagues?
- Download all 18 questions
Event Survey Template 5: Training Events (15 Questions)
- Which aspect of the training sessions did you find most challenging?
- To what extent did this training increase your knowledge?
- Download all 15 questions
Event Survey Template 6: Healthcare Conferences (22 Questions)
- Was the conference content scientifically sound and free of commercial bias?
- Did the program have practical clinical value?
- Download all 22 questions
Event Survey Template 7: Environmental Events (18 Questions)
- What do you believe are the current knowledge gaps associated with__[Environmental Issue]_?
- What do you believe is the immediacy of concern for __[Environmental Issue]__?
- Download all 18 questions
Event Survey Template 8: Career Development Events (17 Questions)
- Can you share any plans currently underway at your organization/institution that will help with career readiness?
- What type of education/training will you need for this career?
- Download all 17 questions
Event Survey Template 9: Educators Conferences (19 Questions)
- How useful will the topics covered be to you in your work/ school/ classroom?
- How has this conference helped you reflect on the theme of __[Your Conference Theme]__ within your school or organization?
- Download all 19 questions
Event Survey Template 10: Military Conferences (17 Questions)
- Which military department are you representing?
- How effective do you think this conference was in discussing currently relevant military and national security subjects?
- Download all 17 questions
Bonus: How do I Increase Survey Responses by 200%?
Utilizing live polling and surveys is an effective way to gather feedback from attendees, eliminating the risk of wasting time and resources on ineffective strategies. However, getting busy attendees to participate can be challenging, adding more pressure to an already overwhelming task.
Fortunately, with Whova’s event management platform, surveys, polls, and session feedback forms are integrated, along with engaging gamification options. This makes completing surveys not only convenient but also enjoyable!
Attendees can easily complete event survey questions on their mobile devices anytime – during the welcome breakfast and closing remarks, or anytime in between. Many of our organizers have reported significantly increased response rates since implementing these features!
Check out the Whova Event Survey Software
Want to capture valuable attendee insights without the manual work? Whova streamlines survey creation for your next event. Choose from over 20 templates and access a question bank of over 200 questions, with 5 different question styles.
Say goodbye to hours of research and spend just minutes on poll and survey creation. There’s a reason event planners think we’re the best platform forevent survey questions. Contact us today to request a demo.
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