Post-event reports can be a crucial component of understanding whether your recent events were successful. Did you know that 65% of event organizers are responsible for measuring and reporting event results? Learn how to write an effective post-event report and ensure the success of your events, now and in the future.
- Free Post-Event Report Template
- What Is a Post-Event Report?
- What Is the Purpose of a Post-Event Evaluation Report?
- What Should a Post-Event Report Include?
- How Do You Write an Effective Post-Event Report?
- What Are Common Mistakes to Avoid When Writing a Post-Event Report?
- How Can You Use a Post-Event Report to Improve Future Events?
- 100+ Free Fundraising Tools & Templates
What Is a Post-Event Report?
Post-event reports might seem intimidating – as if they require more effort than necessary – but they are essential for growth. These reports summarize the educational aspects, insights and outcomes of an event, regardless of whether the event was perceived as successful or unsuccessful.
Imagine how we improve certain aspects of our everyday lives. We tend to determine how to perform a task according to previous results. For example, there are multiple ways to write an essay, but previous experience or advice helps us consider how to complete the essay successfully. It is this analytical thinking that drives better results. Imagine writing an essay without experience or advice; it would probably be disastrous.
A post-event report requires the same analytical approach. It helps to have previous event data to understand how to achieve a successful event. And these reports can revolutionize future events because of the analytical data they contain.
What Is the Purpose of a Post-Event Evaluation Report?
Post-event reports evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of events. They allow organizations and individuals to:
- Provide helpful data and advice to those in charge of improving the quality of an event.
- Analyze the factors that worked well or need improvement by comparing the outcome to the original goals and objectives.
- Document event attendance, engagement and feedback to understand the audience’s needs.
- Pinpoint positive changes that proved practical and beneficial and can be applied to future events.
Ultimately, the purpose of a post-event evaluation is to identify the strategies that will make future events more successful.
What Should a Post-Event Report Include?
Event Summary and Executive Overview
The event summary and executive overview should contain the most important information without delving into specifics. Begin by providing the key information and data. This section should focus on giving a general description of the event.
Event Summary
This is a simple summary of the data that identifies the event. It gives a general understanding of what the event was, who organized it and when and where it took place.
To write a summary, begin by recording the name of the event, date, location and organizer. For example:
- Event Name: National Charity Fundraiser
- Date: November 5, 2023
- Location: Main Auditorium
- Organizer: Wide-World Charity
Executive Overview
While the event summary contains identifiable information, the executive overview summarizes the aspects, insights and outcomes of an event. The following format serves as a guide to what to include in an executive overview:
- Purpose of the Event: Write the main purpose for holding the event. This helps stakeholders determine if the event stayed true to its purpose. For example: To educate business owners about the immediate needs of people benefiting from charitable donations and encourage them to support the charities that will address these needs.
- Event Highlights: Document the notable moments or highlights. For example:
- Over 75 attendees expressed gratitude for the presentation, demonstrating audience engagement.
- 17 volunteers contributed to a video production describing the charities. The video played for 5 minutes during the presentation, providing significant information efficiently in a short amount of time. 80% of the audience expressed that the video changed their perspective regarding the importance of helping the people working with the charities presented.
- A QR code was provided to direct the attendees to the donation website. In a matter of 10 minutes, attendees contributed $50,000 and donations totaled $150,000 within 30 minutes of presenting the QR code.
- Attendance Overview: Summarize attendance numbers by noting:
- The total number of attendees present during the event, for example, 200 people attended
- The number of people who donated to the event, for example, 160 attendees donated
- How people attended, for example, over 1,000 people participated either in person or in the online livestream
- The target audience, for example, major business owners with high net worth
- Outcomes: Describe the event outcomes, for example:
- 50 attendees subscribed for monthly donations.
- The event increased in popularity since last year, so the number of attendees will most likely double next year.
- The seven charities presented received equal amounts of money.
- Plan for Future Events: Compose a plan to enhance the quality of future events, for example:
- We will offer attendees the opportunity to donate to individual charities instead of all the charities as a group.
- We will implement activities during the presentation to help the audience engage with the charities that need their help.
- We will send thank-you letters to attendees who donated to show appreciation and respect.
Remember, an event summary and executive overview should be general and informative. Avoid tangents or in-depth information. The next section, evaluation of goals and objectives, should give in-depth information on how to improve future events.
Evaluation of Event Goals and Objectives
Whether the event is a major charity event or a simple board meeting, every event should have achievable goals and objectives that signify success. These goals and objectives may drive event planners to make analytical choices for the success of events. This section of the post-event report evaluates how the goals and objectives of an event were met.
Consider these questions when writing the evaluation:
- Did the event achieve all the goals and objectives?
- Did the previous goals and objectives deliver the desired results?
- If you created new goals and objectives along the way, did these changes benefit the event?
Whether or not the event met its objectives and goals, this section of the post-event report provides the information and clarity event planners need to improve their event planning skills.
