It’s easy to get overwhelmed when planning the second event in a series. The pressure will be on to make everything bigger and better.
There is one thing in your corner that will make planning that little bit easier than the first time round – data. Your first event was a chance to collect information about what worked and what didn’t, as well as get hints as to what people want next.
There are two types of data that you can use in your planning: qualitative and quantitative.
Quantitative data is the easiest type of data to analyze. It’s based on cold, hard numbers that you can start analyzing straight away.
Qualitative data is a little harder to analyze. It’s data based on opinions and thoughts, so it’s more difficult to group together into trends. However, you’ll often get much stronger insights from this information as to why something is happening.
In order to get the most out of the data you’ve collected, you’ll need to use both types. The two data sets complement each other, with qualitative data showing you what people thought of your event and what they want next, and quantitative data highlighting areas you need to prioritize.
With that in mind, here are six sources of data you need to use to make your next event an even bigger success.
Qualitative source #1: Feedback surveys
No matter how tired you are post-event, never skip sending out a feedback survey at the end. Whether it’s as attendees are leaving or by email a few days later, people are likely to respond while the event is still fresh in their mind.
With these surveys, it’s a great time to ask what your customers felt worked well and as equally important – what didn’t. You’ll likely get a wide range of answers, including those you’d never considered previously. That’s one of the benefits of qualitative data.
Qualitative source #2: Social media
The last time you ran an event, did you have your very own hashtag? If so, there’s a wealth of data waiting for you on social media.
Make note of what people are saying about your event; was it positive or negative? More specifically, what aspects of the event were they talking about?
One of the great things about social media is that you’ll get feedback from people who were unable to attend too, simply through the interactions they have with attendees live tweeting. Can you figure out from their responses why they didn’t attend and is it something you can change in the future? An obvious barrier might have been the pricing or the timing.
Qualitative source #3: Conversations
Throughout all of the qualitative data sources that we’ve discussed so far, there’s been a common theme – simply asking people what they thought. You’ll get some of the most valuable feedback if you straight up ask for the information, and what better way to do it than by just talking to attendees?
One essential tip, however, is to be wary of compliments. Just because someone’s telling you your event is ‘great’ doesn’t necessarily mean that’s what they really think. Differentiate between ‘compliments’ and ‘commitments’. Instead of asking them what they thought, ask them if they’ll come back next year.
Quantitative source #1: Attendance numbers
Compare the number of registrants you got to the number of attendees you had. While some people might have simply had a last minute change of plan, if there’s a big difference it may be that your event was marketed well, but wasn’t exciting enough to get people to actually go.
If you’re running a conference you may have had several workshops running during the day. Check out the attendance numbers of each and you’ll be able to see which topic was the most popular. Perhaps you could delve into more detail on that topic in future conferences and workshops?
Quantitative source #2: Event traffic
Keeping track of which areas of your event were heavily trafficked will tell you what your customers are interested in. At your exhibition, was there a particular exhibit that drew the most attention. Could you expand on the themes that exhibit explored? Or work with that team to create a brand new event?
It’s also not just about topics either. How did that particular exhibit showcase themselves? Was it because they were getting attendees involved in an activity as opposed to just lecturing them? Take inspiration and use that next time.
Quantitative source #3: Your content’s engagement
The last source of data is often overlooked despite being such an obvious choice. Most businesses these days have some form of online presence, whether it’s a website or on social media. As with all the data sources we’ve discussed, the content that you share will give you some kind of indication as to what your audience is interested in.
Don’t simply look at the content that got the most views, but the content that also got the most engagement. Are there themes to be pulled out in terms of topics, format and so on.
For your website, log into Google Analytics and check out the following metrics:
- Bounce Rate
- Average Time on Site
- Conversion Rate (if you have something to convert to)
If you’re looking at social posts, visit the respective analytics tool and check out the engagement rates. How many people commented, liked or shared your posts?
These six data sources are the minimum for most events. To learn how to gather even more data to power your event, check out 9 Event Reports to Harness Your Event Data.
