How to use Surveys Effectively to Plan your Next Event

Planning an event – whether big or small – is a large task. You need to strike the right balance between the event you want to have and the event your guests want to go to. Often, these two things aren’t at odds with each other at all. Most people consider their guests when planning an event without having to think about it. Sometimes, though, you can make small adjustments when planning an event that will really make it a standout for your guests. How do you know what adjustments to make? Surveys.

Understand the Needs of Your Target Audience

Send out a pre-event survey when your guests are booking their tickets, or once you have confirmed guests. You’ll be able to get a feel for the kinds of guests that will be attending. These surveys can include demographic questions, which can help you target your event. A fundraiser will be much different if the attendees are primarily students or early career professionals as opposed to upper-class, wealthy society donors! Knowing your audience can help you cater your event to your attendees. Before the event, the question should be primarily multiple choice or short answer (“How did you hear about this event?”).

Evaluate the Success of Your Event

After the event, a survey can also provide valuable information. Here, you can offer attendees a little bit more space for free-form answers. Questions that ask how much they enjoyed the event and how satisfied they were are excellent questions to ask, as well as questions like “Would you recommend this event to a friend?” Here, too, demographic information can be helpful, as it might provide interesting insights as to how your event was experienced by different demographics.

Plan Future Events

With data on your past events, it’s much easier to plan future events. Using what you know, you can target your events from the start to be more effective to your guests. The more data you can collect, the better you will understand the people who enjoy your events. When it comes to event planning, the choice to send out surveys and examine the data provides a wealth of information.

With Eventzilla’s integrated survey features, you can survey your guests as they register for your event – allowing you to gather information about demographics, dietary preferences, company, and more. These invaluable tools will help your event be successful, so don’t hesitate to explore the many event planning services that Eventzilla offers!