Filed under: Business Trends, Case Study, Conferences, Events, Running a better business, Survey Feedback, Surveys, Technology, Tradeshows | Tags: conference attendee Feedback, customer experience, do-it-yourself, Email Marketing, Event Feedback, ipad surveys, iPhone surveys, mobile surveys, real-time survey reporting
We recently partnered with the Fast Casual Executive Summit 2012 team to provide our mobile surveys to attendees at this week’s conference held in San Diego, which was a great learning experience for both teams! We’re not only providers of mobile feedback surveys to conferences but also are attendees of many conferences and tradeshows ourselves. We’re taking our unique perspective and turning it into best practices that can help you make the most of your event to improve your feedback program, and ultimately the likeliness of your attendees joining you again for your next event.
Going back a few years, the 2008 recession has had a significant negative impact across our economy, leading all business owners to examine how effectively their money is being spent. The meetings and conventions industry has certainly felt this impact; Architectural Record reports that both the number of conventions and convention attendance has declined in the last decade.
Though the industry is beginning to show signs of recovery, many meeting planners have had to remain on their toes amid budget cuts. In a 2010 survey of meeting planners by the Professional Convention Management Association, 26% of planners expected their budgets to be cut in the year ahead. Of that number, 80% stated the budget cuts were due to “general economic conditions,” and they expected to book fewer meetings, due to the cost of food and beverage, transportation, and lodging.
Under these conditions, it is more important than ever for meeting planners to stretch their dollars and ensure limited funds are spent as efficiently as possible. However, meeting planners must also avoid a decline in quality despite cost cutting measures. To maintain this balance, planners should pay very close attention to guest satisfaction, using attendee feedback to streamline operations and eliminate unnecessary expenditures while keeping satisfaction high.
Customer feedback cards are one example of inefficient spending: response rates are low, and they are very time-consuming to process and analyze. Instead, meeting planners would be wise to take advantage of On The Spot System’s mobile, real-time survey system to gather feedback from event attendees. Attendees can complete the user-friendly survey on their own mobile phones, sending valuable feedback to meeting planners on every aspect of the conference including facilities, staff, registration process, speakers, individual sessions, materials, location, dining options, and more. Instant alerts notify meeting planners of any negative feedback so they can react quickly to resolve the problem if possible.
Survey results are collected and displayed using On The Spot System’s customizable reporting tools. Meeting planners can easily view and analyze statistics from one or multiple events, allowing them to identify strengths and weaknesses and to pinpoint specific areas for improvement for future events. By using On The Spot Systems and obtaining a wealth of quality feedback from attendees, meeting planners are able to organize quality conferences and events despite shrinking budgets.
Nevertheless, technology can only make it quicker and easier to collect feedback- not fool proof. It’s important to remember that even with a mobile feedback system you have to promote the surveys to your audience to reach your goal response rate. It’s as easy as reminding people to do the surveys at the end of each session. When you stress the importance of feedback, you’ll leave the impression with your audience that their feedback is valuable and will be taken seriously. When they know it’s worth their time, you’d be surprised how willing your audience will be to take out their smartphones to fill out your mobile surveys!
Want to try one of our demo survey for a conference, event or meeting?
Go to this URL on your smartphone or tablet: sots.mobi/confdemo
Or Scan this QR Code with your QR Scanner:
Filed under: Events
When choosing a venue for your conference, trade show, or other event, there are several key factors that you should keep in mind to ensure that the venue meets your needs and that your event runs smoothly. Get to know your target audience and what they want from the event, then evaluate your potential locations from the below essential criteria.
Location
Make sure the venue is conveniently located for your attendees. If many will be flying in, choose a venue close to the airport and hotels. You might also want to choose a location based on whether or not the event will be appealing to those working close by. In that case, you will want the venue to be easily accessible by public transportation and with plenty of parking available.
