At the end of organising an event it is all too easy to walk away relived that the multitude of improbable scenarios hadn’t come to pass (from the technology malfunctioning, the speakers getting the date wrong, and the coffee being cold), thinking… well that went well. However, as an organiser it is impossible to know what the event was really like – really, truly, honestly – without asking those who attended for their candid feedback.

So once May’s B2B Huddle was finished (when the technology mostly worked, the speakers all turned up and the coffee was piping hot), we asked for feedback and this is what you told us….

Those attending were an equal split of newbies and those who had attended previous Huddles; ironically the fast majority of people found out about the event by word of mouth rather than via the online bongo drums rattling out the ‘#B2BHuddle-beat’ on Twitter, LinkedIn or via the Huddle website.

We were keen to find out just how those attending the B2B Huddle benefited from taking time out of the office and the working week.  Here are just some of the benefits that were cited:

• I loved the informality of the event: the smaller numbers attending meant that speakers were accessible and networking with peers was really easy
• The networking, plus the quality and calibre of those attending
• Being challenged, being given a voice, plus some healthy debate

We also asked what else we should thinking about when organising future B2B Huddle events.  Here are some of the constructive ideas put forward:

• ‘A one strike and you are out’ policy for those who didn’t attend (and there were a few)
• Raise the prices in order to further increase the quality of those attending
• Have a bar or a pub close by so people would be keen to linger longer at the end

This event was the first that we’d be brave enough to organise outside of London and despite our worst fears the Huddle was well attended.  We did ask which city (within reason) people would prefer the event to be based in next time and the overwhelming majority said London and / or the South East.  (We are aware that this response is somewhat pre-ordained by the fact that the event has previously been arranged in London.)

It was also important for us to know whether people would recommend the Huddle to colleagues; almost 100% said yes. Unsurprisingly, our favourite answer to this question was: “Yes and no: yes because there’s incredible value in the content and discussions.  No because I don’t like sharing something this good!”

Undertaking the questionnaire was a useful exercise for us and really demonstrated that those attending value the B2B Huddle as part of the B2B marketing thought-leadership landscape.  Thank you for taking the time to let us know your thoughts and we do aim to take action on the feedback, such as formalising some audience ‘rules of engagement’, plus advice around how best to ensure that that all workshops are well attended.

Knowing that 100% of those answering the survey want to know about future B2B Huddles is heartening.  So watch this space…..