When most people think of event feedback, they generally think of surveys. It seems that only those who had a terrific or horrible time at the event are going to be the ones to respond to those surveys. This is good for event planners, because they are more likely to get honest answers, but it also means that they aren’t going to hear from everyone. It can be hard to get people to fill out a survey. It takes up too much time. It’s boring. It was a one-time event. Whatever their reason for not completing it, there are other ways of hearing their feelings.

Word of mouth is one of the most common ways. Especially once someone returns from an event, others are sure to ask how it went. Unfortunately, this doesn’t always get back to event planners.

In today’s technological world, social media is a place of constant feedback about everything. Most people are willing to share their opinions on Facebook and Twitter more honestly and more often than they would in person. Therefore, checking these websites can give planners an idea about what their members liked and disliked about their experience. Planners may even find photos to help promote the event next year. Getting members talking about an event online also allows people who may not have even heard about the event to see what happened during it. This helps grow the event for the future, and requires zero work from the planner.
One of the challenges of this form of feedback is being able to view it all. Unless you are friends with/follow every member that attends, it could be hard to find all the posts. Creating a specific #hashtag for your event and asking participants to use it can allow planners to immediately find posts about their event. Click here to learn about creating your own event hashtag.

Using social media for an event can keep people talking about it even after it is over. You may not get answers to your exact questions, but you are getting answers without having to actually conduct any form of questioning.