Planners just like you work months (or years) ahead of time toward preparing for an important event. And let’s be honest – rarely is your life simply one project at a time. But once the big day of your event has come and gone, it is essential to not only celebrate the finality of the process, but to reflect upon the success of your event. Enter the post-event report.
The post-event report is a document that summarizes the important business affair that just took place. It provides an overview of the completed event, and will typically include numbers, metrics, goals, the budget, and a snapshot of what worked during the event and what didn’t. It should be honest, forthright, and full of valuable information.
So how do you create a post-event report that’s chock full of insight? The Vendry will guide you through why this document is so crucial in the planning process and what it takes to build one.
A post-event report is a powerful tool. There are three big reasons why each planner should take a moment to reflect and produce this instrumental document after each and every event, every time.
1. Prove ROI to stakeholders and sponsors.
The post-event report showcases the success of your event to stakeholders and sponsors. This might include your company’s C-Suite or governing board, current or future exhibitors, or hopeful sponsors or presenters. The concrete data in your report will demonstrate the event’s impact on its key players, all to create “selling points” for future relationships.
2. Analyze important event data.
By pouring over attendee feedback, surveys, social media engagements, and other data, you can compile meaningful statistics that will reflect the impact of your event. Hard numbers like attendance and budget will assist in creating targeted marketing campaigns. Survey results will help in improving attendee experience for future events.
3. Improve your team’s understanding of what worked (and what didn’t) for future events.
A well-thought-out report now makes for more streamlined events in the future. Pouring over the details is well worth your time post-mortem. A careful analysis will uncover the event’s achievements as well as any shortcomings. The post-event report will be filled with valuable information that will lead to more informed decisions for either this specific event or could apply to any future events at that location, with that team, or within that city.
A post-event report is not only a “lessons learned” document – it should clearly communicate every angle of an event. It goes without saying that this report should be crisp and concise, and free of any grammatical or spelling errors.
A thorough post-event report should answer these questions:
· Overall summary – What was the event’s goal, objectives, framework, and outcomes?
· Event Metrics – How many attended? What was the media coverage? What were the social media engagements? What revenue was generated?
· Demographics – Who attended? What were their behaviors while on-site? What feedback did we collect from them?
· Survey compilation – What is the data from attendees? Additionally, what feedback did the sponsors or stakeholder provide?
· Marketing elements – What methods were used to promote the event, both before and during?
· Success and shortcomings – What highlights were there? What surprised the team? What can be improved upon for next time?
· Conclusion – How do we summarize this event and make recommendations for the future?
Your event is over and now it’s time to applaud, assess, and analyze. It is important to note that work on a post-event report is best done as soon as possible after the conclusion of an event, for obvious reasons. Carve out time with the team to discuss and examine, and then begin building your post-event report utilizing the following steps.
Step 1 - Gather Data
Without any data, there’s no tangible information for your report. Attendee headcount, budget, expense reports, and surveys are all numbers or information that should be gathered and accounted for. Qualitative or quantitative, it should be assembled for your report.
Step 2 – Analyze Data
Presenting your findings in a clear and concise manner is not only necessary, it is so appreciated to those who are looking for an overview of the event. Consider charts, graphs, or tables to lay out the information in a digestible way.
Step 3 – Relate the Experience to Previous Events
Trends and patterns will reveal themselves if you hold up this current event’s data to past events. And it doesn’t always have to be past events you have hosted – it is often helpful to compare your findings to the industry as a whole. With any luck, your event should show in improvement, perhaps in attendee count or enhanced survey scores. This practice also helps you set realistic goals for future events. Comparing might even help uncover data that requires a bit more digging to find answers.
Step 4 – Pen to Paper
When writing your report, be certain to make it thoughtful, engaging, and concise. Make your point clearly and try not to overwhelm. As previously mentioned, a good-looking graph, chart, or event photograph might get your point across in a more succinct way.
Step 5 – Proof
Many important eyes will be on this document, so be sure to have your team members review it. Welcome input. Make certain the report presents as clean and error-free.
Step 6 – Share with the Stakeholders
A debrief session with stakeholders and sponsors is a key step that will allow you to glean insight off of those making the big decisions. But before you sit down, it is recommended to share the physical report with stakeholders. This allows them the opportunity to digest the information and come prepared with questions for you and your team.
Step 7 – Meet with the Stakeholders
Whether in person, on a call, or virtually, meeting with stakeholders and taking in their feedback will only help you improve upon your future events. Be sure to document their insights, questions, and suggestions. Embracing negative feedback from the team or stakeholders can be difficult, but it is necessary in the effort to improve upon event details. A stakeholder meeting should feel collaborative and valuable. Any suggestions made at this meeting should also be included in the post-event report.
View the post-event report not as a chore, but as a strategic tool that will influence the events of your future. Each step listed above will help build toward a meaningful report, full of key elements from which you and your team can garner at any time during the planning of other events. Continuous improvement is wise in any industry, but is crucial in event planning if your objective is to make each event more efficient, attendee-friendly, and smarter than the next!
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