A successful event largely depends on the experience of its participants. But how do you know if the event was truly enjoyable and what improvements can be made? This is where a satisfaction survey or event feedback questionnaire comes in.
A satisfaction survey allows organizers to gather concrete feedback from participants, measure their satisfaction, identify strengths and areas for improvement, and optimize future events.
Let’s explore together how to create an effective satisfaction survey, structure the questions, and analyze the results.
What is an event satisfaction survey?
An event satisfaction survey is a tool used to collect feedback from participants in order to measure the quality of the event and identify both strengths and areas for improvement. It collects valuable data on the organization, content, impact, and overall experience of the participants. Through well-crafted questions, this survey provides organizers with clear insights to optimize future events and better meet the expectations of their audience.
Why use a satisfaction survey for events?
A post-event satisfaction survey is a powerful tool that allows you to:
- Evaluate participant satisfaction by gathering their impressions.
- Measure the event’s success based on specific criteria.
- Identify areas for improvement to optimize the next edition.
- Better understand the target audience and their expectations for future events.
Key elements of an effective event satisfaction survey
Define the survey’s objectives
Every event has a goal and purpose for its audience! Before writing questions, it’s essential to ask a key question: what are the objectives of the survey?
Some of the most common objectives include:
- Assessing the quality of the event (organization, activities, speakers).
- Measuring the impact of the event on participants.
- Gathering ideas to improve future editions.
Choosing the right satisfaction questions to ask after the event:
An effective event satisfaction survey includes various types of questions, allowing you to gather as much feedback as possible from participants. A well-constructed survey allows you to accurately evaluate the success of the event and identify areas for improvement in future events.
Open-ended questions
- "What was your favorite moment of this event?"
- "What improvements would you suggest for a future event?"
Closed questions
- "Did this event meet your expectations? (Yes/No)"
- "Did you find the event well organized? (Yes/No)"
Multiple choice questions
- "Which aspect of the event did you enjoy the most?"
- "Which communication methods did you use to gather information about the event?"
Likert scale
- "On a scale from 1 to 5, how would you rate the event's organization?"
- "On a scale from 1 to 5, how relevant and informative were the speakers?"
Net Promoter Score (NPS)
- "How likely are you to recommend this event to a friend?"
- "Would you recommend this event to your colleagues?"
To obtain actionable results, it is crucial to carefully consider each question. By combining different types of questions, the quality of the survey and the relevance of feedback for a specific experience are maximized. This allows participants to express their satisfaction across multiple aspects of the event, which helps in organizing future events more effectively.
These methods help anticipate participants’ expectations and adjust the organization accordingly based on their feedback. On the other hand, poorly phrased questions may skew the analysis and limit the impact of improvements to be made.
Structuring an event satisfaction survey
A good survey follows a logical structure to ensure the collection of relevant information and facilitate data analysis. Measuring satisfaction depends on clear, precise responses that can help improve future experiences.
Here’s an effective structure to follow when creating questionnaires to gather important information, data, and feedback on each aspect, analyzing customer reactions to products, services, and various event aspects:
- General questions → Participant profile, to gather useful feedback and data on the people who attended the event.
- Organization and logistics → Registration, accessibility, and flow management to identify areas for improvement by the end of the event.
- Content and activities → Conferences, workshops, and other activities, with questions to assess the quality of the presentations.
- Overall experience → Strengths/weaknesses, suggestions for detailed feedback, and insights on how to optimize the next edition.
By choosing the right format and type of questions for your surveys, you can ensure better satisfaction measurement and more effective feedback collection. Asking the right questions guarantees precise, actionable responses for improving the organization of future events.
Examples of questions for an event satisfaction survey
Here are some essential questions:
💡 Organization and logistics
- Was the welcome well organized?
- Was the venue easy to access?
💡 Overall experience
- On a scale from 1 to 10, how would you rate the event?
- What were the strengths and areas for improvement?
Tips for maximizing response rates
A poorly designed survey is likely to be ignored. Here are a few tips to encourage participants to respond:
- Send the survey immediately after the event
- Use a simple tool (Google Forms, Typeform)
- Keep the survey short (less than 10 minutes)
- Offer a reward (promo code, prize draw)
Tools to create an effective survey
Creating an appropriate survey for the event is essential to gather relevant feedback and improve the participants' experience. Several online tools can help you design interactive and analytical surveys, incorporating different types of questions based on the needs of the survey.
Here are some popular services for creating a survey:
Google Forms
→ Free and easy to use, ideal for quickly collecting responses.
Typeform
→ Intuitive interface with an interactive approach to enhance the audience experience.
SurveyMonkey
→ Offers advanced analytics to refine survey responses.
Qualtrics
→ Professional tool providing tailored solutions based on the type of question.
Microsoft Forms
→ Integrated with Office 365, perfect for businesses and organizations.
Depending on the event’s objectives, it’s important to choose the tool best suited for the target audience and the information being sought. A well-designed survey helps better understand audience expectations, optimize future events, and ensure that no improvements are overlooked.
Analyzing results and using feedback
Analyzing responses and data allows you to extract valuable information to enhance future event satisfaction.
Identify trends
→ What did participants like/dislike the most about the event? Analyze post-event feedback to better understand expectations.
Implement concrete actions
→ Adjust the organization accordingly based on trends observed over multiple events.
Highlight positive feedback
→ Showcase the satisfaction of those who attended the event through customer testimonials on social media.
Moreover, asking the right questions helps refine the analysis and optimize improvements to be made to future events.
Conclusion
The satisfaction survey is an essential tool for improving event quality. With a well-structured survey, appropriate questions, and a solid analysis of the feedback, organizers can optimize their future events and provide a better experience for participants.
Feel free to test different survey formats, vary the types of questions, and adapt your satisfaction survey for each event!
FAQ
Why use a satisfaction survey for an event?
A satisfaction survey allows organizers to assess the event’s success, gather feedback, and improve future events.
What types of questions should be included in an effective satisfaction survey?
It is recommended to include:
- Closed questions for precise responses
- Multiple choice questions to analyze preferences
- Likert scale for measuring satisfaction
- Open-ended questions for detailed suggestions
How can you maximize response rates for a post-event satisfaction survey?
- Send the survey within 24 hours of the event
- Limit the number of questions to prevent abandonment
- Offer a reward (e.g., gift or discount)
What tools should be used to create an event satisfaction survey?
Popular tools include Google Forms, Typeform, SurveyMonkey, and Qualtrics, which make it easy to analyze responses and optimize the participant experience.
How to effectively analyze the results of a satisfaction survey?
Group quantitative data to identify trends, then review open-ended questions to identify improvement areas, and finally compare responses/data to previous editions.
