Evaluating your public and outdoor event

You should evaluate your event to determine:

• what worked
• what did not work
• what improvements could be made.

Your evaluation will be essential to determine whether your event achieved its objectives and met its budget. It will also be useful for succession planning, and to inform your report to management, committees or sponsors.

Evaluation methods

• Survey attendees during or after the event - ask attendees what they liked about your event and what could be improved, as well as including demographic related questions that may help event planning in the future.
• Ask attendees who the sponsors are - large numbers of people who associate the sponsor with the event can prove valuable when you are renegotiating sponsorships.
• Schedule a debrief meeting - circulate an agenda to staff, regulatory authorities, volunteers, emergency services and others so stakeholders can prepare and identify achievements, challenges and recommendations.
• Survey key stakeholders - especially those who cannot or should not attend the debrief – seek feedback from suppliers, performers, venue managers and security guards, as well as those directly involved with coordinating the event.
• Measure success against the objectives you set at the beginning of your event planning process - key performance indicators may include attendance, audience type, fundraising target, positive media coverage.