How to Use This Question Bank
This is a question bank, not a survey. Nobody should answer all 72 questions. Pick the survey moment and the audience first, then choose the few questions that inform a decision you actually have to make. For the rules on writing a survey from scratch, such as choosing a purpose, neutral wording and consistent scales, see our event survey template. If you want a short form you can send today, start with the event feedback form and come back here to swap questions in.
| Survey | Who answers | When to send | Suggested length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-event | Registered attendees | After registration, 2–4 weeks out | 4–6 questions |
| Session feedback | Attendees in the room | During or right after each session | 2–4 questions |
| On-site pulse | Attendees on site | Midday on day one, or at the end of each day | 1–3 questions |
| Post-event attendee | Everyone who attended | Within 1–2 days of closing | 8–12 questions |
| Exhibitor | One contact per exhibiting company | Within a week of move-out | 8–10 questions |
| Sponsor | Each sponsor's main contact | Before or with the sponsor recap | 5–7 questions |
| Speaker | Speakers and moderators | Within a week | 5–7 questions |
| Volunteer | Volunteers and temporary staff | Within a few days of their last shift | 4–6 questions |
Copy the questions you choose into whichever form tool you use. Replace the bracketed parts, such as [EVENT NAME], and change the answer options to match your event before you send anything.
Answer Formats: Scales, Multiple Choice and Open Questions
The answer format decides what you can do with the results. Rating scales give you numbers to compare across sessions and years. Multiple choice lets you split results by group, such as first-time and returning attendees. Open questions tell you why. Most good surveys are mostly ratings and multiple choice, with one or two open questions at the end.
| Format | Use it for | Example | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating scale, 1–5 | Satisfaction and quality you track from year to year | How would you rate the venue? 1 = Very poor, 5 = Excellent | Label both ends and keep the same scale throughout |
| Likelihood, 0–10 | Intent to recommend or return | How likely are you to recommend [EVENT NAME] to a colleague? | Ask it once per survey, not for every part of the event |
| Multiple choice, one answer | Facts and groups: role, first visit, how they heard | Is this your first time at [EVENT NAME]? Yes / No | Options must not overlap, and need an Other option |
| Multiple choice, several answers | Interests and reasons | Which topics interest you most? Choose up to three | Cap the number of picks so the answers mean something |
| Ranking | Priorities among a few options | Rank these four improvements from most to least important | Hard to answer on a phone, so keep it to four or five items |
| Open text | Reasons, ideas and problems you didn't predict | What is one thing we should change next year? | Every answer has to be read, so use one or two per survey |
Pre-Event Survey Questions
A pre-event survey helps you plan the program, the floor and the catering around the people who are actually coming. Send it a few weeks out, after most people have registered, and keep it short: they haven't had the experience yet, so their patience is limited. Some of these questions can sit in the registration form instead; only move them there if someone will use the answer before the event.
Pre-event survey questions 1. What is the main reason you are attending [EVENT NAME]? Multiple choice: Learn about new products or ideas / Meet suppliers or partners / Network with peers / Buy or source products / Speak, exhibit or sponsor / Other 2. Which topics are you most interested in? Choose up to three. Multiple choice: [TOPIC 1] / [TOPIC 2] / [TOPIC 3] / [TOPIC 4] / [TOPIC 5] / Other 3. Which best describes your role? Multiple choice: [ROLE OPTIONS FOR YOUR AUDIENCE] / Other 4. Is this your first time attending [EVENT NAME]? Yes / No 5. How do you plan to get to the venue? Multiple choice: Drive and park / Public transport / Taxi or rideshare / Walk / Staying at the venue hotel / Not sure yet 6. Do you have any accessibility needs or dietary requirements we should plan for? (Optional) Open text 7. Which companies or kinds of exhibitors do you hope to meet? Open text 8. What would make this event worth your time? Open text
Question 6 is worth asking even if you ask nothing else. Our post on making your event more inclusive and accessible covers what to do with the answers.
Session Feedback and On-Site Pulse Questions
Session feedback works best while people are still in their seats or walking out of the room. Ask too late and attendees mix up sessions. Keep it to two to four questions: one rating, one open question on what was useful, one on what could be better, and an optional follow-up request. Speakers value this more than anything else you can send them after the event.
Session feedback questions 1. Overall, how would you rate this session? 1 = Very poor, 2 = Poor, 3 = Fair, 4 = Good, 5 = Excellent 2. How relevant was the content to your work? 1 = Not relevant, 5 = Very relevant 3. How would you rate the speaker's delivery? 1 = Very poor, 5 = Excellent 4. Was the level right for you? Too basic / About right / Too advanced 5. What was the most useful thing you took away? Open text 6. What could have been better? Open text 7. Would you like someone to follow up with you about this session? Yes / No
An on-site pulse catches problems you can still fix the same day: a slow check-in line, a room nobody can find, a session that ran over. Ask it once, around midday on the first day or at the end of each day.
