5 Essential Post-Event Survey Questions to Guarantee Future Sell-Outs

Guest feedback is essential for a successful event. It’s the difference between guessing what your guests want and actually knowing.

But let’s get specific. Once a guest's ticket is scanned and they've left your event, how do you capture their immediate, most valuable thoughts?

The secret lies in a short, automated, post-visit survey.

With Passage, you already have the key to making this happen. Our all-in-one mobile box office can be configured to instantly trigger an email (via your preferred email provider's integration) the moment a ticket is redeemed. Soon, our integrated email marketing platform will let you send these messages right from your Passage dashboard. This means as soon as a guest exits the venue, a short, tailored survey lands in their inbox.

To maximize your response rate and gather truly actionable insights, your survey must be short and focused. Here are the 5 essential questions every event organizer needs to be asking their visitors.

1. The Core Experience: Did We Deliver on the Promise?

This is your main product, whether it's a food festival, a concert, or a themed experience. You need a direct, quantifiable measurement of your event's primary appeal.

Question: How would you rate the quality and immersion of the event itself?

(Rating Scale: 1 - Poor | 5 - Exceptional)

Why It Matters

This question gives you a direct benchmark for your creative and production teams. If your average score is low, you know you need to invest in new entertainment, better staging, or an improved overall environment. It isolates the quality of the show or primary activity from all the logistical issues.

2. The Loyalty Metric: Will They Bring Their Friends? (NPS)

The Net Promoter Score (NPS) is the gold standard for measuring customer loyalty. It’s also the greatest indicator of how likely an attendee is to market your event for free through word-of-mouth.

Question: On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend [Your Event Name] to a friend or family member?

(Rating Scale: 0 - Not at all likely | 10 - Extremely likely)

Why It Matters

This single number can predict your future growth.

• 9-10 (Promoters): Your superfans. Follow up with them for testimonials and social media shares.

• 7-8 (Passives): Satisfied, but not loyal. They’ll likely come back, but won't rave about you. A high number here means you need a little something extra to turn them into promoters (see Question #5).

• 0-6 (Detractors): Unhappy guests. This group represents a churn risk and a potential source of negative reviews. You must follow up with them immediately.

3. The Operations Check: Was the Rest of the Night Stress-Free?

Your guests shouldn't be stressed out by long lines, confusing payment systems, or unhelpful staff. Combine all the "logistics" into one simple, fast matrix question.

Question: Please rate your satisfaction with the following aspects of your visit:

Why It Matters

This provides actionable data on your non-core operations. If "Wait Time" scores poorly, you may want to try using timed ticketing  or a virtual queue to better regulate flow. If "Concessions & Merchandise" is low, your point-of-sale system or stock needs an overhaul. Passage's features are designed to help you streamline all of these areas, and this data tells you exactly where to focus your attention.

4. The Financial Question: Did They Feel the Value?

You need to know if your ticket price aligns with the perceived quality of the entire experience. Low scores here suggest you need to either drop your price or, better yet, increase the perceived value with better production.

Question: How satisfied were you with the overall value for money of your ticket?

(Rating Scale: 1 - Very Dissatisfied | 5 - Very Satisfied)

Why It Matters

This is critical for setting future prices. A high satisfaction score allows you to confidently consider a price increase or the introduction of a premium ticket option (like a VIP or Express Pass, which Passage supports). If the score is low, you might have a retention problem, regardless of how great the show was.

5. The Improvement Goldmine: What’s the One Thing?

Always include one open-ended question in your guest surveys. By asking for just one thing, you make it easy for guests to answer quickly while delivering qualitative gold.

Question: What is the single most important suggestion you have for us to improve your experience next time? (Open Text Field)

Why It Matters

While the other questions give you data, this one gives you ideas. Guests might suggest a feature you've never considered (e.g., "more charging stations," "better signage for the food trucks," or "a faster way to buy merch"). This is the raw voice of your customer that can lead to your next big innovation.

Stress-Free Next Steps: Automate Your Feedback Loop

Asking the right questions is only the first step. The true power is in the automation.

With Passage, you can set up a simple, automated trigger through Zapier to send this 5-question survey immediately after a guest redeems their ticket, you transform your ticketing system into a constant feedback machine. You get higher response rates, more accurate data, and a clear path to make your event even more successful—and profitable—next year.

Passage is designed to help your event get sold out—not stressed out. Ready to start using your ticketing data to drive smarter decisions?