Use automated surveys and feedback tools

ONevents allows you to conduct surveys before, during and after an event This can be used to gather structured feedback and provide a better basis for optimizing future events.

This knowledge base article shows the recommended workflow and a template that you can use for recurring events.

The goal of this feature #

With automated surveys and feedback tools, you can:

• Assessing expectations before the event
• Gather live feedback during the event
• Automatically send final feedback after the event
• Centrally evaluate results
• Improve recurring event formats using data.

Creating surveys in ONevents: Questionnaires and interactions #

In ONevents, surveys can be created and prepared in two ways:

Questionnaires #

Questionnaires are suitable for surveys that should be available over a longer period of time.

Typical areas of application:

• Preliminary surveys before the event
• Final feedback after the event
• Feedback links that remain available for several days

Interactions #

Interactions are suitable for live polls during the event.

They can be used on a timer or live:

• sent out during a session
• displayed for a specific period of time
• Withdrawn again if necessary

Typical areas of application:

• Live feedback on presentations
• spontaneous questions during the program
• short polls or mood gauges

A notice: In practice, both variants are often combined:
Questionnaires for longer feedback phases and interactions for live moments during the event.

Typical areas of application #

This feature is especially helpful for:

• Event manager
• HR and training managers
• Agencies with recurring event formats
• internal events and training

Recommended Workflow #

1. Define the goal of the survey #

First, define what you want to measure. Examples:

• Participant satisfaction
• Quality of individual sessions
• Organization and procedure
• technical quality (platform, audio, check-in)
• Suggested topics for future events

A notice: The clearer the goal, the better the questions and the subsequent evaluation.

2. Create and save the survey template in your own space. #

For recurring events, a template is recommended.
You can use your survey templates create and save directly in your own space. When creating a new event, you can then select the appropriate template. simply reload and adjust as needed.

Depending on the use case, you can use templates as questionnaire or as interaction prepare.

Advantages of using a template in your own space:

• Faster setup of new events
• consistent quality
• Improved comparability across multiple events
• Templates remain organized and available in their own space.

3. Structure surveys according to event phase #

A 3-phase setup is recommended.

Phase A: Before the event (asking about expectations) #

Do you usually use a questionnaire, in order to understand expectations and interests.

Examples:

• Which topics are particularly relevant to you?
• What would you like to take away from the event?
• Are there any specific questions or requirements?

Phase B: During the event (live feedback) #

Use Interactions for short surveys on individual sessions or program items.

Interactions can be broadcast live and withdrawn if necessary.

Examples:

• How would you rate this session?
• Was the content understandable?
• Would you like to learn more about this topic?

Phase C: After the event (final feedback) #

Use a questionnaire for the final feedback and send it automatically after the event.

Examples:

• How satisfied were you overall?
• How do you rate the organization, content, and technology?
• What should we improve next time?

4. Set up automations #

Set up the surveys so that they are automatically displayed or sent.

Typical variations:

• Before the event (questionnaire): Link in registration confirmation or reminder
• During the event (interaction): Play live in the event web app or make it available via QR code
• After the event (questionnaire): Automatic dispatch after the event ends (e.g., a few hours later)

Best Practice: Use clear timeframes to ensure a high response rate.

5. Evaluate the results #

After the responses are sent, they are collected centrally and can be evaluated.

Pay particular attention to:

• average ratings per session
• recurring criticisms
• Differences between target groups
• Frequently mentioned suggestions for improvement

6. Derive measures #

Derive concrete improvements from the results.

Recommended procedure:

1. Check results
2. Record the top 3 learnings
3. Define responsibilities
4. Implement changes in the next event
5. Compare results at the next event

This creates a continuous improvement process.

Examples of automated event surveys #

These examples can be used as a basis for a reusable survey structure.
Place the template in your own space Please delete them so you can reload them for future events.

Recommendation for implementation in ONevents:

• Before the event: as questionnaire
• During the event: as interaction
• After the event: as questionnaire

A) Pre-event expectation survey (questionnaire) #

Goal: Better tailor content to participants

Example questions:

1. Which topics interest you most? (Multiple selection)
2. What are your expectations for this event? (Free text)
3. How would you rate your prior knowledge? (Scale 1–5)
4. Are there any questions we should address at the event? (Free text)

B) During the event – live feedback per session (interaction) #

Goal: Measuring the quality of individual program items

Example questions:

1. How would you rate this session overall? (Scale 1–5)
2. How relevant was the content to you? (Scale 1–5)
3. Was the session presented in an understandable way? (Yes/No + optional free text)
4. What was particularly helpful? (Free text)
5. What should we improve? (Free text)

C) After the event – final feedback (questionnaire) #

Goal: Assess overall quality and identify potential for optimization

Example questions:

1. How satisfied were you with the event overall? (Scale 1–10)
2. How do you rate the organization? (Scale 1–5)
3. How do you rate the content and presentations? (Scale 1–5)
4. How do you rate the technology/platform/process? (Scale 1–5)
5. Would you recommend this event? (Yes/No or NPS)
6. What did you particularly enjoy? (Free text)
7. What can we do better next time? (Free text)

Best Practices #

For a good response rate and usable data:

• Keep surveys short (5-8 questions)
• Consider mobile usage
• Use clear language
• Use questionnaires for longer availability
• Targeted live interactions and withdraw them if necessary
• Display surveys directly after relevant moments
• Explain the purpose to participants ("Your feedback will improve the next event")
• Save templates for recurring events in your own space

Avoid common mistakes #

• Too many questions: leads to terminations
• Just a final survey: Important live impressions are lost.
• No clear objective: The results are difficult to evaluate.
• Incorrect format selected: e.g. live questions as a long questionnaire instead of interaction
• Do not derive any actions from feedback: Feedback goes unused

Result #

With the ONevents workflow for automated surveys and feedback tools, you get a seamless process for:

• Data collection before, during and after the event
• Use of Questionnaires and Interactions depending on the use case
• automated delivery and live playback
• structured evaluation
• continuous optimization of future events

If you regularly conduct events or training sessions, it's advisable to work with fixed templates in your own space. This allows you to repeatedly load proven questionnaires and interactions for new events and evaluate them consistently.