On-site pulse questions 1. How easy was check-in today? 1 = Very difficult, 5 = Very easy 2. How easy has it been to find sessions, booths and rooms? 1 = Very difficult, 5 = Very easy 3. Is there anything we can fix for you today? Open text
Post-Event Survey Questions for Attendees
The post-event attendee survey is the one most organizers mean when they say event survey. Our post-event survey template gives a ready seven-part structure; the list below is the longer set to choose from. A practical rule: the first three questions plus the two open ones make a usable survey on their own, and every question you add from the middle should cover a part of the event you are actually willing to change.
Post-event survey questions for attendees
1. Overall, how satisfied were you with [EVENT NAME]?
1 = Very dissatisfied, 5 = Very satisfied
2. Did the event help you do what you came to do?
Yes, fully / Partly / Not really
3. How likely are you to recommend [EVENT NAME] to a friend or colleague?
0 = Not at all likely, 10 = Extremely likely
4. How likely are you to attend next year?
Very unlikely / Unlikely / Not sure / Likely / Very likely
5. How would you rate the sessions overall?
1 = Very poor, 5 = Excellent
6. Which session was most valuable to you?
Open text, or a list of sessions
7. How useful was the exhibit hall for finding products, services or suppliers?
1 = Not useful, 5 = Very useful, or N/A
8. How useful were the networking opportunities?
1 = Not useful, 5 = Very useful
9. How would you rate registration and check-in?
1 = Very poor, 5 = Excellent
10. How would you rate the venue?
1 = Very poor, 5 = Excellent
11. How would you rate the food and drink?
1 = Very poor, 5 = Excellent, or N/A
12. How easy was it to find your way around?
1 = Very difficult, 5 = Very easy
13. Was the event good value for what you paid?
1 = Very poor value, 5 = Very good value
14. How did you hear about [EVENT NAME]?
Multiple choice: Colleague / Email / Social media / Search / Association or publication / Exhibitor or sponsor / Attended before / Other
15. What is one thing we should change next year?
Open text
16. What should we keep exactly as it is?
Open textIf you also ask question 3 of exhibitors, report the two scores separately. Attendees and exhibitors judge the same event by very different standards, and one blended number hides both.
Exhibitor and Sponsor Survey Questions
Exhibitors and sponsors decide whether to come back in the weeks after the show, so their survey is part of your sales cycle. Ask about the outcomes they paid for, such as leads, traffic and visibility, and about the service they received from your team. Send one survey per company to the person who booked, not to every booth staffer.
Exhibitor survey questions
1. Overall, how satisfied were you with exhibiting at [EVENT NAME]?
1 = Very dissatisfied, 5 = Very satisfied
2. Did you meet your goals for this show?
Yes / Partly / No
3. How would you rate the quality of the visitors you met?
1 = Very poor, 5 = Excellent
4. How did booth traffic compare with your expectations?
Much lower / Lower / About as expected / Higher / Much higher
5. About how many qualified leads did your team collect?
[RANGES THAT SUIT YOUR SHOW, e.g. 0–10 / 11–25 / 26–50 / 51–100 / More than 100]
6. How would you rate the exhibitor manual and pre-show communication?
1 = Very poor, 5 = Excellent
7. How would you rate move-in and move-out?
1 = Very poor, 5 = Excellent
8. How would you rate the support from our team on site?
1 = Very poor, 5 = Excellent
9. How fair was your booth location for its price?
1 = Very poor value, 5 = Very good value
10. How likely are you to exhibit at [EVENT NAME] next year?
Very unlikely / Unlikely / Not sure / Likely / Very likely
11. What would make you book a larger booth or sponsor next year?
Open text
12. What one change would most improve the show for exhibitors?
Open textSponsor surveys should check delivery against the agreement before asking about value. If a benefit was missed, you want to hear it in the survey, not in the renewal meeting. Our post on what sponsors actually get is a useful list to build question 3's options from.
Sponsor survey questions 1. How satisfied are you with your sponsorship of [EVENT NAME] overall? 1 = Very dissatisfied, 5 = Very satisfied 2. Were the benefits in your agreement delivered as described? Yes / Mostly / No (please tell us which) 3. Which benefit gave you the most value? Multiple choice: [LIST THE BENEFITS IN THEIR PACKAGE] / Other 4. How would you rate the visibility your brand received? 1 = Very poor, 5 = Excellent 5. Did the sponsorship meet your objectives? Yes / Partly / No 6. How likely are you to sponsor [EVENT NAME] next year? Very unlikely / Unlikely / Not sure / Likely / Very likely 7. What would you want included in next year's package? Open text
Exhibitors who answer question 5 with a range are telling you about their trade show ROI. Share the anonymized spread of answers with next year's prospects only if you have enough responses for it to mean something.
