Event Survey Questions

Before you write a single question

Decide what you will do with the answers first. If no one will change anything because of a question, drop it. Four habits keep a survey short and useful:

• Start from a decision

  Write down the choices the survey should inform, such as which sessions to repeat, whether to keep the venue or what to tell sponsors. Every question should point at one of them.

• One idea per question

  'How were the speakers and the food?' cannot be answered honestly. Split it in two, or cut one half.

• Ask what people can answer

  People remember how a session felt and whether they met someone useful. They cannot tell you what the ideal ticket price is. Ask about their experience, not your strategy.

• Keep one open question

  Rating scales tell you where the problem is; a single open text box tells you what it is. Put it last, so it does not put people off the rest.

Question types and when to use each

Pick the type by the job the answer has to do. Mixing a few types keeps the survey quick to finish and easy to read afterwards.

Registration and pre-event questions

The most useful survey is often the one before the event. The answers shape the program and the logistics, and they cost the attendee only a few seconds while they are already filling in a form. Ask only what you will use.

• What is your role, and which organization are you from?

  Lets you tell who is in the room and group results by audience later.

• What is the main thing you hope to get from this event?

  Multiple choice with an 'Other' option. Compare the answers with your own goals before the agenda is final.

• Which topics would you most like covered?

  Checkbox list drawn from the sessions you are considering.

• Do you have any access or dietary needs we should know about?

  Open text, optional. Only ask if someone will act on the answer before the day.

• How did you hear about this event?

  Multiple choice. It shows which channels brought registrations.

• Are you attending alone or with colleagues?

  Useful for seating, group tickets and follow-up.

Attendee satisfaction questions

These go in the end-of-event survey. Rate the first group on one scale, such as 1 to 5, so results can be set side by side.

OVERALL
1. Overall, how satisfied were you with [Event name]? (1 to 5)
2. How likely are you to attend next year? (1 to 5)
3. How likely are you to recommend this event to a colleague? (1 to 5)

CONTENT
4. The content was relevant to my work. (strongly disagree to strongly agree)
5. The speakers were knowledgeable. (strongly disagree to strongly agree)
6. Which session was most valuable to you? (list of sessions)
7. What topic should we cover next time? (open text)

ORGANIZATION
8. Registration and check-in were easy. (strongly disagree to strongly agree)
9. The venue or platform worked well for me. (strongly disagree to strongly agree)
10. The schedule ran on time. (yes / no)
11. Communication before the event was clear. (strongly disagree to strongly agree)

NETWORKING
12. I met people I wanted to meet. (strongly disagree to strongly agree)
13. Was there enough time to network? (too little / about right / too much)

CLOSE
14. What is the one thing we should change? (open text)
15. May we contact you about your answers? (yes / no) Email: [optional]

Session and speaker questions

Ask these straight after each session, when memory is fresh, and keep them to three or four so that attendees will answer for every session they attend.

• How would you rate this session overall?

  Star rating, 1 to 5.

• How relevant was it to your work?

  Agreement scale, the same wording for every session.

• How would you rate the speaker's delivery?

  Star rating. Keep it separate from content so you can tell a good topic from a good presenter.

• Was the length right?

  Too short, about right, too long.

• What is one thing you will do differently after this session?

  Open text, optional. It shows whether the session produced action.

Sponsor and exhibitor questions

Sponsors and exhibitors judge an event by the people they met and the conversations that followed, so ask about that, not about the venue. Send the survey within a week and keep it under ten questions.

SPONSOR AND EXHIBITOR SURVEY: [Event name]

1. What was your main goal at this event? (leads / brand awareness / meeting customers / launching a product / other)
2. Did you meet that goal? (not at all / partly / fully)
3. How would you rate the quality of the people you met? (1 to 5)
4. How would you rate the amount of time you had with attendees? (too little / about right / too much)
5. How well did we support you before the event? (1 to 5)
6. How easy was set-up, access and onsite support? (1 to 5)
7. How useful were the sponsor benefits you chose? (list each; 1 to 5)
8. Which benefit would you like more of next time? (open text)
9. How likely are you to take part again? (1 to 5)
10. What would make the biggest difference to your return? (open text)

Event surveys on Eventdex

Eventdex has an event survey feature that runs inside its mobile app, so attendees answer where they already check the schedule. The questions in this guide can be built in it. What the feature page states:

• Question formats

  Star ratings, multiple choice, open text and sliding scales, so most of the types in the table above are available.

  Event survey software

• Surveys by session, speaker or time block

  Target a survey to a session or time block, and view results by session, speaker or theme in the dashboard as they come in.

  Event survey software

• Anonymous or named answers

  Attendees can stay anonymous or identify themselves so that you can follow up.

• Live Q&A and polls

  Live Q&A and polling during a session are a separate feature, useful for questions you want answered in the room.

  Live event Q&A and polls