Event Planning Survey Questions

What should you ask people before you plan an event?

Event planning survey questions are the questions you ask your likely attendees before you fix the plan: what topics they want, which dates and places suit them and what would stop them coming. Asking first reduces the risk of building an event nobody wants.

This guide lists questions by planning decision and gives a short survey to copy. Questions for attendees after the event are in the post-event survey guide.

Updated November 11, 2026 by the Eventdex team

Build your floor plan free Book A Demo

4.7/5 from 39 reviews on each

The Eventdex event app on three phones: the event list, sign-in and the event menu

Questions by planning decision

Ask only what changes the plan. Each topic below maps to a decision.

Topics and content
Which topics would you most want covered? What problem would you like help with? Which formats do you prefer: talks, workshops, panels or networking?
Dates and timing
Which months suit you best? Do you prefer weekdays or weekends? How long would you attend: a half day, a day or several days?
Location and format
Would you attend in person, online or either? Which city would be easiest to reach?
Price and barriers
What would stop you attending? What would you expect the event to include? Ask for ranges rather than exact amounts.
Needs and access
Do you have dietary, accessibility or language needs we should plan for?
Past experience
What was the best event you attended recently, and why? What did you dislike about events you left early?

A short survey to copy

Send it to past attendees, members or a mailing list. Ten questions or fewer.

Copy-ready event planning survey

1. Which topics would you most like to see at our next event? (Choose up to three)
2. Which formats do you prefer? (Talks / Workshops / Panels / Networking / Other)
3. Which months suit you best?
4. Would you attend in person, online or either?
5. Which city is easiest for you to reach?
6. What would stop you from attending?
7. Do you have any dietary, accessibility or language needs?
8. What was the best event you attended this year, and why?
9. Anything else we should know?

How to use the answers

Turn answers into decisions in this order.

Count the choices
Tally topic, date and format votes. Look for clear leaders, not small differences.
Read the open answers
Group them by theme. Barriers named by several people deserve a fix.
Write the decisions down
Record the topic, date, place and format you chose and why.
Event brief template
Tell respondents what you decided
Thank them and share the plan. It improves replies to your next survey.

Where Eventdex fits

Eventdex's pages describe customizable survey forms for gathering opinions and event registration for the event itself. Eventdex's pages do not describe a template for pre-planning surveys, so adapt the questions above.

Event survey software
Build and send surveys, then read the reports.
Event survey software

The Eventdex platform

Tools for planning and feedback