Most post-event reports are a platform dashboard export stapled to a list of thanks. Nobody reads them, so nothing changes, so next year's event has the same problems. This structure takes an afternoon to write and gets read because page one answers the only question leadership has: did it work, and what do we do differently?
Page one: the summary
Five short sections. Objective — one sentence, as agreed before the event. Result — the two or three headline metrics against their targets, with a plain verdict. What worked — three bullets. What didn't — three bullets, including anything the audience would have noticed. Recommendation — what to repeat, what to change, and the decision you need. If they read nothing else, this page is enough.
Results against targets
A table: each agreed metric, target, actual, last event's number. Attendance rate, peak and average concurrency, watch time, completion, interaction rates, on-demand views, and the outcome metric (leads, pulse-survey score, completions). Definitions in a footnote. The metrics guide explains each.
The attendance curve
One chart: concurrent viewers over time, with the run order marked along the bottom. Annotate the moments — the keynote, the break, the drop-off. It's the single most persuasive image in the document and the one most likely to change next year's agenda.
Audience feedback
Survey results (keep the survey to five questions), representative comments, and the questions that couldn't be answered live. Quote the critical ones; a report that only quotes praise isn't believed.
Technical and production notes
Any incidents, in the honest one-line format from the recovery playbook: what happened, audience impact, what's been changed. What the production team recommends for next time — connectivity, rehearsal time, crew. This section is where the case for a proper budget is made without arguing.
Costs and ROI
Full cost including internal time, cost per attendee, and the outcome value on the basis agreed — see measuring ROI. Compared with the in-person equivalent where relevant.
Content and follow-up
What's been published, where, and how it's performing. The on-demand numbers to date.
Recommendations and decisions needed
Specific, dated, owned. "Book a rehearsal day (production, by March)", "Move the break to 45 minutes (agenda owner)", "Approve human captioning (£1,800, finance)". Recommendations without owners are wishes.
The post-event report template is on the templates page, with the metrics table pre-built.