Post-event feedback from attendees can be incredibly useful as it provides insight from individuals who experienced the event firsthand. Their opinion is unbiased, which will allow you to understand what they saw, what they liked and disliked, etc. All of this necessary information can only be accessible through survey participants. The more participants you have, the more feedback will be generated and the more you will learn how to continuously improve your events. With that being said, there are a number of ways to increase your post-event survey participation; below we will walk you through 5 tips to increase your event survey participation.
1. Have event staff onsite
Having staff onsite to encourage attendees to fill out the survey is crucial. This is because their opinions are still fresh in their mind while they are experiencing your event. In doing so, you are eliminating the need for attendees to fill out the survey a few days later (which is much more convenient for the attendees). In addition, respondents will be much more likely to provide feedback in greater detail, as they are still experiencing everything going on in the moment.
2. Send an invitation to fill out your survey as soon as possible
In order to generate the largest number of survey participants, you have to send out the survey within 5 minutes of the event ending. When someone has a great experience, they’ll want to make it known and the best way to do so is to provide comments through a survey. If you wait a few days to send the survey, you run the risk of attendees forgetting to fill out the survey or becoming to busy – you want to reach them while they are still excited about the event they just attended. In order for this to happen, attendees need to know where they can participate in a survey. This is why this step is so important. Ensure everyone knows where they can participate by emailing them right after the event ends! This is also helpful for people who were not able to fill out a survey or were not asked during the event.
3. Offer an incentive
This step goes without saying. The absolute best way to encourage survey participation is to offer something in return. It doesn’t have to be a huge prize, but something that peaks their interest definitely helps. This could be anything; customized items with your logo (pens, mugs, etc.), or a chance to win an item by being entered into a draw (tickets to another event, a gift card, a gift basket, etc.). This will greatly improve the chances of getting survey partakers.
4. Keep the survey short and relevant
Make the survey as short as possible. People will lose interest after a few minutes and won’t want to be writing their thoughts down for 20 minutes. Try to keep it under 5 minutes and only ask the most important questions that will help you in the future. The best way to receive honest feedback is through open-ended questions. This means asking questions such “What did you like about the event?” “Was there anything that could be improved?” “Any other thoughts?” This allows for authentic responses from the attendees and does not make them categorize their answer as in a multiple choice question
5. Brand your survey
Having a reputable brand for your survey allows for a higher volume of participants. Attendees like to see that your survey is coming from a trustworthy source and doing so will allow for better engagement with participants. Add your event logo and colours to enhance the look and feel of the survey. This also helps reflect the unique individuality that is trying to be shown through your event.
Needless to say, survey participants are crucial to events. It is super important to understand an event from an attendee’s point of view and the best way to do this is to get as many survey contributors as possible! These 5 steps will help you achieve your goal of getting as many event attendees to fill out your survey.