16 Ways to Collect Event Feedback That Encourage Participation

The importance of feedback at an event cannot be emphasized enough! 

You need insights from all your stakeholders, whether they’re attendees, exhibitors, or sponsors.

Otherwise, how will you know if your event actually made an impact? More importantly, on what basis will you make improvements in the future?

However, there is a catch: getting attendees to share their feedback is not easy.

They often find it a hassle to complete the long, boring survey forms, which is one reason why post-event survey emails have such low open rates.

How do you deal with it?

Well, there are a lot of creative ways you can get the feedback flowing. 

Want to know how? Dig in to find the best ones!

16 Creative Ways to Collect Feedback at Events

1. Get Instant Insights with On-the-Spot Polls

Once an activity or a session ends, people tend to drift away. They may also forget how they felt during the session or the information they gained.

A great way to get insights while their memory is fresh is to engage them with quick polls. 

These polls can be as simple as asking attendees to rate a talk from 1–10 or choose their favorite session topic. 

You can also display the results on a large screen in real-time. This way, attendees can see what everyone’s feeling and a sense of competition will motivate them to participate in the activity. 

Event tech platforms like vFairs enable you to conduct these polls instantly during various sessions.

2. Tap into Thoughts with the Event App

If you want to maximize high-quality feedback, your strategy should center on the audience’s convenience.

Many events today offer dedicated event apps that include everything from an agenda to interactive floor plans for the sake of convenience.

We recently interviewed Vanessa Lovatt, an expert in the events industry. She emphasized the benefits of mobile apps for providing an enhanced event experience. She also mentioned how they’re suitable for collecting instant feedback.

It's hard to imagine that a conference of a certain size doesn’t have an app because it just has so many benefits.

Vanessa Lovatt

Founder of Event Tech World

You can leverage the event app to include surveys, live Q&As, or short and interactive polls. 

The best part is that you can also set up push notifications on the event app that constantly remind people to fill out the feedback form. Getting a little creative with the notifications’ copy will help you grab the audience’s attention.

This way, you offer a frictionless way for people to turn in their feedback on a platform where they are already engaged.

In case you’re wondering what questions you can ask on the event app, here are some examples of event evaluation questions:

• On a scale of 1-10, how satisfied were you with the event overall?
• What was your favorite part of the event, and why?
• Was the event length appropriate? Too long, too short, or just right?
• How likely are you to attend our next event?
• Which session did you find the most valuable, and why?
• Were the speakers engaging and knowledgeable? (Yes/No)
• What topics would you like to see covered in future events?
• How would you rate the event venue in terms of accessibility and comfort?
• Was the check-in process smooth and efficient? (Yes/No)
• Did you have enough opportunities to network with other attendees?

3. Hit Those Happy or Crappy Buttons!

You want to keep track of the sentiments of people throughout the event. 

One of the creative ways to get feedback is to install emoticon-based feedback screens across the venue. People can rate their experience by hitting the emoticon that best describes how they feel. 

This is an engaging and simple way to collect feedback in high volume and with minimal hassle.  

4. Turn Feedback into Fun and Games

Who doesn’t like hitting two targets with a single arrow? 

By including gamification elements in your event, you can not only engage your audience but also collect feedback at the same time.

The question is how you can go about it. 

Well, consider designing a game where attendees earn points or badges each time they complete a survey, leave a comment, or participate in a poll. You might even incorporate a leaderboard or reward system, offering small prizes or recognition for frequent contributors. This way, you get great insights with fun feedback activities.

The key here is to opt for the right event technology provider so that the process is smooth. A small glitch can ruin the mood big time. 

vFairs event management platform supports various gamification options for in-person and virtual events. Whether you want a leaderboard or host a nail-biting scavenger hunt, we’ve got you covered.

5. Capture Emotions with Wearable Technology

Do you know about the #FeelWimbledon campaign?

Jaguar implemented biometric wristbands across the Wimbledon Championships to monitor audience emotions in real time. Fans could access live updates on crowd emotions through Jaguar’s UK social media channels and the dedicated website.

This not only engaged audiences by providing a multi-sensory experience but also allowed Jaguar to capture insights about attendee behavior.

Likewise, you can also make use of wearable technology to collect behavioral insights. These devices include RFID-enabled wristbands or badges, smart watches, AR/VR headsets, and more.

Pro-tip: Pair passive data like that collected from wearable tech or wristbands with active data like surveys, feedback, etc. This allows you to paint a holistic picture of audience behavior and perception during the event.

Passive data collection and active data collection both have pros and cons, but together they’re a winning combination.

Nick Borelli

Founder of Zenus AI

6. Exit Badge Baskets

What’s something you know people would do once they enter your event?

Duh! They’ll exit!

While they do, you can place different exit baskets where attendees can submit their badges. Each basket can represent the overall experience of the attendees. For example, great, mediocre, and bad.

This way, you can create a natural feedback loop that has a high submission rate and low effort for you.

7. Bribe them, but Ethically: Discounts = Honest Feedback

People value their time a lot.

Make the post-event review process a rewarding experience that adds value to people’s lives.

Offer different kinds of rewards for filling out a post-event survey, such as exclusive access to event content, discounts on upcoming events, access to gift vouchers, and whatnot. Get as creative as you can with the rewards.

8. Empower Staff to Gather Gold

Events are all about forming human connections. Your event staff and volunteers are in a prime position to collect genuine, in-the-moment feedback. 

Train them to ask open-ended questions and record insights as attendees mingle or exit sessions. Equip them with tablets or mobile devices pre-loaded with short survey forms so they can capture details on the fly. 

