Survey bubble 01

Survey Features

Event Planning Surveys

Get your current survey solution evaluated by our experts.

Planning an event requires lots of work. Whether it’s a corporate conference or an internal event for your employees, 100 or 1000 guests, casual or fancy, it takes a lot of effort and time. 

 

As a planner, you have to ensure that the guests enjoy the event and feel comfortable all the way until the end. To ensure that, learn what will make your guests happy. This brings us to event planning surveys. These surveys help you in initial planning to post-event, ensuring a satisfying conclusion. 

What are event planning surveys?

These surveys help you gather the guests’ expectations pre-event and their experience during and post-event. The survey is not restricted to the planning stage alone. 

An online survey can help you map out the course of the event planning and follow-up. You can send a short pre-event survey to understand your guests’ expectations and plan the event activities. At the same time, a short post-event survey can help you evaluate the event and the performance of the planning team. 

Why should you conduct event planning surveys?

Whether it is a team-building event or a business conference, there are lots of requirements, preferences, and opinions you have to pay attention to. For the event to conclude successfully, you have to focus on meeting the guests’ expectations and providing them with a great experience. 

An event planning survey helps you solicit information on the preferences and requirements of your guests so you can cater to those during the event. It also enables you to understand the circumstance of each guest and plan an event with consideration toward all. 

Pre-event surveys help you gain information such as

✔ When and where should you host the event?

✔ What topics or activities should be held?

✔ Who should be the speaker at the event?

✔ The dietary restrictions of the attendees. 

Post-event surveys help you evaluate the event -

✔ What did the attendees like the most about the event?

✔ Did the topics provide value to the attendees?

✔ Would they like to attend such events in the future?

✔ Opinions or suggestions they have to improve the event.

Build event planning surveys and send them across participants’ preferred channels.

100+ question types, drag-and-drop interface, multiple distribution channels, survey translations, and more.

When should you run event planning surveys?

There are three stages of an event – before, during, and after. You can use an online survey to gather insights at each stage. Depending on the event, you can discard a during-event survey. 

1. Pre-event survey – 

A pre-event survey will assist you in learning about the expectations, preferences, and opinions of the participants so you can plan a successful event. We have listed some topics and questions you can ask to map out the entire event.

A. Time of the event: Whether you are planning a single-day event, for a few days, or an entire week, ask the attendees and participants if they have any preferred time. 

  • When would you prefer we host the event?
    1. Morning
    2. Afternoon
    3. Evening

B. Venue: The location and the travel distance for attendees also impact their decision to attend the event. It is better if you gather opinions on the venue before making any confirmation. 

  • We have listed some hotels for the event. Please pick the one you prefer. (Followed by the list in a drop-down)
  • Where would you prefer we host the event? 
    • Indoor
    • Outdoor
  • Are you willing to travel to attend our event?

c. Activity or content: If it is a corporate event, gather opinions on what topic the attendees would like to hear and discuss. Also, gather opinions on ice-breaker events or entertainment they would prefer. This way, you can ensure high engagement during the event. 

  • Please select the topic you are most interested in. (Followed by a list of pre-selected topics)
  • Are there any topics you suggest we cover?
  • Would you prefer an after-hour party?

D. Speaker: Use event planning surveys to gather opinions on which speaker or presenter the attendees want to see. The responses may help you identify volunteers or suggestions you may have yet to consider. 

  • Who would you like to see hosting the event? (Followed by a list of speakers)
  • Do you have any recommendations for speakers?

F. Catering: Food is a fundamental part of any event. It is important to serve hors d’oeuvre as a form of engaging the participants. You can use the survey to ask attendees in advance about their dietary needs and restrictions. 

  • Please mention any food allergies you have. 
  • Choose your meal preference: 
    • Vegetarian
    • Non-vegetarian
    • Vegan
  • Are you under dietary restrictions? Please share your preferences. 

2. During the event survey – 

A survey conducted during the event can help engage the audience. You can share a survey before the event discussion begins to gather feedback on the topic and let them know that the results will be shared after the discussion. This will create anticipation and keep the participants engaged. 

You can also use a poll or a survey as an ice-breaker event in-between scheduled events. This can help participants network and build friendships.

Read how Voxco helped C2 Montréal add a robust attendee feedback system to the activity-tracking program.

3. Post-event survey – 

Your work as an event planner continues after the end of the event. You can only consider it successful after you have gathered a full assessment of the event from the participants. Use post-event planning surveys to gather attendees’ feedback on their experience and the strengths and weaknesses of the event. 

Gather feedback on every aspect of the event – content, entertainment, catering, venue, speakers, overall experience, and more. The data will encourage you to plan the next event carefully. 

  • How would you rate your overall experience at the event?
  • Did you feel the topics covered were helpful?
  • How do you feel about the activities planned during the event? 
  • How likely are you to attend an event in the future?

Tips to run a successful event planning survey

Now that we have established when you should deploy your surveys and what type of data to gather, let’s also look at the tips to ensure a successful survey. 

Send a pre-event survey 3-4 months prior 

If you are planning an internal event meant for employees, you can gather the required information 12 weeks before the event. However, it is better to send a survey 16 weeks before the event for bigger events. You should also send a reminder survey 12 and 8 weeks before the survey to those who still need to revert to the first survey. 

The best practice is to send the pre-event survey after receiving an RSVP confirmation. 

Send a post-event survey while the memory is fresh

If you wait a month before sending the survey, participants will likely have forgotten their experience. This would either lead to a low response rate or inaccurate feedback. Send the survey soon to gather accurate feedback. 

Keep the survey anonymous

If you are gathering opinions from employees after an event, they are most likely to feel uncomfortable complimenting or criticizing the event. Similarly, your other guests may also feel the same. It is better to keep the survey anonymous and convey to the participants that their responses will not be revealed.

Voxco powers 10Mn+ surveys annually and help 500+ global brands gather actionable insights and make data-driven decisions.

See how Voxco can help improve your research.

Conclusion

To ensure your event concludes successfully, gathering data on the expectations, preferences, and requirements of the attendees is better. Use event planning surveys to understand what the participants expect and use the data to map out the course of the event.

Related Features

Essay Comments 25 1

Essay Comments

Survey Features Essay Comments Build engaging and detailed surveys using essay comment questions! Get a free evaluation Unlock your Sample Survey Get your current survey

Read More »
Event Planning Surveys essay comment questions

Survey quota control

Survey Features Survey quota control Get a free evaluation Unlock your Sample Survey Get your current survey solution evaluated by our experts. Home What is

Read More »
Event Planning Surveys essay comment questions

Online Poll Makers

Survey Features Online Poll Maker Get a free evaluation Unlock your Sample Survey Get your current survey solution evaluated by our experts. Create interactive polls

Read More »
Survey question 12

Open-ended question

Survey Features Open-ended question Build effective and detailed surveys using open-ended questions! Get a free evaluation Unlock your Sample Survey Get your current survey solution

Read More »
Voxco is trusted by Top 50 Market Research firms, Global Brands & Universities in 40 countries. Voxco offers full omnichannel capability including CATI, Predictive Dialler, Online surveys, offline CAPI, and Panel Management.

Follow Voxco on