Measuring engagement from the post-event survey

I always advocate for defining attendee engagement before you try to measure it so you know exactly what kind of event you're designing and you know exactly what questions to ask your attendees in your post-event survey.

But I know that as event professionals, we don't always get the opportunity to actually design the program or the content.

But measuring attendee engagement is key to understanding the success of an event and planning future improvements, and if you can influence the post-event survey questions, you'll lay the groundwork for having a more strategic engagement conversation next time.

Here are some tailored survey questions designed to gauge attendee engagement (a little generically, on purpose, for your future use!):

1. Overall, how engaging did you find the event?

• Options: Extremely engaging, Quite engaging, Moderately engaging, Slightly engaging, Not at all engaging

1. Which part of the event did you find most engaging, and why?

• Open-ended question

1. Was there a moment or aspect of the event that particularly captured your attention? Please describe.

• Open-ended question

1. How would you rate the opportunities provided to interact with speakers and other attendees?

• Options: Excellent, Good, Fair, Poor, Very Poor

1. Did the event’s format facilitate your engagement and participation? Why or why not?

• Open-ended question

1. How likely are you to attend future events based on your experience?

• Options: Very likely, Somewhat likely, Neutral, Somewhat unlikely, Very unlikely

1. What improvements or changes would make you more engaged in future events?

• Open-ended question

1. How satisfied were you with the networking opportunities at the event?

• Options: Very satisfied, Somewhat satisfied, Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, Somewhat dissatisfied, Very dissatisfied

1. Did you feel encouraged to participate in the event activities? Please explain.

• Open-ended question

1. On a scale from 1 to 10, how would you rate the level of interactivity during the event?

• Scale: 1 (Very Low) to 10 (Very High)

1. Did the event content spark new ideas or thoughts for you? Can you share an example?

• Open-ended question

1. How effective was the use of technology (e.g., event app, polling, Q&A sessions) in enhancing your engagement?

• Options: Very effective, Effective, Somewhat effective, Not effective, Not used

You don't have to use all of these in your survey, but I'm certain that one or two of them will give you more insight into your attendees' experience than none at all!