Everyone is familiar with the classic paper questionnaire. While they are quick for the respondent to fill out, the subsequent analysis often proves to be error-prone, time-consuming, and costly.
This usually starts with the struggle to decipher handwriting. For example, how would you proceed if you still couldn't make sense of certain words on a questionnaire even after reading them multiple times?
Just leave out the illegible parts? Rephrase the sentence based on what you think it might have meant?
In both cases, you risk distorting the participant's feedback and depriving yourself of valuable insights.
Furthermore, this type of survey is only practical on-site, specifically when you are able to "intercept" the participants.
However, specific visitor requests should be incorporated into the event planning process early on. Feedback can also be gathered during the conference to make minor adjustments. It is equally important to give participants some time afterward to process their impressions before asking for their final verdict. Asking for an overall impression while the event is still two days away makes little sense.
In the following, we would like to show you how to use online surveys profitably before, during, and after an event.
First of all, the advantages of an online survey are quite obvious:
- Time-saving
When you evaluate your event online, the handwriting problem described above disappears: participant responses no longer need to be laboriously typed out, as they are already in digital form. This eliminates data entry errors.
And what is already there can be analyzed at the touch of a button. - Environmentally friendly
With an online survey, you can gather valuable feedback without using any paper. This not only protects the environment but also saves on printing costs. - Space-saving
Gone are the days when you had to store folders filled with hundreds of completed questionnaires. If you don't print out surveys, you don't have to worry about how to store them. - Cost-effective
Looking to save even more money? In addition to the savings already mentioned, personnel costs are reduced because you don't need anyone on-site to recruit survey participants or distribute questionnaires.
Further advantages will become clear in the next section, where we examine which questions should be asked and when.
Online survey before the conference
A pre-event survey during the planning phase helps you get to know your participants better. The results provide concrete insights that you can incorporate into your further planning.
In terms of content, such a survey is primarily about offerings where demand is difficult to estimate.
A major factor here is dietary requirements.
As an organizer, it is important to know in advance how many of your participants have food allergies. It is very likely that there will also be visitors who are vegetarian or vegan. You may also have Jewish or Muslim participants with faith-based dietary requirements (kosher, halal). Take these dietary habits into account when putting together your catering menu.
Another important point is the program.
Before the event starts, it is hard to gauge the popularity of individual sessions without concrete data. If your assumptions are wrong, it could mean that some workshops end up overcrowded, while only two people are interested in the excursion.
Participants should therefore be able to select workshops and individual program items during registration. This makes it clear early on when you should book two city guides instead of one or organize a larger room for a highly popular workshop.
Additionally, you can see which program items have little demand before the event starts. You can then either promote them more heavily or cancel them due to lack of interest to reduce costs.
More and more organizers are supporting participants with children by offering childcare services during the conference. For better planning, however, the following should be determined before the event begins and should therefore be asked:
- How many children require care?
- How old are the children?
- What are the required hours for childcare?
- Are there any special requirements (e.g., food allergies, medical conditions)?
To give every participant the opportunity to express their needs, it is best to conduct this survey using event management software. When registering for the conference, participants simply select the relevant options.
Online survey during the conference
Especially for multi-day conferences, it is a good idea to conduct online surveys during the event.
A quick assessment often leads to a quick solution to problems: The feedback you receive from such a survey can help you identify critical issues in the program schedule and correct them promptly.
If you wait until a few days after the event to ask visitors to rate individual sessions, their assessments may no longer be as accurate, as details are quickly forgotten.
The best way to conduct the survey is to use a conference app with an integrated rating function. This allows participants to rate each session. As an organizer, you can then see how individual sessions are being evaluated.
Furthermore, the survey results can serve as a basis for selecting sessions for your next conference.
Post-conference online survey
While a survey during the event provides a valuable snapshot, it is just as important to gauge the conference as a whole.
Give your attendees the opportunity to share their final thoughts and overall impressions.
What stood out to them, and what could be improved?
An online survey is an excellent way to assess the quality of the conference and overall attendee satisfaction after the event.
If you mention the survey at the start of the conference and explain why their feedback is so valuable for future events, you will be rewarded with a high response rate. Adrian Segar regularly achieves a response rate of about 70% using this approach.
Your attendees aren't the only ones who can provide feedback and suggestions for improvement. It is often worth taking a closer look at other groups as well. Consider whether you could survey sponsors or speakers separately.
Your general attendees, sponsors, and speakers can each provide unique, critical insights that are essential for planning and executing your next event. By using conference management software with built-in survey features, you can send tailored surveys to each specific group.
To cover the entire scope of the event, your survey should include questions on the following topics:
- Quality of presentations
- Conference organization and flow
- Quality of the social program
- Check-in process
- Time allocated for discussions and networking
- Support from the organizers
- Venue
- Catering
To ensure you reach everyone, simply include a link to the survey in the follow-up email where you thank attendees for coming and send out their digital certificates of attendance.
Conclusion
With the right conference management software, you can leverage the benefits of attendee surveys at any time, positively influencing both your current conference and future events. Get to know your attendees better and align your conferences more closely with their needs. It pays to follow up.
Take the opportunity to learn from your participants.
Have you ever used online surveys to evaluate your conferences? What has your experience been?
Tell us about it. We look forward to your comments.
