The Power of Attendee Feedback

Gathering feedback after an event is an important step we see organizers struggle with all too often.

Some event organizers either wait too long to ask for feedback or don’t ask at all. There is so much valuable information they are missing out on!

Here are four reasons why attendee feedback is important for the long-term success of your event programs.

1. Give Attendees a Voice. Taking time to get feedback from event attendees will help organizers adapt future event programs to the needs of their customers, the event attendees. Without paying attention to attendee feedback, event planners run the risk of just doing the same thing over and over again and just guessing about what attendees want.
2. Diagnose Mistakes and Areas of Improvement. Event organizers can only observe the event from their location throughout the event. This means, for example, that if they aren’t in the main presentation room, they may not be aware of AV or sound issues. Attendee feedback is an excellent way to uncover mistakes that were made at an event and make improvements for future programs.
3. Show You Care. The very act of asking for feedback shows attendees that you care about what they think. This shows that you have a customer-centric philosophy to your event organization which is an important part of building a loyal following of attendees for your events and a lot easier to attract new attendees.
4. Timing Matters. Don’t wait too long to ask for feedback. The further away from an event, the less likely you will be to generate a significant response rate.

Attendees are at the heart of your event. They are the ones buying tickets, referring friends to attend, sitting in on sessions, and interacting with your event sponsors. Their satisfaction (and repeat attendance) will lengthen the life of your event.

That said, don’t forget to include feedback from your sponsors and event vendors. This will ensure you have a 360-degree view of the event feedback.

This is the first in a 2-part series dedicated to attendee feedback and why it is important. Follow me for more insights on event production and marketing.