New York event planners know that once the conference or special event is over, the work’s not yet done. You’ll want to follow up with your event partners for feedback, including sponsors, volunteers, venue representatives, and caterers. You’ll want to follow up with your client for feedback, as well, to gauge customer satisfaction with your planning services. And there’s post-event marketing to do, thank you notes to send, and invoices to settle.
What you don’t want to forget about during this post-event period are the guests’ experiences. And it’s the post-event survey that can help you do just that. Here’s why it’s important for event planning professionals to always leverage the post-event survey.
Calculate Your Net Promoter Score
You may not run your business on Net Promoter Scores, but they are essential in rating the success of some events. The purpose of the NPS is to measure just how much value your attendees believed they received from your event. And for annual events, corporate conferences, and trade shows, these types of loyalty metrics are important if you hope to see guests return.
It’s a one to ten scale, rooted around the post-event question, “how likely would you recommend this event to others?” Surveys assign scores based on the responses, assigning each participant as a promoter, a detractor, or a passive.
The math looks like this: Percentage of Yes – Percentage of No
As an example, if 10% of your guests are detractors, 30% register as passive, and 60% are promoters, your NPS calculation would be: 60 – 10 = NPS of 50.
When the ultimate goal of your event is to not only create value but also foster an environment of loyalty among attendees, the NPS is a great post-event survey to consider.
Identify Event Areas for Improvement
For any type of New York event you plan, receiving insights about areas for improvement is mission-critical. A simple post-event survey of questions asking about how guests would rate the food, the entertainment, and the ambiance can all be telling. And every suggestion you get back will allow you to make necessary changes for even better future events.
Guest Speaker Opinions Matter, Too
Don’t forget to check in with any guest appearances, guest speakers, or keynotes you have in attendance. Chances are, these folks have been to a lot of events in their given profession. And their insights could be revolutionary for you to enhance or improve your planning services. Prepare unique post-event questions for them, asking for feedback they’re more qualified to give. You’re likely reaching out to thank them anyway. Go ahead and ask them what they thought of the event experience.
See What Everyone Loved Most
When you’re routinely leveraging the post-event survey, you’ll start to spot trends. And when you recognize there are certain elements of your conference or event that everyone always raves about, you can create a list of “most valued” components. Knowing what people resonate with most will allow you to keep those aspects infused into every event you plan and lead with your best foot forward every time.
Develop New Marketing Techniques
Another advantage of post-event surveys is improved marketing techniques. When you learn how past guests felt about the engagement, it can help you develop stronger outreach plans for future events. How did this event’s attendees hear about your event? How did they RSVP? What did they enjoy most? Those answers can provide you with the intel you need to market the next one. You might even get fresh ideas for new event themes or aesthetics.
Deepen Your Audience Profile Knowledge
The guests at your event represent a captive audience. It’s an audience you might need to reference, market to, or invite to another event down the road. The post-event survey you use now can help you develop personas for these individuals and deepen your understanding of their preferences. This is especially helpful in developing more engaging experiences for them or others like them for subsequent events.
If you’re not leveraging post-event surveys, consider these reasons and key benefits. And for more event planning business insights, don’t wait to get your tickets to The Event Planner Expo 2022!
