|
Particularly when taking full advantage of, event planning surveys help to ensure your event is as successful as it can be by enabling you to predict attendee expectation, gauge participant reaction, and measure event effectiveness.
Whether for a trade show, conference, webinar, webcast, wedding, or general meeting, the best event planners don't only conduct surveys to obtain participant feedback after an event has concluded. Rather, they use event surveys throughout every stage of the meeting or event planning process. Most often conducted using online survey software, an event planning survey allows you to gather and analyze event information before, during, and after the event -- and is an essential full circle survey tool for event planning.
Before the Event
Prior to holding an event, it behooves you to discover what attendees expectations are relative to the event, in order to provide the content and experience that most appeals to their needs. As such, an event planning survey tool is helpful to determine audience preferences for catering, venue choices, content, and speakers, to name a few.
Far too frequently, event planners focus on what "they" want to deliver, and overlook what is that the audience really wants to know. This is key to avoiding a good, but not great event. It's also a mistake that you can prevent by conducting an event planning survey prior to conducting the event.
Keep in mind, when an event fails to meet an attendees' expectation, he or she will usually not be a repeat attendee. In order to maximize repeat attendance, find out what attendees expect -- then make it happen.
During the Event
What better time to find out how things are going with an event is there than obtaining real-time feedback during the event? One of the most challenging things for event planners is how to keep attendees engaged once the event is underway. One way to keep attendees involved is to have them complete a short event survey during the event, and let them know that you'll share the results from the survey before the event has ended.
Many event coordinators have computer workstation kiosks that attendees can use to complete an event survey, which can be created via online survey software. Ideas for the "during the event" survey include feedback and questions on the event topic and industry trends.
Another way to keep attendees excited during the event is to offer a raffle, but in the form of a survey. Using survey software, create a survey that asks demographic information and relevant event or industry-related insight in exchange for a chance at a prize.
After the Event
This is the classic time to implement an event planning survey. By obtaining feedback from attendees on speaker's performance, content covered, catering, parking, and venue location and facilities, you acquire valuable insight that will help you plan your next event -- but with even more success.
Surveying your attendees afterwards let's you know how well your event met your target audience's expectations. On the financial front, attendee feedback after the event helps you with future event planning in order to maximize your return on investment (ROI).
All-in-all, event planning surveys help to foster communication between attendees and the host, particularly when survey results are shared. While its not possible to please everyone all of the time when it comes to holding an event, it is possible to please the majority, especially when getting help from an event planning survey.
|