# How to run polls only for a specific group

Run group-scoped polls at a partner meet: map members to groups, choose which group sees which question, test visibility and avoid leaks between audiences.

SSociana team·19 Oct 2026·7 min read

**To run polls only for a specific group, map every member to a group before launch, choose the group when you create each poll, test the view with a sample member of each group, and keep a plan for people who are not mapped.** Group scoping lets one app serve partners, employees and guests without running a separate event for each.

## Why group-scoped polls matter

At a dealer or partner meet, the room is rarely one audience. Partners attend to learn schemes and meet the brand. Employees attend to host and present. Sometimes there are distributors, key accounts, regional heads and guests from agencies. A poll that is relevant to one group can be confusing, or even sensitive, for another. A question about margin structures, for example, should not appear on an employee’s phone at the same time as a partner’s.

Group-scoped polls solve this. The organiser decides who sees which question, so a partner sees partner questions, an employee sees employee questions and a general question goes to all. It is cheaper than running two apps, and it keeps results clean.

## Start with the group map

Everything depends on the group map. Build a list with one row per member and a column for group. Typical groups for a partner meet are Partners and Employees, with optional subgroups such as zone, category or role. Use the data you already have: a registration list, a dealer master or an HR roster.

Check the map for three problems:

- **Missing members.** People who registered late and are not on any list.
- **Wrong group.** A partner’s employee who is mapped as a partner, or the reverse.
- **Duplicates.** The same person with two phone numbers.

A member with no group sees only a limited view, such as Home and Profile, until mapped, so decide how to handle late additions. Give the registration desk a way to assign a group on the spot.

## Decide the scope of each poll

For each poll, choose one of three scopes.

| Scope           | Who sees it            | Example                                  |
| --------------- | ---------------------- | ---------------------------------------- |
| Everyone        | All groups             | A quick mood poll in the opening session |
| One group       | Only the chosen group  | A scheme question for partners           |
| Multiple groups | A chosen set of groups | A poll for zonal heads and key accounts  |

Write the scope into the run-of-show next to each question, so the emcee and the operator know who will respond. If a question is for partners only, the emcee should say so, so employees do not wonder why their phones are quiet.

## Plan the venue screen

A venue screen is shared, so scoped polls raise a question: what does the screen show when only one group is answering? Decide in advance. You might show only the group’s results, with a label, or show the combined result for a general question. Brief the operator. Avoid showing a result to the whole room that was meant for one group, unless you have chosen to.

## Test with sample members

Before the event, create or use sample members in each group and log in on separate phones. Trigger a poll for one group and confirm that the others do not see it. Check results, points and the leaderboard. Test a member with no group. Repeat the test on the venue network. This half-hour check is the best protection against the embarrassing moment when a question appears for the wrong audience.

## Run it in the room

During the session, a manager with trigger rights starts the poll from their phone. The operator keeps the screen open. The emcee explains which group is voting. Keep an eye on the response count by group. If one group’s numbers are low, it may be a mapping issue or a connectivity problem in that part of the room.

## Keep the results separate

Reports should show results by group so the organiser can compare partner and employee views without mixing them. Exclude staff from public results where needed, so that partner outcomes remain honest. Decide who may see the results: the leadership, the channel team or both.

## Common pitfalls

- **Late additions not mapped.** They see nothing and complain.
- **Overlapping groups.** A person in two groups sees two sets, which confuses.
- **No test.** The first live poll is the first test.
- **Unclear screen rules.** A sensitive result flashes on the big screen.
- **Too many groups.** Keep the structure simple.

## A worked example for a two-day partner meet

Suppose a company has two broad groups, Partners and Employees, and wants three polls on day one. The first is a welcome mood poll for everyone. The second is a question on the new scheme for Partners only. The third is a feedback question on logistics for Employees only. The channel head opens the day with the general poll. After the scheme session, the manager triggers the partner poll. At the end of the day, the employee poll goes out in the staff briefing. Results by group go to the respective leads the same evening.

The example is a planning pattern. The real structure depends on your audience, and it should be agreed when you map the groups.

## Privacy and sensitivity of what you ask

Group scoping is also a courtesy. A poll that asks partners about their stock levels should not be visible to the other dealers in the next seat, even if the question is harmless, because dealers compare themselves with each other. Think about what each group is comfortable sharing in public. Keep sensitive questions anonymous, show only totals on the screen and limit result access to the people who need it. If a question concerns the brand’s own staff, such as feedback on logistics, do not ask it on a screen the partners can see.