This approach often leads to more nuanced and meaningful responses that automated systems are likely to miss. Plus, you can always use those insights to improve the event experience immediately.

9. More Channels = More Opinions

People have different ways of expressing themselves. Some like to express themselves through talking, some through writing, and some just want to be anonymous. 

It’s your job to facilitate multiple channels to provide feedback. This way, people can select the method they’re most comfortable with.

Some common event feedback examples include online forms, paper surveys, audio/video submissions, or feedback boxes.

Make sure the QR codes that link to the online forms are present throughout the event venue. This way, they can access the forms on the go.

Another effective tool for gathering feedback is the classic comment card. These can be handed to attendees at strategic points throughout the event or placed in key locations.

Comment Card Examples:

• Quick Rating: A simple scale (1-5) asking attendees to rate specific sessions, speakers, or overall event experience.
• Open Feedback: “What did you enjoy most about today’s session?” or “What improvements would you suggest for next year’s event?”
• Session-Specific Questions: For example, “How relevant was the content to your current challenges?” or “Was the session format engaging?”
  

10. Host a Session for Honest Talk

As discussed before, traditional feedback forms do not capture nuanced feedback. 

A great way to collect more thoughtful conference feedback, or event-related insights in general, is to host sessions dedicated to discussions and brainstorming. This could be a moderated roundtable discussion, a town hall meeting, or even a casual coffee chat. 

The key is to create an environment where participants feel safe to speak. 

The sessions can be conducted for both online and virtual events. With the vFairs event management platform, you can host immersive virtual events that support different meeting formats like roundtable discussions, breakout sessions, and more.

11. Let AI Chatbots Break the Ice

AI chatbots are capable of providing a personalized chat experience based on the interests of the attendees. This is why they are perfect for collecting feedback in an interactive and personalized way.

You can incorporate AI chatbots in the mobile app or the event platform. The bot can ask personalized questions based on the sessions they attended, people they networked with, etc. 

Since these conversations are quite casual, it is a great opportunity to get candid feedback, anytime.

12. Create a Wall of Words

Having a feedback wall or a board is an evergreen method of gathering feedback that gets everyone excited!

Whether it’s a physical board in the event lobby or a live digital display, invite attendees to write down event reviews, suggestions, or memorable moments on sticky notes or digital posts.

This is one of those fun feedback exercises that allows attendees to get as creative as they can. Some people express themselves through simple comments, and some go overboard and make funny drawings just to communicate their emotions. It becomes a communal activity that sparks communication among the attendees as well. 

At the end, you’ll have a live document of the event’s impact that’ll serve as an inspiration for your future events.

13. Collect Raw Video Testimonials

Words are good, but what’s better?

Raw, unfiltered videos!

However, it can be a little challenging to convince people to share video testimonials. 

You can take two approaches to collect video feedback.

First, you can set up a dedicated booth or designated area where attendees can record short video testimonials. To make the process easier, you can provide several prompts to guide their responses, such as “What was your favorite moment today?” or “How can we make next year even better?

Second, you can assign a dedicated team to walk around and conduct spontaneous, on-the-spot interviews.

Later, you can leverage this feedback to not only drive insights but also share it on social media to build authenticity and hype around your event. However, ensure you take audience’s consent before promoting it on digital media.

Here’s an example of how we captured customer feedback during an event. The responses are authentic, unfiltered, and straight to the point.

14. Facilitate Discussions During Networking Hours

Attendees often prefer candid conversations to formal surveys. This makes networking hours a prime time to collect feedback. 

Assign event staff or volunteers to actively mingle with attendees and ask open-ended questions. For example, “What’s been your favorite part of the event so far?” or “Is there anything we could improve?”.

A smart way to go about it is to position staff near coffee stations, lounge areas, or exhibit booths. These are the places where people naturally gather and feel comfortable chatting. 

15. Leverage Social Media Communities

Nothing gets people talking like social media.

Create a social media community on platforms like Facebook, Discord, and LinkedIn that is dedicated to your event. You can encourage attendees to join this group to share their thoughts, connect with other people joining, and stay updated about the event.

These communities can become a great source of capturing unfiltered conversations among attendees.

You can also encourage attendees to post under specific event-related hashtags so you can easily consolidate feedback across different platforms in no time.

16. Keep Emails Personal, Not Robotic

Finally, when the event ends, and you’re rolling out your conference feedback survey through email, make sure, it’s not another boring email in their inbox.

Personalize the emails by addressing recipients by name and referencing specific parts of the event. Use a friendly tone and ask open-ended questions that invite thoughtful responses. 

With vFairs, you can send personalized emails to different audience segments. Fun fact, you don’t even have to write the emails if you don’t want to. With vFairs AI writing assistant, you can draft relevant emails within seconds. 

Final Things to Remember to Get It Right

At the heart of feedback collection is your audience’s experience—it should enhance, not interrupt, their time at your event

Do not go overboard with feedback collection, such that it becomes annoying for the attendees. 

The key is balance. Choose a mix of methods that cater to different attendee preferences without overwhelming them. 

For example, if you’re already conducting video testimonials and in-depth feedback sessions, adding another structured discussion during networking breaks might feel excessive. 

Instead, complement high-effort methods with lighter, frictionless options like emoji-based quick reactions or QR-scannable polls. 

This way, attendees feel heard rather than burdened. Finally, once someone shares their feedback, show loads of gratitude and kindness, and tell them how much it means to you!

Head to this event-planning guide to set things like feedback collection in the right order from the very start.

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