Annual Conference Experience Survey for ASTC
Client: Association of Science and Technology Centers | Location: Washington, D.C.
We helped the Association of Science and Technology Centers create a more rigorous and actionable conference survey.
OVERVIEW
In 2021, the Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC) approached us to help them elevate the rigor of their existing conference experience survey. Previous surveys had become lengthy, and they sought guidance in streamlining the survey to ask relevant and actionable questions of conference participants.
APPROACH
We met with ASTC staff to discuss their needs and priorities for the conference survey. After reviewing the 2020 survey, we recommended questions to keep, cut, refine, or add. We were interested in pairing existing data with new data gathered through conference registration to reduce the survey length.
Since ASTC regularly collects conference survey data, we also aimed to make the survey easier for them to analyze. We had conversations to help staff build their capacity in survey design and presentation and interpretation of results.
CLIENT TAKEAWAYS
ASTC’s 2020 and 2021 conferences were hosted virtually due to the pandemic, but future conferences would shift back to in-person beginning 2022. The survey results indicated assets and shortcomings of virtual conference experiences that ASTC will consider as they plan for in-person conferences. Results also helped ASTC think strategically about their virtual offerings.
Virtual conferences allow for broad participation from individuals who might not have the time, resources, or ability to attend an in-person conference. However, by the end of 2021 individuals were craving the networking opportunities and informal meetings that in-person conferences provide and they have not experienced through virtual conferences.