Appearance
The venue you choose will project the image of your company, aim to find a venue that will be aesthetically appealing to attendees and will leave a favorable impression. It must be clean and in good condition, free of distractions, and with plenty of accessible restrooms. The size is also important; estimate the number of attendees and make sure you have just enough space, as a venue too small will feel cramped and a venue too large will make your event appear underwhelming.
Staff Service
Pay close attention to the venue staff when you visit to evaluate a potential venue. How is the staff’s performance? Are they attentive, diligent, receptive, and experienced? Much of the success of your event depends on the venue staff and their ability to provide quality arrangements and speedy problem solving when needed. An ipad survey app can help you gain more feedback on the service and guest satisfaction.
Food
Keeping your attendees’ appetites satisfied is essential to ensuring a positive experience. Provide quality food and beverages that fit the mood of the event and accommodate potential dietary restrictions. If the venue itself does not provide on-site catering, make sure that they will allow external caterers and that they have appropriate facilities for food preparation, storage, and serving.
Equipment
The best venues are well prepared with the equipment you will need to run your event: tables, chairs, and other furniture; advanced audio visual equipment, complimented by good acoustics; and wireless internet and other technology.
Keep a running checklist as you visit potential venues, and the one that best matches the above criteria will likely be your best bet. Once the conference is underway, you can collect feedback from attendees on your choice of venue and other aspects of the event by asking them to complete a real-time survey. Attendees can access the survey on their iPhones or on iPad kiosks set up in designated areas. Results are recorded instantly, and management is immediately notified of any negative responses or red flags in order for the issues to be promptly addressed. You can also use a variety of analysis tools to conduct an in-depth review of attendees’ responses after the event has ended, using their feedback to improve your future events.
Filed under: Events, Surveys, Videos | Tags: CNN, customer service surveys, Survey On The Spot, Wolf Blitzer
Have you been through airport security recently? Have an opinion about the body scanners? Then have your say with the SURVEY ON THE SPOT TSA survey.
Watch the CNN coverage below on how SURVEY ON THE SPOT is gathering TSA feedback. Get involved now!
Filed under: Events, News | Tags: customer experience, customer feedback, ipad surveys, Survey On The Spot
ON THE SPOT SYSTEMS will be joining Olea Kiosks at the Customer Engagement Technology World trade show on November 10-11, 2010 at the Javits Center in New York City and we will have our iPad survey app SURVEY ON THE SPOT on display.
Olea will capture customer feedback using SURVEY ON THE SPOT on an iPad mounted in their new PadLock iPad enclosure. This will allow conference attendees to easily provide feedback via SURVEY ON THE SPOT’s custom branded and designed iPhone survey app tailored specifically for the trade show.
Filed under: Events, News | Tags: iPhone survey app, iPhone surveys, Simmons Leadership Conference, Survey On The Spot
SURVEY ON THE SPOT mobile application will be featured at the Simmons Leadership Conference at The Seaport World Trade Center in Boston on Friday, April 30 2010.
The ON THE SPOT SYSTEMS team has developed several custom mobile surveys for conference attendees designed to garner valuable feedback and insight for conference organizers into various aspects of the conference. Surveys will cover everything from the registration process and individual sessions to feedback on the facilities and the conference as a whole.
The 2010 Simmons Leadership Conference – themed The Spirit of Resilience – is a showcase for women’s collective achievements. The conference will feature leaders of state, top executives of major corporations, media personalities, and Hollywood celebrities. The program features a day of information and inspiration for over 2,000 women seeking to compete in today’s changing business climate while maintaining balance in their lives. Keynote speakers Tina Brown, Mia Farrow, Cicely Tyson, and Sheryl WuDunn will relate their professional experiences and personal stories.
To complete the SURVEY ON THE SPOT Simmons Leadership Conference surveys, conference attendees with iPhones will be encouraged to download the free SURVEY ON THE SPOT mobile app at the iStore. All other smart phone users can go to the www.surveyonthespot.com mobile site to take the surveys. Attendees will receive unique survey codes that they must type in to activate the individual survey.
Let us know what you think.
