Here’s a Secret: Great Trivia Events Aren’t About Great Trivia
I was married two years ago this month, which means my bachelor party was right around this time. My friends know I’m not into drinking and gambling and strip clubs and such, so they planned a blowout meal instead at Crispo, an incredible Italian restaurant in Manhattan. As an exciting bonus, they also arranged to have my friend Mike Colameco, chef and host of “Mike Colameco’s Real Food” on PBS attend as a surprise guest.
I’d worked with Mike for years in my capacity as Director of Adult Education Programs at the 92nd Street Y, listening to him talk about the greatest restaurants in NYC and the world – yet I’d never actually sat down to have a meal with him, so this was a huge treat indeed! My friends – also food lovers like me – were excited, too, and everybody got the chance to ask Mike anything we wanted about restaurants, the NYC foodie scene, other celebrity chefs etc.
When it was my turn, I asked him a question that’s always been on my mind: how do you know when you’re in a great restaurant? I know that sounds like a silly thing to ask, but really, we always hear “this restaurant is great” or “that’s the best restaurant in NYC” or similar. But what makes a restaurant great, after all? Is it the chef? The service? Location? Reputation?
“For me,” Mike said, “it’s about the food.”
Not exactly Earth-shattering, but it confirmed my suspicions: a great restaurant means they serve great food, and everything else is secondary.
Funny how the same can’t be said for trivia events.
About a week after that dinner, after I’d finished hosting a pub quiz, this guy came up to me – somebody I recognized from past events as a real “trivia guru” (something, incidentally, which I am not). This guy competes in trivia contests professionally, and even won on “Jeopardy!” He told me that he really enjoyed my trivia nights – when I asked what he liked best, he said, “It’s all about the trivia.”
While delighted he had fun, though, I actually don’t agree with him.
For most people who attend trivia events – be it an informal pub quiz in Hoboken, a corporate team building activity in New York City, or full-blown trivia extravaganza like our “90s vs 00s” trivia contest at The Bell House next month – it’s not because they are passionate trivia enthusiasts. Having produced/hosted nearly 500 of these events, I’ve had a unique perch to observe why New Yorkers in particular love trivia nights. While they may enjoy trivia, really they’re there for other reasons: competition, socialization, laughs, learning about who you’re with.
That’s not to say you can have a great trivia event without great trivia – not possible, actually. However, unlike a great restaurant, where the food is central, at great trivia events the questions aren’t the end-all be-all; it’s the experience itself. How much fun was had? Did the teams have a positive shared experience? Did they enjoy the friendly competition? Did they win? Will this create a positive lasting memory?
If you want to know if you’re at a great trivia event, instead of focusing on the trivia questions, ask yourself this: how much fun are we having?
You should be able to determine the answer pretty quickly!