Here’s an example of what to include in the event goals and objectives section of a post-event report:
- Describe the goals and objectives of the event, for example:
- Objective: To create awareness about multiple charities around the world in need of assistance
- Goal: To raise $600,000 to distribute to the charities presented at the event
- Highlight the accomplishments and achievements, for example:
- The event raised $525,000, more than the year before.
- The charity presenters used better strategies to encourage business owners to donate.
- Explain how the event met, exceeded or failed expectations, or example: The event met expectations in these areas:
- The audience praised the presentations.
- Most attendees were present.
- Money was distributed equally to each charity.
- Mention any major obstacles encountered during the event, for example: The event failed to raise $600,000 or more.
- Provide a preview of ideas or suggestions to improve future events, for example: The National Charity Fundraiser for next year has the potential to meet the goal of 600,000 if attendees get the opportunity to donate to the charities they choose instead of all charities as a group.
Analysis of Event Budget and Financial Outcomes
By analyzing the event budget and financial outcomes, event planners have the opportunity to observe how the money was spent and whether the event stayed within a reasonable budget. This section of the post-event report provides insights into how finances were managed and how they can improve. For example:
Financial Outcomes
- Revenue type: Donation-based
- Total funds raised: $525,000
- Expenses: $10,000
- Net funds raised: $515,000
Budget Analysis
It’s important to analyze the event budget so the post-event report can assess areas of improvement. According to InEvent, these steps can help your event stay within budget:
- Establish your overall budget.
- Create a detailed budget breakdown.
- Implement strategic cost-saving measures.
- Plan for unforeseen expenses.
- Monitor and adjust the budget regularly.
- Use technology to streamline budget management.
Carefully consider the steps you took to stay within your budget and analyze the strengths and weaknesses of your event. Then write the post-event budget analysis, for example: The National Charity Fundraiser strategically stayed within the overall budget, but lacked a plan for unforeseen expenses, which caused some budget categories to work with tighter budgets because unforeseen expenses took a total of $500 from each category.
How Do You Write an Effective Post-Event Report?
The main purpose of a post-event report is to inform readers about the event’s successes and areas to work on. There are two main tasks when writing a post-event report: managing and presenting your data.
Gather and Organize Event Data
An effective post-event report has accurate and informative data. This includes an event summary, attendance overview, financial summary and key outcomes and highlights. Consider these questions to check the effectiveness of a post-event report:
- Is the data correct?
- Is the information clear or is it open to interpretation?
- Does the data provide clear insights on the areas of success and need for improvement?
Create a Clear Structure for Your Report
A clear structure ensures that a post-event report is informative and easy to follow. It helps readers understand the concepts thoroughly and reach an educated decision on how to improve future events. A clear structure presents information in an orderly manner, which allows the audience to gain insights section by section and comprehend the report as a whole.
Tips for Writing an Engaging and Informative Report
- Be concise and present information without overwhelming the reader.
- Use visual aids to help the audience grasp the information.
- Focus on the goals and objectives while evaluating the event.
- Include all critical information, even the obstacles faced during the event.
- Be clear by using active voice, strong verbs and correct grammar.
Free Post-Event Report Template to Get You Started!
Writing a post-event report can be daunting, but there are resources that can make the process easier. Our free template offers a simple guide to help you write a report that is pleasing to the eye and informative. We understand the difficulty of starting from scratch, so use our free template to help you get started.
What Are Common Mistakes to Avoid When Writing a Post-Event Report?
- Overlooking important event data: Overlooking information can be detrimental because it compromises the value of the report. Consequently, the report might fail to provide an accurate evaluation, crucial feedback, well-constructed decisions and trustworthy information.
- Failing to provide actionable recommendations: The reason for writing a post-event report is to improve the effectiveness of events, so failing to provide actionable recommendations defeats the purpose of the report.
- Neglecting to consider different stakeholder perspectives: Considering the different perspectives of stakeholders indicates that you value them. According to research led by Jeffery Harrison, a professor at the University of Richmond, stakeholders who are treated well respond positively to organizations, which may cause them to share valuable information, buy more products and services, provide better financial terms and remain loyal (Harrison et al, 2015). Neglecting the perspective of stakeholders may negatively impact the opportunity for growth in an organization.
- Incorporating report findings into event marketing strategies: Using insights gained from a post-event report to change marketing strategies can be problematic because the goals of those strategies might deviate from the goals of the event.
- Using reports to demonstrate ROI and secure future sponsorships: It’s important to keep in mind that the purpose of a post-event report is to improve future events. Using the report for a different purpose may negatively impact the effectiveness of the report.
How Can You Use a Post-Event Report to Improve Future Events?
- Identify and apply lessons learned from the event: With every insight you uncover during the process of composing the report, emphasize the lessons learned. This will ensure that planners of future events will learn from these lessons and use them to enhance the quality of those events.
- Measure long-term impact on event success: Measuring long-term impact can help to predict future difficulties or opportunities to ensure future events succeed.
- Share reports with key stakeholders: The perspective of stakeholders matters because they contribute directly to the success of events. It’s important to give them an opportunity to review the report and share their thoughts. This will make them feel appreciated and understand how their resources benefit the organization.
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