After Your Event
Your event is done - congratulations! Now comes the surprisingly important work of closing well, supporting participants beyond the event, and deciding what comes next.
How You're Probably Feeling Right Now
If this was your first KC7 event, you're likely experiencing a mix of emotions. Maybe relief that it's over and went (hopefully) well. Maybe pride in what your participants accomplished. Possibly exhaustion from facilitating. Perhaps uncertainty about whether you did a "good job" or what you're supposed to do next.
All of these feelings are normal. Hosting any learning event - even a smooth one - takes emotional energy. Give yourself credit for creating an opportunity for others to learn something new.
What "After Your Event" Actually Means
The post-event phase has two distinct purposes, and it's worth understanding both so you can choose what makes sense for your situation:
First, there's closing logistics - the practical tasks that wrap up your event professionally. This includes sharing final results, thanking people who helped, and ensuring participants know they can continue learning. This matters because how you close shapes how participants remember the experience and whether they'll want to participate again.
Second, there's building momentum - the optional work of gathering feedback, maintaining community connections, and planning future events. Not every host needs or wants to do this. If you ran a one-time event, you can skip this entirely. But if you're considering making KC7 a regular part of your program, this phase helps you improve and grow.
You get to choose how much post-event work makes sense for your goals.
Common Post-Event Questions
"Did my event go well?" If participants were engaged during the investigation, learned something new, and left feeling positive about the experience, your event went well. Completion rates and scores matter less than engagement and learning. Look at your analytics, but trust your observations too.
"Do I need to do follow-up?" Yes for basic closing (thanking participants, sharing results). Optional for everything else. If you're running another event soon, follow-up builds momentum. If this was a one-time thing, keep it simple.
"What if people didn't finish?" That's completely normal and expected. Most participants don't complete all questions in a single session, and the learning happened throughout their investigation, not just at the end. Focus on what they discovered, not what they didn't get to.
"Should I run another event?" Only if you want to. Now that you have a KC7 tenant, creating additional events is easier - no approval wait, instant game creation, same platform. But there's no pressure to continue. Evaluate honestly whether it worked for your goals and whether you have energy to do it again.
"What do I owe the KC7 Foundation?" Very little. We ask that you complete the Post-KC7 Cyber Competition Survey to help us improve and to facilitate digital badges for your participants. Everything else is optional, though we hope you'll stay connected with the community.
How This Section is Organized
Post-event work divides into two phases, each with specific guidance:
Immediate Closing (Required)
The essential tasks that professionally conclude your event and show appreciation to everyone involved. This is what every host should do, regardless of whether they plan future events. See Closing Your Event for the complete walkthrough.
Building Momentum (Optional)
Follow-up activities that gather feedback, maintain community connections, support continued learning, and set up future success. Do as much or as little of this as makes sense for your goals. See Post-Event Follow-Up for comprehensive guidance.
Quick Navigation
Closing Your Event
Post-Event Follow-Up
Templates & Materials
Your Tenant Dashboard
The Minimal Post-Event Path
If you want to keep post-event work simple, here's the essential minimum:
Within 24-48 hours:
Send a thank-you email to participants with final scoreboard
Thank any volunteers or supporters who helped
Confirm participants can still access the game to continue learning
Within 1 week: 4. Complete the KC7 Foundation post-event survey 5. Review analytics in your tenant dashboard to understand outcomes
That's it. Everything else in this section is optional enhancement. If you did these five things, you've closed well.
What Experienced Hosts Wish They'd Known
"I underestimated how much participants would want to continue." Many hosts are surprised by how many people ask "Can I keep playing?" after the event ends. Communicating clearly that access remains open is important.
"The feedback survey was incredibly valuable." Even a simple 3-question survey provides insights that dramatically improve your next event - if you run one. But if you're not planning another event soon, skip it.
"Post-event enthusiasm fades fast." If you want to gather testimonials or feedback, do it within the first week while the experience is fresh. After that, response rates drop significantly.
"Planning the next event while this one is fresh in my mind saves effort." If you know you'll host again, documenting lessons learned immediately - while you remember the details - makes planning the next event much easier.
"The participant connections were the unexpected benefit." Some hosts discover that the community they build around KC7 - participants staying connected, alumni helping at future events - becomes more valuable than the individual events themselves.
A Note About Your Tenant
Your KC7 tenant remains active indefinitely. This means:
All your event data, results, and analytics stay accessible
You can create additional games anytime without requesting approval
Participants can continue accessing games you've created
You can return to hosting events months or years later if you want
There's no expiration date and no ongoing requirements. The tenant is yours to use as much or as little as you want. Some hosts run dozens of events over years. Others run one event and leave the tenant dormant. Both are completely fine.
See Using Your Tenant to understand what you can do with your permanent KC7 account.
Ready to close your event? Start with Closing Your Event for essential tasks, then decide whether Post-Event Follow-Up makes sense for your goals.
Thinking about your next event? Return to Planning Your Event to start fresh, or explore Managing Games to understand how to create additional events instantly with your existing tenant.
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