Here are some useful questions involving the actual people you'll be speaking to —

• How would you describe the anticipated audience?

• How many people do you expect will I be addressing?

• What percentage of the audience will be members / employees? What percentage will be guests / spouses?

• What percentage of the audience will be male? Female?

• What is the average age of my audience members?

• What is the range of ages of the audience members?

• What is the educational background of audience members?

• What is the approximate annual income of audience members?

(Obviously, you'll want to tailor your own questions to meet the specific audience that you'll be speaking to.)

These are census-like questions that may provide you with useful information for developing your program. Most of these questions do not involve disclosing private information; however, the last two questions (regarding the educational background and — especially — the income of the audience members) are rather personal and the meeting planner may be reluctant to disclose that information… if it’s even known.