Post-event survey questions: ask with a QR code before people leave
The questions to ask at the end of an event, why a QR code on the table gets more answers than an email next week, and how to read them fast.
Ashik Salman P
· 3 min read
The best time to ask post-event survey questions is before people leave the room. Put a QR code on the table or the last slide, ask two to five questions, and you'll get more answers, and more honest ones, than an email survey sent the following week.
Why in the room beats next week
A week after an event, attendees remember the coffee and the commute. In the room, they remember the session that ran over and the speaker they want to hear again. Answers are also far more numerous: a QR code on every table reaches everyone who's still there, while an emailed survey competes with a full inbox.
The one condition: it has to take a couple of minutes, on the phone already in their hand, with nothing to sign into.
Eight post-event survey questions that work
Pick four or five. The open question at the end is the one to keep.
- How likely are you to recommend this event to a colleague? (0–10). This is your NPS, and it's comparable from one event to the next.
- How would you rate each session? One grid with a row per session, rather than the same question asked eight times.
- How useful was the event for your work? (1–5)
- Which session was most worth your time? (choose one)
- How was the venue? (1–5)
- How was registration and check-in? (1–5)
- Would you come back next year? (yes / maybe / no)
- What's one thing we should change for next time? (open)
The grid in question 2 matters more than it looks. Attendees answer a single screen of ratings quickly; they abandon a form that asks "how was session 3?" for the eighth time.
Where to put the QR code
| Placement | Best for | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Table card | Conferences, dinners, workshops | One per table, at eye level, not under the cutlery |
| Last slide | Talks and webinars | Leave it up while people pack up |
| Badge or lanyard | Multi-day events | Same link all week; answers can arrive any time |
| Exit door or screen | Open venues, exhibitions | Large print, with a one-line reason to scan |
Say why you're asking. "Two minutes, and it decides next year's program" gets more scans than a bare code.
Reading it the same evening
The scores are ready as soon as people answer. The written answers are the slow part, and the part your debrief actually needs: what nearly went wrong, what people loved, what they want more of.
AqiloPulse reads each written answer as it lands and groups them into themes with real counts, so by the time the room is cleared you can see that "registration" came up 47 times and "the workshop ran short" came up twelve. It reads answers in the language people typed them, too, which matters at events where the audience writes in more than one. See how mixed-language answers are read.
To start, use the Post-event, Workshop or Conference day template and print its QR code straight from the share page.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a post-event survey be?
Two to five questions, answerable in about two minutes. Every question past that loses a share of the people who started.
Do attendees need to sign in to answer?
Not with AqiloPulse. They scan the code, answer, and they're done. Nothing ties an answer to a person unless your questions ask who they are.
Related reading: employee pulse survey questions and how to analyze open-ended survey responses.