Measurement
Post-Event Survey
Ask only what will change a decision
Most post-event surveys collect ratings nobody uses. The cause is always the same: the questions were chosen from a template instead of from the decisions the organiser has to make next. Start from the decision and the survey writes itself — and it gets shorter.
The short answer
A useful post-event survey is built backwards. List the decisions you will make about the next event — venue, format, length, pricing, topics, timing — and write one question per decision. Any question that cannot change a decision should be cut, because every extra question lowers the response rate on the ones that matter.
Write it backwards
| Decision you face | Question that informs it |
|---|---|
| Same venue next time? | How easy was it to get here? Anything about the space that got in the way? |
| Same length? | Was the event too short, about right, or too long? |
| Same format? | Which session type was most useful to you? |
| Which topics next time? | What do you want covered next time? (open text) |
| Can we charge / charge more? | Would you recommend this to a colleague? Why? |
| Which speakers to invite back? | Which session was most useful? (list) |
| What to fix operationally? | Was there anything that made the day harder than it needed to be? |
Point
If you cannot name the decision a question informs, delete it. "How would you rate the catering?" is only worth asking if you would actually change caterers over the answer.
Note
One open question outperforms five rating scales. "Was there anything that made the day harder than it needed to be?" surfaces the specific, fixable problems. Ratings tell you a number; open text tells you what to do.
Wording
- Ask about behaviour, not satisfaction — "did you meet anyone useful" beats "rate the networking"
- One idea per question — "venue and catering" cannot be answered with one number
- Avoid leading wording — "how great was…" produces a known answer
- Keep scales consistent throughout, and label every point, not just the ends
- Offer "not applicable" where it genuinely applies
- Make almost everything optional
- Put the open question early, while attention lasts
- State how long it takes, honestly
Point
Label every point on the scale, not just the ends. A 1–5 scale with only "poor" and "excellent" labelled is interpreted differently by each respondent, and the averages are not comparable between events.
Note
Demographic questions reduce completion and are rarely used. Ask for them only if you will segment the results. If you already hold the data from registration, do not ask again.
Timing and response rate
- 01
Send within 24 hours
Recall drops sharply. A rough survey sent the next morning beats a polished one sent the following week.
- 02
Consider asking in the room
A QR code on the closing slide, with two minutes given for it, outperforms any email.
- 03
Keep it genuinely short
Say the number of questions in the subject line. "Three questions" gets opened.
- 04
Send one reminder, once
Two or three reminders annoy people and recover few responses.
- 05
Say what you did with the last one
"Last time you asked for longer breaks, so we changed them" raises response rates more than any incentive.
- 06
Make it work on a phone
Most responses arrive on a phone, often on the way home.
Point
The single most effective line is evidence that you acted on the previous survey. People answer surveys when they believe answers change something, and stop when they believe they do not.
Note
Be careful with incentives. A prize draw raises the count but skews who responds. If you use one, keep it modest and check local rules on prize promotions before announcing it.
Reading the results honestly
- Report the response rate alongside every figure. An average from 8% of attendees is not the audience's view
- Expect polarisation — the delighted and the annoyed answer; the indifferent do not
- Read every open comment; they contain the actionable material
- Separate what you can change from what you cannot
- Compare with the same questions from last time — only possible if the wording did not change
- Look at who did not respond, not only at who did
- Write down the decisions you made as a result, and tell attendees next time
Point
Never report an average without the response rate and the base number. "4.6 out of 5" sounds like a result. "4.6 out of 5, from 31 of 400 attendees" is a result.
Note
Keep the wording identical between events if you want to compare. Rewording a question for clarity breaks the comparison, which is usually a worse loss than the unclear wording.
Handling the responses
- Decide whether responses are anonymous — and say so truthfully
- Do not pre-fill identifying fields in a survey you have called anonymous
- State who will see the responses
- Say whether comments may be quoted, and whether attributed
- Set a retention period and delete on schedule
- Do not pass raw responses to sponsors unless attendees were told at the point of collection
- Share a summary back with attendees
Point
If you call a survey anonymous, it must be anonymous. A tracking parameter in the link, or a pre-filled email field, makes the claim untrue — and people discover it.
Key takeaways
- Write the survey backwards from the decisions you face. If a question cannot change a decision, delete it.
- One good open question beats five rating scales. Ratings give a number; open text tells you what to do.
- Label every point on the scale, or the averages are not comparable.
- Send within 24 hours, or ask in the room with a QR code on the closing slide.
- Say what you changed after the last survey. It beats any incentive.
- Never report an average without the response rate and base number.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Start from the decisions you will make about the next event — venue, length, format, topics, pricing, which speakers to invite back, what to fix operationally — and write one question per decision. If you cannot name the decision a question informs, delete it. Every extra question lowers the response rate on the ones that matter.
As few as the decisions require, and state the number in the subject line. "Three questions" gets opened. One well-chosen open question — such as "was there anything that made the day harder than it needed to be?" — usually produces more actionable material than five rating scales.
Within 24 hours, because recall drops sharply. A rough survey sent the next morning beats a polished one sent the following week. Better still, ask in the room: a QR code on the closing slide with two minutes given for it outperforms any email. Send one reminder, once.
The most effective thing is evidence that you acted on the last one: "last time you asked for longer breaks, so we changed them." People answer surveys when they believe answers change something. Beyond that, keep it short and say how short, make it work on a phone, and send a single reminder. Be careful with prize incentives — they raise the count but skew who responds.
Always with the response rate and the base number. "4.6 out of 5" sounds like a result; "4.6 out of 5, from 31 of 400 attendees" is one. Expect polarisation, because the delighted and the annoyed respond while the indifferent do not. Read every open comment, and keep question wording identical between events if you want to compare.