Comments on the 2012 Non-Attendee Survey ...

[annie]

This (Non-Attendee Survey) is a totally new thing for DLV 2012.

It came about mainly due to the fact that shortly before DLV 2012 started, we received a deluge of cancellations, with some of them being very familiar names.

An inspection of the rolls also indicated that several other very familiar names had not registered at all for this year's event.

Although we did have some ideas of what was going on, we wanted to know more specifically. In particular, we wanted to know if there was anything we could have done to prevent the spate of cancellations, and should be doing to encourage a higher level of participation for events in the future.

We received a much higher level of response than we expected. We were expecting maybe 30-40-some responses and we got 88, most of which came in very shortly after the survey was announced. (At a few times, the response count on the Non-Attendee Survey was actually higher than that of the Attendee Survey!)

We did receive a lot of very valuable information. The survey results did confirm much of what we had suspected, but the precedence of the reasons for non-attendance was somewhat out of sequence from our initial speculation.

Very few "derogs" were received, no "defection" to other events is evident, and for the most part it was shown that there was very little the organizers and volunteers could have done to get those who answered the Non-Attendee survey to the event.
. . . . . . . . . .

We broke the responses out by three categories:

1. All responses to the Non-Attendee Survey.
2. Those who previously attended DLV.
3. Those who registered for DLV 2012 but did not attend.

Unless otherwise noted, my responses and comments will refer to the combined category 1.

The first several questions were taken directly from the Attendee Survey, so comparisons between attendees and non-attendees could be made.

+How many times have you attended Diva Las Vegas in the past?

+Never: 31
+Once: 14
+Twice or more: 43

We had a very good response to this survey, and a very good mix of those who have never attended and those who have previously attended. Those who previously attended DLV, but did not attend DLV 2012, constituted the majority of Non-Attendee Survey respondees.
. . . . .

+About how far would you need to travel to attend DLV 2012?

+Average miles: 1937.20

One interesting comparison is that the mileage for the non-attendees was significantly higher than for those who did attend. Those who live farther away are less likely to attend, and this is more true during the current economic situation.
. . . . .

+Approximate average age: 56.83

Average age of non-attendees was in line with what we've seen for attendees over recent years, but somewhat lower than for attendees at DLV 2012.
. . . . .

+I consider myself to be primarily a (an) ...

+Gender-nonconforming: 2

These are the only responses we've received so far to some of the new "nontraditional" labels of self-identity we've added, both on the Attendee Survey and Non-Attendee Survey.

Lots of "scatter" in the labels of self-identity, typical of what we've been seeing in the attendee surveys, in more or less a similar proportion to what we see on the attendee survey.
. . . . .

The next two questions are of primary interest, since they deal directly with the reasons for non-attendance and the actions, if any, the non-attendee took toward attending this year.

+Which of the following BEST describes your personal situation
+regarding your participation in this year's Diva Las Vegas?

+I took absolutely no action toward attending DLV 2012.: 43

About half of the survey respondees took no action.

+Registered on line, took no further action.: 20

About 22% registered, and made no other arrangements to attend.

+Made travel and/or lodging arrangements, did not travel to Las Vegas.: 12

Roughly 14% did make other arrangements, but did not attend.

+Traveled to Las Vegas, made no contact with the DLV group.: 1

Over the years, we've become aware of several cases where an individual registered for the event, traveled to Las Vegas, checked in to the hotel, but made no contact with the DLV group.

In a way, it's cool for someone to bail at the last second. If someone really is not ready for DLV, there's no shortage of other worthwhile things to do in Las Vegas.
. . . . .

+Which of the following factors BEST represents the PRIMARY reason
+why you did not participate in DLV 2012?

The answers to this were somewhat of a surprise. We had expected the economy to be the most frequently-mentioned reason for not attending, but personal issues, by far, were the primary factors.

+Personal schedule conflicts.: 28

Leaving economic issues a somewhat distant second.

+Economic-affordability issues.: 16

If we group the following five reasons into the "personal issues" category, we find that the overall category of personal issues is even more of the primary reason for not attending.

+Difficulty getting time off.: 8
+Unforeseen family event or emergency.: 7
+Personal apprehension or unease.: 6
+Illness or injury.: 5
+Pressure from others to skip the event.: 4

Our conclusion here is that the overall class of personal conflicts is the most significant reason why individuals did not attend, with the economic issues having a smaller but significant impact.

As far as the "BAD" (for us) reasons for not attending, we're happy to report that nothing seems to be of any significance!

+Heard bad things about DLV.: 0

Speaking very freely, yes, we're very much aware that we have a few malcontents who are making a particular effort to badmouth our event. When this does happen, we usually hear about it very quickly, and have.

Fortunately, this was not reported as a primary factor.

+Personal conflicts with other attendees.: 0

We're also aware that in the past, some have not returned due to personal disputes and friction with other attendees. Again, we are happy to report that this was not a significant factor for not attending DLV 2012.

+Decided to attend another event instead.: 0

There are now two other recurring yearly TG events in Las Vegas besides DLV. We're happy to report that nobody reported skipping DLV in order to attend one of these, or any similar event.
. . . . .

+Would you attend another DLV in the future?

+Yes definitely: 41
+Yes probably: 30
+Maybe: 11
+Probably not: 4
+Definitely not: 0

As long as those "not" responses are down in the single digits, I don't think there's too much to be concerned with.

Of those who have attended in the past ...

+Yes definitely: 30
+Yes probably: 17
+Maybe: 7
+Probably not: 1
+Definitely not: 0

"Yes definitely" made up the majority with only one "not" reported.

And with those who registered but did not attend ...

+Yes definitely: 30
+Yes probably: 13
+Maybe: 0
+Probably not: 0
+Definitely not: 0

No "not", and no "maybe" as well. Not a single cancelled registration with no intent to return.

. . . . .

In conclusion (clap-clap {whistle! cheer!}), this Non-Attendee Survey was a very worthwhile undertaking. Thanks to all who participated.

We don't know if this Non-Attendee Survey will be repeated or not. If there is a need in the future, it will be.