Your event coordination role does not end when everything is packed away at the end of the day! You should evaluate your event to assess what worked, what didn’t and where improvements can be made. Here are some suggestions:

• conduct a survey or provide feedback forms during the event. Ask attendees what they like about your event and what they think could be improved. This is also a good chance to collect information about the types of people attending your event. If you do intend to conduct a survey, the venue or landowner should be consulted prior to the event.

• ask people attending the event if they know who the sponsors are. If large numbers of people associate the sponsor with the event, this will prove valuable when renegotiating sponsorships for the following year.

• hold a debrief meeting that includes as many people as possible who were involved in the event. This might include staff, regulatory authorities, volunteers, emergency services, etc. Organise this well in advance so people have the date in their diaries and circulate an agenda that covers the key areas for discussion. If you send this beforehand, people can prepare their feedback for the meeting.

• send out an evaluation sheet to all key stakeholders (especially those who can’t attend the debrief). You could seek feedback from suppliers, performers, venue
managers and security guards as well as those directly involved with coordinating
the event.

• evaluate your success against the objectives you set at the beginning of your event planning process. Did you attract the numbers of people you had anticipated? Did you attract the type of people you wanted to reach? Did you reach your fundraising target? Did you achieve the amount of media publicity you wanted?