Speaker, Volunteer and Virtual Attendee Questions
Speakers, volunteers and online attendees are easy to forget, and each group tells you something the main survey can't. Speakers know whether the run-up to the event was organized. Volunteers know where operations broke down. Online attendees know whether your hybrid setup worked for anyone outside the room.
Speaker survey questions 1. How would you rate the support you received before the event? 1 = Very poor, 5 = Excellent 2. Was the information about your session, room, A/V and deadlines clear and on time? Yes / Partly / No 3. How well did the room setup and A/V work for your session? 1 = Very poor, 5 = Excellent 4. How would you rate the help from your room host or moderator? 1 = Very poor, 5 = Excellent, or N/A 5. Was the audience a good fit for your content? Yes / Partly / No 6. Would you like to speak at [EVENT NAME] again? Yes / Maybe / No 7. What should we change about the speaker experience? Open text
Volunteer survey questions 1. How clear was your role before your first shift? 1 = Not clear, 5 = Very clear 2. Was the training enough to do your role well? Yes / Partly / No 3. Were your shifts the right length? Too short / About right / Too long 4. Did you know who to ask for help during your shift? Yes / No 5. How likely are you to volunteer with us again? Very unlikely / Unlikely / Not sure / Likely / Very likely 6. What would have made your shift easier? Open text
Virtual and hybrid attendee questions 1. How did you attend [EVENT NAME]? In person / Online / Both 2. How would you rate the audio and video quality? 1 = Very poor, 5 = Excellent 3. How easy was it to join and move between sessions online? 1 = Very difficult, 5 = Very easy 4. How well were you able to take part, for example by asking questions or voting in polls? 1 = Not at all, 5 = Fully 5. Have you watched any recordings since the event? Yes / Not yet / No 6. What would make the online experience better? Open text
Volunteer answers feed straight into next year's rota and training. Our guide to event volunteer management covers how to act on them.
Which Questions to Pick for Your Goal
Start from the decision, then pick the questions. The table below maps common goals to the questions in this bank that inform them. If a question doesn't serve one of your goals, leave it out, however interesting the answer might be. For how these answers fit alongside attendance and revenue figures, see our post on measuring event success with key metrics.
| Your goal | Questions to pick | Ask | What the answers decide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Decide whether to run it again | Overall satisfaction, goal met, likely to return, likely to recommend | Attendees and exhibitors | Whether and in what form the event continues |
| Improve the program | Session ratings, relevance, level, most valuable session, topics of interest | Attendees and speakers | Which formats, tracks and speakers return |
| Rebook exhibitors | Lead quality, traffic, goals met, booth location value, likely to exhibit | Exhibitors | Floor layout, pricing and the rebooking offer |
| Renew sponsors | Benefits delivered, most valuable benefit, objectives met, what to add | Sponsors | Next year's packages and what to fix first |
| Fix operations | Check-in, wayfinding, venue, food, move-in and move-out, shift questions | Attendees, exhibitors and volunteers | Staffing, signage, suppliers and schedules |
| Set prices | Value for money, booth location value, what would make them spend more | Attendees and exhibitors | Ticket and booth price changes |
| Grow attendance | How they heard, first-time attendee, reason for attending, likely to recommend | Attendees, before and after | Marketing channels and messages |
| Improve the online experience | How they attended, audio and video, joining, taking part | Online and hybrid attendees | Streaming setup and online format |
Survey Question Mistakes to Avoid
Most weak survey questions fail in one of a few predictable ways. Rewriting them is usually quick. The full rules on neutral wording and scales are in our event survey template; these are the rewrites that come up most with the questions above.
| Weak question | Better question | Why |
|---|---|---|
| How great was the keynote? | How would you rate the keynote? 1–5 | Leading wording pushes ratings up |
| How satisfied were you with the venue and food? | Two separate ratings: venue, then food and drink | One answer can't cover two things |
| Did you enjoy the event? Yes / No | Overall, how satisfied were you? 1–5 | Yes or no hides the gap between fine and excellent |
| How many leads did you get? (open number) | About how many qualified leads? Ranges | Ranges are easier to answer and to compare |
| Any other comments? | What is one thing we should change next year? | A specific prompt gets specific answers |
| How was the Wi-Fi? (when you can't change the venue's network) | Leave it out, or ask what people needed to connect for | Only ask what you can act on |
If connectivity complaints come up every year, our guide to event Wi-Fi covers what you can negotiate with the venue. When results are in, write them up in an event debrief and share each audience's results with the people who can act on them.
