Outcomes and post-event reporting
Event next-edition recommendation
The committee wants to know whether to run the event again, and the answer needs more than a feeling that it went well.
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The short answer
A next-edition recommendation sorts each element of the event into keep, change, stop or test, gives the evidence for each, and states the decision needed from the committee and by when.
Base it on the objectives and the evidence in the benefit evidence tracker, and state what the evidence cannot show. A recommendation to repeat should say what must stay true for it to work.
Separate the whole-event decision from the element decisions
First ask whether the event should run again at all. That depends on whether the objectives are still wanted, whether the audience still needs it, and whether the organisation can resource it.
Then decide element by element: format, venue type, programme length, ticket structure, partner roles. Each can move independently.
A decision table for each element
| Verdict | When to use it | What the recommendation must include |
|---|---|---|
| Keep | Evidence supports it and nothing suggests change | Why it worked and what must stay the same |
| Change | Evidence shows a problem with a plausible fix | The change, who owns it, how you will know it worked |
| Stop | Cost or effort is high and evidence of value is weak | What it replaces or frees up |
| Test | Evidence is missing or mixed | A small trial, how it is judged, and a date to decide |
Weigh the evidence you actually have
- Use observed evidence first, estimated second, and treat unmeasured items as unknown, not as negative.
- Read the finance position with the variance explanation and the cost per attendee interpretation, not a single total.
- Include the staff and volunteer effort, which rarely appears in the budget.
- Note changes outside your control, such as other events competing for the same dates.
Write the recommendation so it can be approved
- State the recommendation in one sentence, for example: hold a second edition in a smaller format, subject to confirmation of two conditions.
- List the conditions and the owner who confirms each.
- Attach the element table and the limits of the evidence.
- Name the decision date and what happens if no decision is made by then, such as losing a venue option.
Worked example · Fictional example
A forum deciding on a second edition
Fictional organisation and figures, illustrative only.
A fictional trade association ran a one-day forum with 181 attendees. Registration was strong, but the afternoon breakouts drew about a third of the audience, and the secretariat's staff effort ran well beyond plan.
The recommendation is to hold a second edition, keep the morning plenary, change the afternoon to two longer workshops, stop the printed programme, and test an evening networking slot with a clear measure. It states that member value is estimated, not observed.
Use this yourself
Next-edition recommendation template
Copy, complete and attach to the board or committee paper.
- Recommendation in one sentence:
- Objectives still wanted (yes or no, with reason):
- Elements: keep / change / stop / test, each with evidence and owner:
- Conditions that must hold and who confirms each:
- Cost and effort position, including staff time:
- What the evidence cannot show:
- Decision needed, by whom, by when:
- If no decision is made by that date:
Handle it in-house, or bring in help?
Your team can usually handle this when
- The event is small and the committee already agrees on the main changes.
- One person holds the evidence and can draft the paper.
- The next edition uses the same format and venue type.
Outside planning help earns its fee when
- Committee members disagree and the paper must separate evidence from preference.
- The recommendation affects a multi-date programme or several departments.
- Venue or supplier holds depend on a decision that keeps slipping.
Need the recommendation settled and owned?
A recurring programme manager can keep the evidence, the element table and the decision calendar together across editions, so each recommendation builds on the last. If you only need one decision made, a conference project lead can prepare the paper, run the discussion and confirm the conditions with their owners.
Questions organisers ask
Should the recommendation include a budget?
Include the cost position and the main drivers, with a range if the figures are not final. Detailed budgeting follows once the committee agrees to proceed.
What if evidence is thin?
Recommend a test or a conditional repeat and say what evidence will be collected next time. Do not fill gaps with assumptions.
Who should decide?
The body that approved the original event, informed by the secretariat or project lead. Name that body in the paper.
Related resources
Content record: Draft. Written from the cited sources and checked by automated rules; not yet independently reviewed.