Event and webinar surveys are one of the most time-sensitive feedback tools there is, response rates and answer quality both drop noticeably the longer you wait after the event ends. Below are ready-to-use question sets for before, during, and after an event or webinar, organized so you can pull exactly what you need without starting from scratch.
Pre-event survey questions
- What are you most hoping to get out of this event?
- Which topics are you most interested in seeing covered?
- What's your current experience level with this subject?
- Is there a specific question you're hoping gets answered?
- How did you hear about this event?
- What format do you prefer, talks, panels, or hands-on sessions?
Post-event survey questions
- How would you rate the event overall, 1–5?
- What was the most valuable part of the event for you?
- Was there anything you expected but didn't get?
- How likely are you to attend a future event like this, 0–10?
- What could we improve for next time?
- Would you recommend this event to a colleague?
- Any speakers or sessions you'd want to see more of?
Post-webinar survey questions
- How would you rate this session, 1–5?
- Was the content pitched at the right level for you?
- What topic would you want covered in more depth next time?
- Did this session answer the questions you came with?
- Would you be interested in a follow-up session on this topic?
- How likely are you to recommend this webinar to a colleague, 0–10?
Getting the timing right
Send a post-event or post-webinar survey within 24 hours, immediately after is best. Waiting even two or three days measurably reduces both response rate and recall accuracy, people genuinely misremember details of a session within days of attending. For multi-day events, consider a very short daily pulse ("how's the event going for you so far, 1–5") in addition to a fuller survey at the end, it catches problems (a broken schedule, an underwhelming session) while there's still time to adjust, rather than only learning about them after everything has wrapped up.
Frequently asked questions
Cover three things: overall satisfaction ("how would you rate this session, 1–5"), content-specific feedback ("what topic would you want covered in more depth next time"), and a next-step signal ("would you be interested in a follow-up session on this topic"). Keep it to 3–5 questions, post-webinar surveys sent to a large audience see response rates drop fast past that length.
Within 24 hours, ideally immediately after the event ends while it's still fresh. Response rates drop noticeably each day you wait, and the quality of feedback drops too, people misremember specifics of a session within days of attending it.
Yes, if you have time to act on the results. A short pre-event survey (what topics are you most interested in, what do you hope to get out of this) lets you tailor the actual session content to what attendees want, rather than guessing. It's most valuable for events with flexible agendas, less useful if the agenda is already locked.