Guide · Events and training

Surveys for events, congresses and CME: how to do them well

The quality of an event is also measured by how you evaluate it. A good satisfaction questionnaire gives useful data to improve, meets sponsor requirements and, for accredited education, collects what’s needed without burdening the participant. Here’s how to set it up.

Few questions, the right ones

Response rate collapses with length. Focus on content relevance, speaker quality, logistics and the practical usefulness of what was learned. A consistent scale (say 1 to 5) on a few items is worth more than twenty questions no one finishes.

Mix numbers and words

Numeric ratings give indicators you can compare over time; one or two open questions (“What would you improve?”) surface what you didn’t anticipate. Tools with assisted text analysis automatically group open answers by theme, so you don’t have to read them one by one.

Reach people where they are

A QR code on the badge or on the closing slides captures answers while the memory is fresh; an email invite the next day recovers those who have already left. Being able to use multiple channels for the same questionnaire, keeping data separate per channel, helps you understand what works.

CME: collect what’s needed, in order

For accredited education, the evaluation of the event and of the learning impact must be collected in a traceable way. Keep identifying data (where needed) separate from evaluations, retain responses for the required time, then anonymize or delete according to your policy.

Compliance isn’t optional

Even a simple satisfaction survey collects personal data if it links the answer to a person. A clear privacy notice, the option to respond anonymously and the guarantee that data stays in Europe protect the organizer and reassure the participant.

How Sunset helps

With Sunset you build the questionnaire in minutes (over 30 question types, templates for event satisfaction), distribute it via QR, email or link, analyze results in real time with AI assistance, and keep data in Europe in line with the GDPR — under your organization’s brand. Ideal for organizing secretariats, CME providers and scientific societies.