Los Angeles corporate trivia party

On Monday afternoon this past week, as I was working in my office in Long Beach, California, my phone rang. It was somebody inquiring about company party entertainment in Southern California, specifically looking for a trivia company in Los Angeles specializing in corporate events to entertain about 200 employees.

“You’re in luck,” I said. “That’s exactly what we do! When is your event?”

“It’s on Wednesday.”

Yup – two days’ notice.

I might have been shocked, dazed, or just plain terrified, had I not had this exact same conversation many times before. I’ve been hosting company trivia parties in Los Angeles, New York City, and everywhere in between for almost a decade, and while not exceedingly common, I do get asked every now and then for last-minute requests such as this. Perhaps another vendor had to back out at the last minute, there was a late change to the agenda, or quite possibly (as was the case in this example), the person planning the event simply decided at the last moment to bring in some professional entertainment.

I’m here to attest that it can be done – and done well! Read on.

I looked at the clock, and realized that it was indeed ticking – loudly. I had a little bit of time left in the workday before my kids came home, then maybe a couple of hours after their bedtime to work some more. Then I had all day Tuesday, as well as the first half of Wednesday to do everything that I’d need to do, in order to deliver the experience I had promised – without cutting corners, or coming up short.

Piece of cake.

I hung up with the client, and immediately got to work. As a professional event producer, I’ve usually got a few months – or at least a few weeks – to get everything lined up and in place for my gigs. In this case, I had less than 48 hours – not to mention all of the other work I had going on; TrivWorks had another scheduled event for this week, plus the usual inquiries, planning, promoting, networking, etc. I usually do during my typical work day (which you can read more about here).

I got the service agreement drafted and sent, then scheduled an event customization call with my new client for the following day – a mere 24 hours prior to the event. I’d be emceeing this trivia party myself, so no need to worry about scheduling a host – however, I also reached out to people who could provide onsite support at the event, namely graders and producers. Fortunately, I was able to line up a crew rather quickly – so we were now set on staffing.

Materials were next, so I crafted the customized answer sheet we would be using at the event, featuring the client’s logo and the name of the event prominently emblazoned at the top. I fired up my heavy-duty office color printer, and printed out enough answer sheets to make about 30 packets for use at the gig. I then sat down and stapled them all – they looked beautiful! I then picked up the phone and called my local trophy shop, and had them produce a rush job of custom-engraved trophies we could present the winning team with.

The next day, after my customization call with the client, I got to work on the trivia we’d be using. Taking all of the information I’d gleaned from the ten-minute phone conversation using my streamlined questionnaire, I swiftly researched & wrote original trivia questions for the event, as well as carefully selected pre-existing questions from my database which would be appropriate based on this group’s background, age range, male/female ratio, and other demographic/psychographic indicators. Once complete, I printed out a master copy for me, as well as duplicate copies for our graders to use when tabulating answers. I collated everything, and got it neatly packed away in my gear bag along with the answer sheets, pens, and a few other essential items I like to have on-hand when hosting.

On Wednesday – the day of the gig, or “game day” as I call it – I devoted the time I had left to production elements. I went and picked up some great prizes to give away throughout the event, and stopped by the hardware store to get some gaffers tape and a brand-new, medium-gauge extension cord to use with my sound projection equipment (my other one got left out I the rain – that’s another story). I came back to the office, tested out my sound gear to ensure it was working properly, then went through my printed checklist – like pilots do before takeoff, I always, ALWAYS go through my list of essentials, point by point, making sure I’m not forgetting anything.

All packed and ready, I jumped in the shower, threw on my suit, packed all of the gear in the car, and headed off to the gig to meet my crew, as well as my client.

Like I said – piece of cake!

Now, don’t get me wrong – I know I sound a bit cavalier about this whole thing. As I’ve said, I’ve been through this exact same scenario many times before. I know what I’m capable of doing, but more importantly, I know what I’m not capable of, either. The reason I was able to say “yes” to this client and this gig was because I knew that, given what was currently on my plate and happening in my professional/personal life, I could make it happen. But if this wasn’t the case, if I truly didn’t think I could devote the time an effort which a gig like this deserves, which I could honestly place my brand and reputation firmly behind, then yes, I would have most definitely passed on the gig. I wouldn’t have been happy about it, but I would have passed.

It’s so nice to be able to say “yes” to these types of requests, though – not only do I get to do what I love doing, but it truly feels great to be able to help people out when they’re in a pinch. My motto when it comes to situations like this? If I can make it work – and you know I will bend over backwards to do so – I’ll make it work.

For another useful article on pulling off last-minute company party entertainment, visit https://trivworks.com/2015/01/corporate-event-entertainment-in-nyc/