Post-Con Survey Redo -

Asking the right questions on surveys is the key to collecting actionable data.

The post-con survey is key to measuring the success of your event and planning for the future, but planners continue to find it a challenge to get participants to respond. Unless you require them to complete the survey to earn their CE credits, your post-con survey response rate could be 10 percent or lower. Here’s how to better your odds.

First, if you can’t or won’t act on the feedback, don’t ask the question. Avoid asking leading questions (How satisfied were you with our staff?) and questions that you should already know answers to, like: How did you find out about the conference? Were our emails and website helpful? How would you rank each one of these conference elements? How was the registration and housing process? How would you rate the quality of facilities, F&B, or logistics? Did you use the mobile app? How helpful was it?

To capture deeper and more constructive feedback, follow up rating questions with open-ended prompts. Four primary question buckets and prompts to consider:

1. Firmographics/Demographics

Most surveys ask these questions first. To encourage survey completion, try asking them last (see “More Insights” below to learn more about this approach).

2. Satisfaction

Ask participants to indicate their level of satisfaction with the primary conference elements (i.e., general sessions, concurrents, networking events, and exhibit hall). Use a Likert scale to indicate satisfaction — extremely, very, moderately, slightly, or not at all. Follow up these ratings with an open-ended question that asks, “What feedback or advice can you share for improving any of these conference elements?”

For benchmarking purposes, we recommend including the Net Promoter Score (NPS) question: “On a scale of 1–10 (10 being the highest), how likely are you to recommend ABC Conference to a colleague or peer in the industry?”

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3. Value of Attendance

Some questions to consider in this section include:
How important is attending [event] to your business/organization?

How accurate are the following statements about your experience attending [event]?
› I learned something that I can apply to my business or career.
› I made new (and strengthened existing) professional connections.
› I feel inspired.
› Attending [event] is a worthwhile investment.

And one more: Can you share your thoughts on what would make a future [event] even more appealing and valuable to you?

4. The Future

This is the final opportunity to get insights. Questions can include: Do you plan on attending [event 2026] in [destination]?
› I definitely will.
› I probably will.
› Probably not. (Why?)
› Definitely not. (Why?)

What is missing from [event] that you want to see in the future?

More Insights

When it comes to collecting data on demographics (categorizing individuals) and firmographics (categorizing organizations), consider possibilities for slicing and dicing responses into at least two, but no more than four, segments. Ask about:
› Job level — C-Level/VP, Director, Manager
› Primary role — Leadership, Sales & Marketing, Finance
› Number of times attended — First time, two to three times, four-plus times
› Number of years in the industry — Less than five, six to 10, 10-plus years
› Type of organization — Professional, Academic, Consultant, Supplier
› Size of organization (number of employees) — 20 or fewer, 21–100, 101–1,000, 1,000-plus

Additional best practices:
› Send out the initial survey 48 hours after your conference concludes. Leave it open for two weeks, max. Send no more than two reminders to those who have not responded — one week and then 24 hours before the survey closes.
› To encourage participation, consider offering an incentive.
› Test to make sure your survey is mobile friendly.
› Communicate the changes you will be making based on the feedback received.

Dave Lutz, CMP, is managing director of Velvet Chainsaw Consulting.