Engagement How do you measure the success of community events? (1 Viewer)

[InMyOpinion]

We all know that contests and events can really help us keep our forum active and keep members interested in posting and being a part of the community.

But how does one truly measure the success of a community event on their forum?

So I'm curious, how do you measure success for your forum’s events? Do you have specific metrics you track, or do you rely more on community feedback and organic engagement?

For me, I would say success depends on the goal of the event. If it’s an Ask Me Anything's or Q&A, I look at the quality of questions and whether the discussion keeps going beyond the event itself. For challenges or contests, it’s not just about entries but also whether they spark new conversations and interactions.

Beyond the numbers, I think the “feel” of the event matters too—are members excited and engaged? Are they referencing it later or asking for more? I also try to track things like whether new members stick around after participating or if the event helps revive interest in quieter parts of the forum.
For me, success depends on the goal of the event.

Beyond the numbers, I think the “feel” of the event matters too—are members excited and engaged? Are they referencing it later or asking for more? I also try to track things like whether new members stick around after participating or if the event helps revive interest in quieter parts of the forum.

That's just how I do it though, I'm curious as to how you measure the success of your forum events/contests.

 

[fdk]

I used to run regular events on my football forum, most of which would either coincide with huge events on the football calendar (world cup, last day of the season, finals, etc), or as my forum developed and got bigger, I'd focus more on running some contests and events during the "close season" period when the forum would otherwise be naturally quieter.

To be honest, I never formally studied the metrics of these events, or set specific goals - the events were always done simply with the intention of having some fun, keeping activity up, and giving members a small added incentive to continue participating in our forum vs our competitor forums. Worked as intended for me!