When in doubt, ask the group’s lead. A zonal head or channel manager knows what their people will answer honestly and what they will avoid.

## Using groups beyond polls

The same group map that scopes polls can scope the agenda, notifications, chat and the feed, so most of the work is reusable. A partner-only session can appear only on partner phones. A notification about a bus change can go only to the people on that bus. A group chat for zonal heads can stay separate from the general discussion. Each of these is configured and tested module by module, since scoping is applied to each separately, so plan time to test each one you plan to use.

## Troubleshooting on the day

| Symptom                                    | Likely cause            | Fix                                                   |
| ------------------------------------------ | ----------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------- |
| A member sees nothing but Home and Profile | Not mapped to a group   | Assign a group and ask them to refresh                |
| A poll reaches the wrong group             | Scope set incorrectly   | Close the poll, reset the scope and reopen            |
| Low responses from one group               | Connectivity or mapping | Check signal in their seating area and the group list |
| Results mix groups                         | Report view not split   | Filter the report by group                            |
| Staff appear in public results             | Exclusion not set       | Switch on staff exclusion and refresh the screen      |

Give the help desk this table. Most problems on the day are about mapping, and mapping can be fixed in a minute if someone is authorised to do it.

## How Sociana handles this

Sociana’s [live polls and voting](https://sociana.in/features/live-polls-and-voting/) support group scoping, so a dealer meet can run separate polls for partners and employees, with staff exclusion to keep internal team members off public results. [Groups and cohorts](https://sociana.in/features/groups-and-cohorts/) come from an import, from a rule such as zone or category or, where enabled, from self-join. A member with no group sees only Home and Profile until mapped. Scoping is configured and tested per module, such as feed, polls, notifications or chat. Organisers pick a group when they create a poll or schedule a notification.

HCCB Partners Meet 2026 in Goa mapped every registered number to Partners or Employees before launch; each group saw its own content and travel details. Its lesson was that scoping by group is cheaper than running two apps. Read the [case study](https://sociana.in/case-studies/hccb-partners-meet-2026/). Related: [dealer and partner meets](https://sociana.in/event-types/dealer-and-partner-meets/), [group-scoped content](https://sociana.in/glossary/group-scoped-content/), [group](https://sociana.in/glossary/group/) and [live poll](https://sociana.in/glossary/live-poll/).

## Frequently asked questions

### What happens to someone who is not in any group?

They see only Home and Profile until the organiser maps them. Give the registration desk a way to assign groups quickly.

### Can one poll go to two groups?

Yes. A poll can be scoped to everyone, to one group or to a selected set of groups, depending on how it is configured.

### Can I see results by group?

Yes. Results are recorded per group, so you can compare partner and employee responses in the reports.

### Do group polls work without the app?

No-login polls open to anyone with the link, so scoping by group applies to members inside the app. Decide which route fits a given question.

[Live polls & votingThe screens your guests and your desk use for this.See how it works](https://sociana.in/features/live-polls-and-voting/)

## Keep reading

[Live polls & voting](https://sociana.in/features/live-polls-and-voting/)[Groups & cohorts (group-scoped content)](https://sociana.in/features/groups-and-cohorts/)[Supplier, dealer & partner meets](https://sociana.in/event-types/dealer-and-partner-meets/)[What is Partner meet?](https://sociana.in/glossary/partner-meet/)[Logistics partner meet app for fleet & franchisee meets](https://sociana.in/industries/logistics/)[Group-first design for partner meets](https://sociana.in/blog/group-first-design-for-partner-meets/)[How to scope a feed for partners vs employees](https://sociana.in/guides/design-a-group-scoped-feed/)

[Back to Guides](https://sociana.in/guides/)

## Want us to run this for you?

Our team sets it up for your event, checks it with your desk and runs it with you on the day.

[Book a demo](https://sociana.in/contact/)[Talk on WhatsApp (opens WhatsApp in a new tab)](https://wa.me/919145897433?text=Hi%20Sociana%2C%20I'm%20looking%20at%20How%20to%20run%20polls%20only%20for%20a%20specific%20group%20%28%2Fguides%2Fgroup-scoped-polls%2F%29%20and%20would%20like%20to%20know%20more. "WhatsApp · replies Mon–Sat, 10:00–19:00 IST")

---
Canonical: https://sociana.in/guides/group-scoped-polls/
Publisher: Sociana by Alien Brains Private Limited (https://sociana.in/)