10 Feedback Collection Strategies For Academic Events

Feedback collection has been part of post event wrap ups for a very long time. What used to rely on paper forms and manual collection has shifted to digital submissions, supported by event apps and audience response systems. Now, event planners have all the tech they need to collect feedback fast. The real question is whether they are actually getting useful insights out of it.

Polls and surveys are great because they pull attendees into the content and show you how the event is landing in real time. You can see what worked, what fell flat, and whether you actually hit your goals. But the quality of what you learn depends completely on how good your survey is. A well-designed one encourages people to respond without hesitation.

You also need to think about the size of your event when collecting feedback. It’s not an accurate picture of how all of your guests felt if only a few guests take part in the survey or poll. Acting on that kind of data can lead you in the wrong direction. At the end of the day, using the right survey, at the right time, and in the right way makes all the difference. That is what helps you get more responses, better insights, and clearer ideas on how to improve your next event.

1. Live Polling

Live polling at conferences, panels, and events is a straightforward way to draw your audience into the conversation and see what they’re thinking in real time. You will be able to identify what participants are interested in, prefer, or do habitually during the session as it happens. Questions may be thought-provoking and serious or very simple and light-hearted. However, either way, live polling keeps your attendees engaged rather than simply sitting and viewing the presentation.

If you’re running a contest or gathering some real opinions, the attendee does not have to be identified. A polling activity can occur via an event app, social media, a basic web-based application, or even just a hand raise.

2. QR Codes on Presentation Slides



Adding a QR code to your final “Thank you” slide is a high-impact way to grab honest feedback while the session is still fresh in people’s heads. Unlike email surveys that show up later and get ignored, this “point-in-time” approach can triple response rates by removing the friction of manual URL entry.

To make it work, the QR code should have a high contrast color scheme (dark QR Code with white background), so it scans accurately regardless of how poor or uneven the projector lighting might be, and leave the slide up for about a minute during the final Q&A so people have time to scan it.

You may easily create QR codes with tools like the QR4Office PowerPoint add-in or even Google Chrome’s native QR generator. If you include an explicit call-to-action (CTA) like “Scan to rate this session,” your closing slide is no longer simply a formality but also serves as a quick engagement opportunity that will provide you with valuable feedback for your future sessions.

3. Event App

With your mobile event app being such an easy way to get feedback, why not utilize it? Add feedback tools inside the app, tweak them to match your sessions, and you can gather real-time insights. The push notification within the event app will nudge users to take a few seconds to provide feedback about the most recent session before they forget what was said. Once people respond, you can even display the results on screen so everyone sees the feedback in real time. 

4. Interactive Feedback Walls

Interactive feedback walls, sometimes called Walls of Words, are basically a shared space where attendees can drop reviews, suggestions, or little moments they liked. It gets people out of spectator mode and into participation mode. In addition, this will create a natural way for attendees to converse with one another, thereby creating a subtle network opportunity for them. 

For a physical setup, pick a busy spot like the lobby and keep it simple with sticky notes and markers. Add one clear prompt like “What surprised you today?” Specific questions usually get way better answers than vague ones. On the digital side, tools such as Slido or Walls.io (a social media platform that displays tweets by hashtag) allow attendees to submit anonymous posts via hashtags, which can be displayed as a live feed or word cloud, allowing attendees to visually see the energy of the event at that moment.

5. Emoticon-Based Terminals

Using emoticon-based feedback terminals, often known as HappyOrNot smiley kiosks, is a super simple way to grab quick reactions from attendees. Think of it like a one-second survey. People just tap a happy or unhappy face as they walk by, which makes it way easier than filling out a long form later. If you place these near exits or food areas, you catch people while the experience is still fresh, and response rates can be way higher than traditional surveys.

Beyond just collecting votes, these terminals give you instant feedback on what is going on at this moment. If satisfaction suddenly dips, you know something is off instantly.

Whatever the problem is, you can step in fast and sort it before everyone gets cranky. Whether you use physical buttons or touch-free kiosks for hygiene-conscious crowds, the data is time-stamped and location-based, so you can see exactly when and where things slipped and plan the next event to run a whole lot smoother.

6. Exit Badge Bins

Exit badge bins are one of those low-effort ideas that work shockingly well. You can set up a few bins at the exits and label them with options like “I loved it” and “Not satisfied,” then attendees drop their name badges into the one that matches how they feel on the way out. 

Moreover, this works well for two main reasons. First, you get quick feedback, because people can respond in two seconds without opening an email survey or scanning anything. Second, it creates a follow-up opportunity, as badges usually include names and contact info for you to follow up with anyone who had a less-than-great experience and actually talk through what went wrong.

One thing to keep in mind is that not everyone feels comfortable publicly dropping their badge into a negative bin, especially at business events where people prefer to stay polite. So the data can lean a bit positive. 

7. Comment Cards

Comment cards are a great option when you want open-ended feedback. Place comment cards in high-visibility spots like the registration desk, lounge areas, and near exits so people can grab one easily. Leave pens right there so they do not have to hunt for anything. Have a team member collect the cards throughout the day and take your time to read every single one carefully. 

8. One-Point Method

The one-point method is a simple facilitation trick for getting instant, visual feedback without dragging everyone through a survey. You put up a poster with a scale and a clear statement, and each person places one dot where they land. In a couple of minutes, you have a real-time snapshot of how the group feels.

What you end up with is a visual spread that shows whether everyone is on the same page or divided. That makes it easier to spark focused conversations right away. Since people physically walk up and place their dot, it feels more engaging and transparent. You can quickly spot concerns or outliers and address them on the spot.

9. Gamification 

Gamification is a great tool to encourage participation as well as provide useful feedback from attendees. This is essentially a two-for-one win as people are more likely to provide feedback when they feel that it is a part of their experience.

There are many ways to use gamification at events, including creating a point/badge system that awards users for completing surveys, leaving comments, voting on polls, etc. Some other ideas include creating a leaderboard for the attendees who participate, offering participants some fun little perks, and giving small prizes to participants.

The important thing here is selecting the correct event technology provider to ensure all goes well. If one glitch happens, the excitement and participation will dwindle very quickly. People simply won’t go back to participate again.

10. Prompt Post-Event Emails

To receive a higher response rate, send an email with a personal message, as a follow-up within 24-48 hours of the event, when the event will be in people’s minds. Make the entire process as simple as possible, and ensure the survey is no longer than 10 minutes.

Include a combination of quick rating-type questions and a couple of open-ended questions, since rating-type questions allow for benchmarking of customer satisfaction and provide you with details of why customers feel the way they do in the open-ended type questions. Make it obvious that their input matters, include one clear call to action, and add a short thank you so the message feels human and people are more likely to respond.

Parting Thoughts

Constructive feedback will help you improve your events over time with actual insight as to what went right, what went wrong, and what needs to be corrected before your next event. You have many ways to gather that feedback, and when you combine some or all of them, you will see a better picture of the entire experience. Plus, it allows attendees to provide their input in the most comfortable method for them (usually resulting in a greater number of responses and a more honest input). Ready to collect better feedback and improve future academic events? Book a free demo with Dryfta and see how our tools simplify surveys, polls, and real-time insights.