Event Debrief Questions to Review
What is 'Debriefing'?
Debriefing is the process of assessing an event after it has taken place. It requires surveying participants for feedback and conducting a staff meeting to discuss what went well, what didn't, and how to improve for future events.
An event debrief survey can be used to gather opinions and reactions from attendees, while a staff meeting is more about analyzing key performance indicators, determining successes and challenges, and brainstorming potential solutions. This two-pronged approach allows event organizers to gain valuable insight into their events that they can use to make improvements in the future.
What should you include in your event debrief?
When conducting an event debrief, covering various topics related to the event's success or failure is vital. Start by evaluating the event's overall goal and how well it was achieved. In addition, assess the quality of the speakers, materials, and provided activities and if they met attendees' expectations. Finally, consider asking core questions about attendee satisfaction, technical difficulties encountered during the event, and open-ended questions like ways to improve future events.
Additionally, it is essential to gather feedback from staff members on their experience running the event and any challenges they faced. Finally, address any questions or comments from participants, as this will provide valuable insight into what could be done differently for future events. By considering all these elements in your debrief discussion, you can ensure that your next event will be even more successful than before with this valuable feedback.
Goals, Objectives, and KPIs
When planning a successful event, it is essential to clearly define its goals and original event objectives and the key performance indicators (KPIs) that will be used to measure its success. Goals are general statements about what you want to achieve from the event, such as increasing brand awareness or creating new business opportunities. Objectives are more specific targets you want to reach to accomplish your goal, such as attracting a certain number of attendees or achieving a certain level of engagement.
Finally, event KPIs are measurements showing whether or not you have reached your objectives. Examples include tracking attendance numbers and collecting participant feedback through surveys and polls. Considering these steps when planning an event, you can increase your chances of delivering a successful outcome.
Main Achievements
When evaluating an event's success, it is important to look at the main achievements that have been accomplished. This includes tracking total registrants, attendees, marketing qualified leads (MQLs), attendee satisfaction (via NPS scores), and measuring annual recurring revenue (ARR) generated from the event. By looking at these figures, you can clearly understand how successful the event was in meeting its goals and objectives.
Additionally, qualitative feedback from participants can help you to learn more about areas where improvements could be made to increase attendee engagement and satisfaction in future events. By considering both quantitative and qualitative data when assessing the success of an event, you can ensure that your next event is even more successful than the last one.
What Went Well?
When evaluating the success of an event, it is essential to look at what went well. This includes tracking attendee engagement metrics such as session attendance and how participants rated their overall experience. In addition, qualitative feedback from attendees and staff can provide valuable insights into areas where the event was successful and could be improved. Finally, consider the return on investment (ROI) generated from the event. This can help you understand if your efforts paid off while also helping you identify areas where improvements could be made to increase ROI in the future.
What Could Have Gone Better?
When assessing what could have gone better at an event, it is important to prioritize areas that need improvement. This can include feedback from attendees and staff regarding the overall experience and tracking engagement metrics such as session attendance. Additionally, look for potential problems during the event, such as technical issues or logistical difficulties.
If there were any unexpected costs or challenges, document them to avoid them in the future. Lastly, consider if there is room for improvement regarding ROI and how this may vary based on different scenarios. By considering all of these factors when evaluating what could have gone better with an event, you can ensure that your next event runs more smoothly and efficiently.
Attendee Demographics
Attendee demographics are an important factor to consider when planning any event. Knowing your target audience can help you ensure you're marketing your event effectively and reaching the right people. Additionally, tracking attendee demographics can also be used to ensure that your events are inclusive and diverse. You can use various methods, such as surveys, interviews, or even social media analytics, to collect demographic data about attendees before and after the event. Tracking this information over time will help you better understand how your events resonate with different audiences, allowing you to adjust and improve future events accordingly.
Engagement Metrics
Engagement metrics are key to evaluating the success of any event. This data helps organizers understand which activities or topics resonated most with their audience, allowing them to adjust and improve the overall experience. Common engagement metrics include session attendance, time spent at exhibitor booths, social media interactions, and survey responses.
Additionally, tracking how many attendees complete registration forms or check-ins is a great way to measure how successful your marketing efforts were leading up to the event. Examining this data can help you determine what worked and didn't work for your event so that you can better plan for future events.
Return on Investment (ROI)
Return on Investment (ROI) is a performance metric used to measure the success of an event. It is calculated by subtracting the cost of running the event from the total revenue generated and then dividing it by the cost of running the event. ROI helps organizers assess their events in terms of profitability and gives them an understanding of their efforts' success. It can also be used to compare various events to determine the most profitable ones.
When analyzing ROI metrics, organizers should consider direct and indirect costs associated with running their events, such as staff salaries, venue rentals, marketing expenses, and overhead costs. Knowing your ROI will help you make better decisions regarding future events and ensure your investments pay off.
What Should We Stop, Start or Change Next Time?
Any successful event should continually evolve to meet its participants' needs. To ensure that your events are running smoothly and providing the maximum benefit, it's important to take a step back and analyze what worked, what didn't, and where improvements can be made.
Ask yourself: What should we stop doing? What should we start doing? What changes can we make next time? This review process allows you to identify areas for improvement, focus on activities that drive success, and prepare for future events. It also helps you determine which processes need streamlining, which initiatives have been successful in the past, and what new approaches may be worth trying. Taking a critical look at all aspects of your event will ensure that it continues to grow and remain relevant.
Host an Event Debrief After Every Event
Hosting an event debrief meeting after every event is essential to ensure that your events run smoothly and provide maximum benefit. It's a great way for event planners to ask critical questions, collect feedback from their team, identify improvement areas, and recognize success. A successful debrief should begin by asking yourself: What worked? What didn't? What changes can we make next time? Once you've reviewed these questions, discussing the answers with your team to develop solutions or new approaches for future events is important.
Finally, it's helpful to document the outcomes of the debrief so that everyone is on the same page moving forward. By following this process, you'll be able to host more effective events and ensure that they continue to grow and remain relevant in the future.
Event Promotion 
Your All-in-One Event Management Platform
Host Events with Ease! Events.org's comprehensive event management platform makes it easy to optimize, automate and maximize your organization's entire charitable event calendar.Events.org Benefits:
✓ Simple, Affordable Pricing for Paid Events: $1 per Transaction!
✓ FREE Events are always FREE
✓ Host & Manage Any Event
✓ Dedicated Customer Support
✓ Branded Event & Donation Pages
✓ Donor and Contacts Management (CRM)
✓ Membership Management
✓ Conference Management
✓ Volunteer Management
BONUS: Free access to the iBid's Mobile Auction AutoPilot™ - This automation tool saves you time & stress while streamlining auction tasks. Manage auction items and payment processing, including express checkout & digital receipts!
