Best questions for online event attendee survey about agenda preferences

Here are some of the best questions for an online event attendee survey about agenda preferences, plus tips for creating them. We can help you build and launch such a survey in seconds with Specific’s AI survey generator.

Best open-ended questions for agenda preferences

Open-ended questions give us the richest insights. They let online event attendees speak for themselves, highlight surprises, and reveal what’s truly important. These questions are perfect when you want depth, not just a simple yes or no. Open-ended responses often spark the “aha” moments that drive better event planning. Research shows that incorporating open-ended questions leads to richer feedback, with a study from Denmark finding that 76% of respondents added comments, which were rated as useful by 80.7% of decision-makers. [1]

1. What topics or themes would you most like to see covered in the event agenda?

2. Are there any agenda items from past events you felt were missing or wish had been included?

3. Can you describe your ideal session format (e.g., panels, workshops, networking sessions)?

4. Which speakers or types of presenters do you find most engaging?

5. What time of day works best for you to attend live sessions?

6. If you could add one new thing to our agenda, what would it be and why?

7. Are there any topics you feel are overrepresented or less interesting?

8. What would make the agenda more valuable for your professional goals?

9. Can you suggest any interactive elements or activities you’d enjoy in the agenda?

10. Is there anything about event scheduling that has made participation difficult for you?

Keep in mind, open-ended questions can have higher nonresponse rates: the Pew Research Center reports they may reach 18% or even up to 50%, compared to just 1-2% for closed questions. [2] That’s why blending question types and using smart follow-ups is so effective.

Best single-select multiple-choice questions

Single-select multiple-choice questions are great when we need to quantify results or want easy-to-analyze feedback. Sometimes, attendees find it easier (and less intimidating) to pick from a shortlist rather than typing out a full response–it can kickstart the conversation and set us up for later, deeper follow-ups.

Question: Which agenda topic are you most interested in?

• Keynote presentations

• Industry trends

• Hands-on workshops

• Networking sessions

• Other

Question: What session length do you prefer?

• 30 minutes

• 45 minutes

• 1 hour

• Over 1 hour

Question: Which time slot would be most convenient for you?

• Morning

• Afternoon

• Evening

When to follow up with “why?” Follow up when someone’s answer needs context. For example, if an attendee chooses “networking sessions” as their top interest, ask: “Why do networking sessions appeal to you? What would make these most effective for you?” These follow-ups yield more actionable feedback than single answers alone.

When and why to add the “Other” choice? Always add “Other” when you can’t exhaust all possibilities. Attendees may have unique preferences you hadn’t considered. If someone selects “Other,” follow up to ask what specifically they had in mind–these responses often uncover unexpected insights.

NPS-style question for agenda preferences

The Net Promoter Score (NPS) model works especially well in event surveys. It’s quick, familiar, and captures sentiment about the agenda’s value. Ask, “On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend this event agenda to a colleague or friend?” This helps you spot both fans and skeptics fast. Plus, you can segment follow-up questions based on attendee sentiment, thanks to smart survey logic. Try it out with the Specific NPS survey builder.

The power of follow-up questions

Automatic, context-aware follow-up questions are a game-changer for event agenda surveys. Unlike static forms, AI-driven follow-ups allow you to get complete answers in a single conversation. Studies show that integrating 2-3 follow-up interactions can lead to five times more detailed answers—53% of responses in conversational surveys hit over 100 words, versus 5% for traditional forms. [3]

• Online event attendee: “I liked the keynote.”

• AI follow-up: “What specifically about the keynote did you find helpful or inspiring?”

This back-and-forth eliminates ambiguity and saves endless back-and-forth emails just to “clarify.” It makes participation smoother, responses more actionable, and lets us get ready-to-use data.

How many follow-ups to ask? Usually, 2–3 follow-ups strike the right balance. With Specific, you can set this limit, or allow the AI to move on once you’ve got the info you need. It keeps surveys concise, engaging, and thorough.

This makes it a conversational survey—not an interrogation. Attendees feel heard, and every response is explored just enough to capture its full context.

AI-powered response analysis—With so much rich, unstructured feedback, using AI to analyze responses is essential. You don’t have to wade through endless comments manually; just prompt the AI for patterns, summaries, or charts.

Automated follow-up questions are new for many, but the experience is remarkably easy—generate your own survey to feel the difference.

How to get great questions from ChatGPT prompts

AI survey builders work best when you give clear, specific instructions. Here’s how we do it for online event attendee feedback on agenda preferences:

Start with this prompt:

Suggest 10 open-ended questions for Online Event Attendee survey about Agenda Preferences.

But, always provide context for better results. Specify your event type, audience profile, goals, and even what you want to avoid.

We are running a virtual conference aimed at mid-career professionals. Help me generate open-ended questions for an attendee survey to better understand their agenda preferences, focusing on practical skills rather than emerging trends.

Next, analyze your questions. Ask:

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

Pick a category, then drill down:

Generate 10 questions for the “session format preferences” category.

This stepwise prompting approach yields laser-focused survey questions, every time.

What is a conversational survey?

A conversational survey feels more like a chat than a checklist. Each question can trigger smart follow-ups, and the tone is natural—not robotic. Respondents engage more, answer more thoughtfully, and abandon less often (because it feels less like filling out a tax form). Instead of static forms, an AI-generated survey uses intelligent routing, real-time probing, and dynamic language, yielding better data and a friendlier experience.

Why use AI for online event attendee surveys? Because AI survey examples boost participation, clarify intent, and let you analyze feedback effortlessly. With conversational surveys, you get the best of both worlds: depth from open-ends and clarity from structured choices—all optimized on the fly. See how easy it is to create a survey in practice.

Specific offers the best-in-class conversational survey experience; both survey builders and attendees get a smooth, human-like feedback journey from start to finish.

See this agenda preferences survey example now

Try a survey that adapts in real-time to online event attendee answers and reveals what really matters. Start gathering insights with smart follow-ups and powerful AI analysis—see how seamless, engaging, and actionable feedback can be with Specific’s AI survey builder.