Option 1: Collect feedback after the event
In the first option, feedback is collected after the event — this is the classic and most familiar approach.
However, this often presents a problem:
Participants have already returned to their everyday lives and jobs.
By the time the email arrives, they have already finished with the event and are often no longer willing to provide feedback.
The email is deleted or forgotten. This has a negative effect on your participation rate.
What’s more, the more time that has passed since the event, the less participants remember about it.
Valuable information, such as participants’ impressions, is thus lost.
Nevertheless, collecting feedback after an event is a good method that is relatively easy to implement with easyfeedback.
To do this, simply create a feedback survey and send the invitation to participants after the event.
But there is another option, which Dennis introduces to you: gathering feedback during the event itself.
Option 2: Collect feedback during the event
If you collect feedback during the event, you have the advantage that participants are still engaged with the topic and can easily recall all their impressions.
In a seminar, it makes sense to include feedback as a fixed item on the agenda at the end of the training, for example, shortly before the closing remarks.
As a rule, all participants are still present at this point, so you can expect a very high participation rate.
Because feedback is integrated into the seminar as a fixed item on the agenda, there is an indirect “obligation” for participants to take part.
At a large event, such as a trade fair, it is somewhat more difficult to encourage participants to provide feedback, as there is no direct contact.
Nevertheless, it is worthwhile to include a feedback survey at the end of a presentation, for example, in order to filter impressions as effectively as possible.
With easyfeedback, you can easily generate a QR code.
You can then display this on a screen or projector and draw the attention of trade fair participants to it.
Participants can then simply scan the QR code with their smartphone and take part in the survey directly.
Collecting feedback at the event itself has several advantages over the traditional method of collecting feedback after the event has ended.
In particular, personal contact on site has a positive effect on the participation rate.
You should take advantage of this to obtain the feedback that is important to you.
Finally, two tips
#1 Avoid personalization
Avoid personalization unless it is explicitly necessary.
This increases the likelihood of receiving honest and constructive feedback.
This is particularly useful in small groups, such as seminars, as participants may otherwise fear being “recognized” based on their evaluation.
#2 Use incentives
To increase participation rates, you can offer small incentives for taking part.
This will boost motivation to participate and generate more feedback at your event.
In addition, you will receive the contact details of your participants when you hand over the incentive, thereby gaining new leads.
We hope you enjoyed this article and that you will soon be able to put these tips into practice.
If you are unsure which time is right for you, try both options and compare the results.
More on the topic of event and seminar surveys
- How to plan your next seminar with a survey
- The ideal structure of a seminar evaluation with a feedback sheet
- 10 ways to get feedback on your seminar
- 5 tips for evaluating your seminar feedback
- Measuring Event Success: KPIs for trade shows, seminars, workshops, and digital events
- 5 creative ways to enhance the attendee experience at events