Utilizing post-event feedback

BY MARY CROGAN

After an event, it’s important to follow up with attendees to find out if it met their expectations and to find out anything that could be done differently in the future. Even if you don’t plan to hold the event again, it’s still important to follow up. This shows you care about the experience and value the feedback.

Use a survey to rate everything from the logistics of your event to the quality of each speaker (or the content in general) to whether attendees would attend the event in the future or if they’d recommend it to a friend or colleague. Use multiple choice options for the ratings and provide an open-ended area for people to offer suggestions and comments.

If you’re going to send out a longer survey, it’s a good idea to offer respondents compensation for their valuable time, such as a coupon for your product or service. This will increase their response rate. Of course, one of the best incentives to offer may be free or discounted admission to your next get-together. Then, in addition to collecting great feedback, you’ll also have customers and members who are already looking forward to the next time you schedule an event. ■

Mary Crogan is Senior Business and Marketing Manager, Online Survey, for Constant Contact. She can be reached at (866) 876-8464 or mcrogan@constantcontact.com.