Planning the perfect event means knowing who your audience is from the onset, and asking pre-event survey questions is a fantastic way of getting to know them.
In this article, we’ll delve into the purpose of pre-event surveys, what questions you can ask, and how these can be used to improve your event before it even starts.
Table of Contents
What is a pre-event survey?
Pre-event surveys are conducted before an event, with the purpose of drawing insights from attendees regarding their expectations, preferences, and needs.
Event organizers use these surveys to tailor events based on the feedback provided.
How can pre-event surveys improve event planning?
The benefits of pre-event surveys are numerous, but let’s get into some specific example for how they can improve your upcoming events:
- Gauge expectations: Learn what guest hope to achieve from the event, in order to tailor as much of the sessions and content towards those shared goals.
- Content relevance: Understand the core interests of your audience to select the best speakers, topics, sessions.
- Session planning: Gather details from attendees on preferred session times, break frequency, and socializing period to tailor to as many schedules as possible.
- Event awareness: Learn how attendees found out about your event to optimize marketing efforts for future events or even conduct market research.
- Event registration: Estimate the number of guests who might attend your event to set a budget, select a venue, and make other preparations.
- Menu preferences: Accommodate as many attendees as possible by understanding what they can and can’t eat or drink.
- Special requirements: Ensure your event is as accessible as possible to all who wish to attend.
Pre-event survey template
We’ve whipped up a pre-event survey template for you to get started with:
(This is a preview version of a survey, no response data will be submitted or saved.)
25 Pre-event survey questions
Without further ado, let’s get stuck into our essential list of 25 pre-event survey questions to help you plan the perfect event.
These survey questions cover a range of aspects, from personal information to preferences, expectations, and feedback.
Event organizers can use this information to tailor the event to the needs and interests of attendees, creating a more engaging and satisfying experience for everyone.
You’ll want to ensure you collect plenty of quantitative data to track and measure success, but also enough qualitative data to provide understanding on why those answers were chosen.
Attendee information
1. Name
2. Company
3. Job title
4. Contact information
Event awareness and experience
5. How did you learn about this event?
6. Have you attended this event before?
7. Have you attended a similar event in the past?
8. Is there anything you would like to see done differently based on your past experiences?
Event expectations
9. What do you hope to achieve or learn at this event?
10. What topics would you like to see covered at the event?
11. Are there any speakers you’d like or expect to see at the event?
12. On a scale of 1-10, how excited are you about attending this event?
Logistics and timing
13. What time would you prefer sessions to take place? (morning, afternoon, evening)
14. How frequently would you like breaks to occur throughout the event?
15. How many sessions would you be comfortable in a day?
Networking and socializing
16. Are you interested in networking specific sessions during the event?
17. Would you prefer a structured networking session or an informal social event?
18. Are there specific types of professionals or industries you’d like to connect with?
Content and session formats
19. What type of content are you most interested in (keynotes, seminars, panels, etc.)?
20. Are there any specific formats you prefer (Q&A sessions, interactive workshops, case studies)?
21. How would you rate your level of expertise in the subject matter?
Accessibility
22. Do you require any special accommodations or assistance for the event?
23. How would you prefer to access event materials (mobile app, printed materials, website, email)?
Catering
24. Do you have any special dietary requirements (vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free)?
25. Would you be interested in an open bar in the evening?
Wrapping up
In terms of collecting feedback before your event, the best way to do this would be to contact everyone who’ve shown interest by email.
With FreeOnlineSurveys, you can send email campaigns with a pre-event survey, track who responds, then send a post-event survey once the event has finished.
And it’s important to note that these aren’t the only type of surveys for businesses, there’s a whole host of ways you can use feedback to grow.
That’s about everything for this article, do let us know if you’d like anything added to this list of pre-event survey questions.
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