Planning to start your events back up after the long COVID-19 shutdown? Amazing! Before you spend money setting up any events, though, we recommend you reach out to your potential attendees and test the water to see how ready they actually are to join you.

A lot of you still have questions about pivoting to completely virtual events. Are your attendees interested in that approach? Others of you might want to run a hybrid event. Are you properly equipped for it? Can your vendors help you with the production? Do your attendees feel comfortable engaging virtually? Does it serve the purpose? Do they gain value from your event? Most importantly, are your participants confident about your safety measures to step out and actually show up in person? Knowing the answers to these questions means you can make an informed decision as you proceed with your event instead of rushing into things blindly. Most importantly, successful event strategies depend upon the satisfaction of all your stakeholders.

Event surveys are the best ways to measure satisfaction levels and involve everyone in your decision-making process. In one of our blogs, we covered tips on how to draft your survey questions and examined the goal of sending out a survey form. Today we've put together some sample survey templates you can use for your attendees, exhibitors, speakers, and vendors.

Before we dive into the templates, here are some of the common question formats one can use in a survey:

• Dichotomous questions: Yes/No questions

• Multiple choice: Predefined choices

• Likert scale: On a scale of most likable to least likable

• Rating scale: On a scale of 0 to 10

• Matrix: Range of options, each with a scale/weightage

• Open-ended: A question that requires an elaborate answer

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Sample survey questions for your past attendees 

Have you attended [event name] before? If yes, which year(s)?

[Multiple choice]

Have you attended any virtual events in the past? If yes, how engaging was it?

◻ Very engaging

◻ Engaging

◻ Neutral

◻ Boring

◻ Very boring

What are the things that make a virtual event engaging for you?

◻ One-to-one sessions

◻ Random matchups

◻ Breakup sessions

◻ Chat with speaker

◻ Video sessions with speakers

◻ Other (mention any)

Apart from meeting people in person, what are the other things you miss about the live event?

[Text box]

On a scale of 0-10, how would you rate the speakers from your previous event?

In our next event, which format would you prefer?

◻ In-person

◻ Virtual

What is the most important thing you expect from an event?

◻ Finding leads for my business

◻ Learning new business opportunities

◻ Creating brand awareness

◻ Building my network

◻ Other [Please specify]

On a scale of 0-10, how confident are you in attending [event-name] in person with all the health and safety measures in place?

Sample  survey questions for sponsors  

How impactful have online events been for your business?

◻ Very effective

◻ Effective

◻ Neutral

◻ Ineffective

◻ Very ineffective

What do you like about online events?

[Text box]

What do you dislike about online events?

[Text box]

Which event format brings more visibility to your brand?

◻ Online

◻ Offline

On a scale of 0-10, how relevant was the audience at the last event?

On a scale of 0-10, how effective were the previous sponsorship avenues?

Do you have any suggestions for avenues to bring more visibility for your brand?

[Text]

How confident are you about attendees turning up for the in-person event after COVID-19?

◻ Pretty certain

◻ Certain

◻ Neutral

◻ Uncertain

◻ Very uncertain

Sample survey questions for speakers 

Have you spoken at a virtual event before?

◻ Yes

◻ No

How comfortable are you in using the virtual tools while speaking at an event?

◻ Highly comfortable

◻ Comfortable

◻ Neutral

◻ Uncomfortable

◻ Highly uncomfortable

What are the ways through which you engage with your audience in a virtual event?

[Text box]

What are some things you'd like to see in the virtual tool you use at the next event?

[Text box]

Do you find your audience relevant to your industry?

◻ Yes

◻ No

Are there audiences from other industries you think would be relevant to your speeches?

[Text-box]

On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate the promotions of your sessions at past events?

Do you suggest any other avenue for promoting your sessions?

[Text-box]

On a scale of 0-10, how confident are you in speaking at the next [event-name] in person with all the health and safety measures in place?

Sample survey questions for vendors 

Do you have a Business Continuity Plan (BCP) to implement during the pandemic?

◻ Yes

◻ No

What steps have you taken to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus among employees?

[Text-box]

What are the safety, health, and hygiene models you are planning to implement for your employees and the attendees?

[Text-box]

Is there a backup plan to continue the delivery of goods and services if large portions of your team cannot participate?

◻ Yes

◻ No

How reliable is your supply chain?

In case of a site shut down due to COVID-19, what are the other backup plans you have to deliver supplies and services on time?

How comfortable are you handling the online events?

◻ Very comfortable

◻ Comfortable

◻ Neutral

◻ Uncomfortable

◻ Very uncomfortable

Are you financially prepared to run the next [event-name]?

◻ Yes

◻ No

This summarizes all the sample survey questions you could ask your stakeholders. One of the important things to remember is that people are still wary about the effects of the novel coronavirus. While you might be ready to set your business up, it's essential to understand if your other stakeholders are also as ready and confident. COVID-19 has cost a lot of people their business—understanding their financial health is important before you start pushing for event registrations. Running these surveys can help you make informed decisions about your event.

If, like us, you're more of a social person, let's connect on Twitter (@ZohoBackstage) and we'll keep you up-to-date with all the latest event news.