Trivia team names

Whether it’s pub quiz at your local dive or high-stakes corporate event entertainment, one of the best parts about playing team trivia is coming up with your team’s name. It’s the first decision the team has to collectively agree upon, with implications which will last the entire night (and possibly beyond!)

Great team names are one of my guilty pleasures as a trivia event producer and host, and I’ve seen some really great ones – however, I’ve seen plenty of lousy ones as well. What, then, constitutes a truly awesome trivia team name?

Here are some useful guidelines which may help:

• 1. Make it Funny/Creative – This is the most important piece of advice I can give. Don’t settle for something staid or dry – your team name is going to be read aloud to the entire room, and you’ll feel like a million bucks if they laugh at your brilliantly creative, hysterically funny team name!

• 2. Make it Timely – If you can tie in to something that’s being talked about, be that pop culture or the news of the day, this will be a big hit as well.

• 3. Make it Relevant – Tie your team name to the participants, the company, or the goals for the event in some way. This will help foster your team’s spirit, and help remind you why you’re there in the first place – even if it’s just to relax and have a great time!

• 4. Make it Edgy – Don’t take the safe route with a trivia team name – stretch your imagination and turn that rated “G” name into PG-13. This is supposed to be an opportunity to escape your comfort zone, so why not start with the team name?

• 5. Male it Memorable – The most fundamental goal of a trivia event, be it for corporate entertainment, team building or just for fun at the bar, is to create a positive shared experience for your group. If you make the effort to come up with a truly awesome team name, one which you and the rest of the group will fondly remember and talk about for a long time to come, than you’ve already won.

Good luck – I look forward to seeing those team names at our upcoming NYC trivia events this summer!