How to Get Feedback from Event Attendees

As you head into an event, regardless of how big you expect it to be, it is safe to assume that you have lofty expectations. While there are steps you can take to better your chance of success, you know one thing to be true: your event is only successful if your attendees say so.

There are many benefits of collecting feedback from event attendees, including but not limited to the following:

• Ensure that you hit the mark on most or all of your goals
• Ability to reply to a negative outcome if appropriate
• Ability to announce your events success with confidence
• Provide you with information you can use when planning future events

It is one thing to say you are going to get feedback but another thing entirely to actually do so.

Not only will the following tips put you on the right track, but these will improve your chance of securing high quality feedback from a large number of attendees.

1. Make it an activity rather than a task.

Let’s face it: some people won’t want to provide feedback because it is time out of their day. That being said, if you make this an activity rather than a task, you will increase your response rate.

Idea: offer anybody who provides feedback, such as through a survey, the ability to win a cool prize (maybe an iPad or other hot item) through a random drawing. You may be surprised at how quickly this gets people excited about taking part.

2. Take advantage of online tools.

SurveyMonkey, for example, is popular among many event organizers. With this service, you can quickly and efficiently send out a survey to anybody and everybody in attendance. As long as you have an email list, it is easy to get started.

SurveyMonkey even has an event planning page, dedicated to those who are planning any type of event. Regardless of the stage, from pre-planning to completion, SurveyMonkey has tools that will make your life much easier.

3. Don’t wait too long.

You have the option to send out a survey once attendees are back in the office. However, the longer you wait after the event is complete the less chance you have of receiving a response.

Consider ideas for generating feedback during the event, such as:

• Handing out surveys during downtime
• Tempting people with prizes (as noted above)
• Requesting feedback during panel discussions or live exercises
• Mingling with attendees to get their take on their experience

These are just some of the many steps you can take to increase your chance of getting feedback from event attendees. The more feedback you collect the better your next event will be.