If you’ve followed on my LinkedIn journey, you know that I love polls. Why? I love to know what people are thinking, so that I can incorporate it into my Client’s decision-making discussions. After all, we utilize specific post-event data from their previous events, why wouldn’t we take additional data and feedback into consideration? My latest LinkedIn Event Planning Poll asked the audience their opinion on a hot topic: What do you want to do after a conference day?

The second day of a conference is usually the most packed with content and structured. All the guests and speakers have likely arrived, and the convening can finally commence. After 5pm, there’s inevitably a few options for evening activities: planners can create an experience for the entire conference; develop a list of local restaurants that guests can choose from; create micro-dinners for curated audiences, or leave guests to explore the city on their own (or not!).

I was curious: What did guests find to be the best option?

According to my poll results:

• Only 2% prefer a conference-wide dinner. I’m here to make the case for it, where appropriate.

  • This makes sense for your group if you are, for example, bringing remote community members together and showcasing organizational updates. They are specifically bringing guests to a new city to connect them with their mission and impact within that region, so it makes sense to have a scheduled occasion.

• 38% of responders preferred to have free time on their own, whether to explore the city or to relax after a long day of being ‘on.’ I must say, I have been that person at a conference. Ambivert to my core, I love socializing and gain so much energy from it—and, need additional time to recover after a full day of it.

  • This is great if your audience has been to the city before, if you are looking to allow guests to design their own experience, or if you are hosting a retreat which requires guests to have time for introspection.

• 60% (or the overwhelming majority) preferred to be able to select from a curated list of local restaurants to make reservations, or be given the option to tag along with smaller groups at a restaurant.

  • In this instance, if you have an active Slack channel or event app chat, it’s great to have ‘table captains’ at each location and invite guests to snag their spots. It can be difficult to coordinate, but the more you allow guests to take the lead, the more authentic the connections will be.

  • Companies like HipMaps can help you with this, too!

If you’re curating a list for your guests, make sure to take local recommendation into account (not just the Convention and Visitors Bureau or the hotel sales manager). Talk to the staff in the hotel, in varying positions, who can tell you their favorite haunts and best food spots in the city.

Looking for recommendations in Minneapolis or Cleveland? We’ve got you covered!