Best questions for conference participants survey about likelihood to recommend

Here are some of the best questions for a conference participants survey about likelihood to recommend, plus tips on how to craft smart, insightful questions. With Specific, you can generate a tailored survey for your next event in seconds.

Best open-ended questions for a conference participants survey about likelihood to recommend

If you really want to understand why people would (or wouldn't) recommend your conference, open-ended questions are essential. They invite people to share stories, opinions, and nuanced feedback you can’t fit into a checkbox. We’ve consistently found that open-enders deliver richer insights, even though they can be a bit more time-consuming for respondents and sometimes lead to higher nonresponse rates—around 18% on average, according to Pew Research Center. Still, the detail is worth it if you want meaningful quotes and ideas you’d miss otherwise. [1][2]

1. What’s the single biggest reason you would recommend (or not recommend) this conference to a colleague?

2. Describe your overall experience at the conference in your own words.

3. What aspect of this event stood out most positively for you?

4. If you could change one thing about the conference, what would it be?

5. How did this conference compare to others you’ve attended?

6. What did you hope to gain by attending—and did we deliver on that?

7. Who do you think would most benefit from attending this conference?

8. Tell us about a memorable connection or moment you experienced here.

9. What’s one topic, session, or speaker you wish we’d included?

10. Is there anything that would make you more likely to recommend this event next time?

We recommend keeping open-ended questions to about 10% of your survey for best response rates and data quality. [2]

Best single-select multiple-choice questions for a conference participants survey about likelihood to recommend

Single-select multiple-choice questions are clutch when you want quantifiable feedback or to lower friction—sometimes, people answer more honestly when they can quickly pick from a short list. It’s also a great way to start a conversation; follow up with open-ended prompts if you want to learn more. Blending open- and closed-ended questions leads to more complete insights. [3]

Question: How likely are you to recommend this conference to a friend or colleague?

• Very likely

• Somewhat likely

• Not sure

• Unlikely

• Very unlikely

Question: What was your overall impression of the conference?

• Excellent

• Good

• Average

• Below average

• Poor

Question: What motivated you most to attend this conference?

• Speakers/Sessions

• Networking

• Location

• Recommendations from peers

• Other

When to followup with "why?" Use a follow-up “why?” when you see responses that beg for context (e.g., someone rates the event “average” or says “unlikely” on the recommendation scale). A simple example: If a participant selects “Unlikely” to recommend, follow with, “Can you share what led you to feel that way?” This surfaces actionable reasons behind the choice.

When and why to add the "Other" choice? Use “Other” when your list of options might not cover every scenario—if someone chooses “Other,” always follow up with, “Could you tell us what else motivated you?” This often uncovers new themes or surprises you didn’t anticipate.

NPS question for conference participants: does it make sense?

The Net Promoter Score (NPS) question ("On a scale from 0–10, how likely are you to recommend this conference to a friend or colleague?") is the gold standard for measuring recommendation intent, and it's just as relevant for conferences as for SaaS products. It funnels all that nuance into a single, well-understood metric you can benchmark—perfect for reporting or comparing against industry averages. If you want to quickly measure advocacy and gather high-level trends, you can generate an NPS survey for conference participants with a click.

The power of follow-up questions

Follow-up questions are the magic sauce that turn bland answers into actionable insights—especially when you let AI do the heavy lifting. If you want to learn more about automated probing and how our AI follow-up feature works, you’ll see exactly how it takes feedback to the next level.

With follow-ups, Specific’s AI probes deeper based on the context of each reply, in real time, just like an expert interviewer would. This means:

• No more chasing participants for clarification via email.

• Much richer feedback—AI asks again if something is vague, until it gets the full story.

• More natural conversations—the back-and-forth feels human and smooth, not stiff or scripted.

Here’s how things fall apart without smart follow-ups:

• Conference Participant: "It was okay, but I wouldn’t recommend it."

• AI follow-up: "Thanks for being honest! Can you share what would have made the event more recommendable for you?"

How many followups to ask? Usually, 2–3 targeted follow-ups are enough to get to the heart of the answer. With Specific, you can set rules to skip ahead once you have the context you need—no interview fatigue.

This makes it a conversational survey: By responding and probing in real time, the survey becomes a conversation, not just a form—participants often share more, and you get richer data.

Easy AI analysis: Even with lots of open-ended or follow-up text, AI survey response analysis makes it painless to spot patterns and summarize what people are saying. Large volumes of unstructured data are no longer a pain to work through.

Automated, conversational follow-ups are something every survey creator should try at least once—test out a survey and you’ll feel the difference.

How to come up with great questions using prompts for GPT or ChatGPT

Chat-based AI is powerful for brainstorming survey questions fast—especially if you give it the right prompt. If you’re stuck, start with:

Suggest 10 open-ended questions for conference participants survey about likelihood to recommend.

But here’s the thing: AI always performs much better when you provide context. Try something like:

You are a conference organizer and want to understand not just satisfaction, but the real drivers and blockers for word-of-mouth recommendations, especially from first-time attendees. The audience is made up of professionals in industry X. Suggest 10 open-ended questions for conference participants survey about likelihood to recommend, focusing on both positive and negative experiences, and specific moments throughout the conference.

Once you have a rough list of questions, organize them for clarity and coverage:

Look at the questions and categorize them. Output categories with the questions under them.

Then, based on what you want to probe deeper on, try:

Generate 10 questions for categories “Networking experience” and “Session quality”.

What is a conversational survey—and why use it?

A conversational survey is a chat-like, interactive feedback method where the “questions” feel like a back-and-forth with a smart human—not a static form. Participants respond in natural language. The survey adapts with targeted follow-ups, based on their replies. AI guides the conversation to get richer, more nuanced data, without the stiffness of a generic web form.

Why use AI for conference participants surveys? Using an AI survey maker removes the heavy mental lifting from building, refining, and analyzing surveys. You save hours, avoid blind spots, and get better data than with forms or old-school tools. Want the detailed how-to? Check out our guide to creating surveys for conference participants about likelihood to recommend.

Specific leads the way in user experience and depth of insight for conversational surveys—creating engaging feedback flows for organizers and participants alike.

See this likelihood to recommend survey example now

Experience how a conversational, AI-powered survey uncovers insights traditional forms miss—faster, smarter, and with more actionable feedback. Try it to see just how easy and powerful Specific makes it to get the real story from your next conference audience.