Corporate trivia event hosting

A few years ago, I was hosting a trivia night for a corporate group in NYC. After the event was over, one of the TrivWorks graders who was working the gig with me, Alisa, said, “I just have to say, you have amazing stage presence.” I was quite flattered and taken aback by this, as Alisa had already been working with me for several years by this point, and had never said anything like that before. I thanked her profusely, but then asked her what prompted such a nice compliment. “You just are able to connect with the crowd so fast.”

I don’t mean to start off this blog post by patting myself on the back (if you know me or read this blog often, you know that’s certainly not my style). Rather, I was thinking about Alisa’s kind words recently, and I realized that there was an important lesson to be imparted here, one that’s far larger than just a simple New York City trivia company owner.

First, a few notes of context. The event Alisa and I were at was in Lower Manhattan, and it was actually a little bit different from the employee team building and company party entertainment activities which we usually produce. This particular function was a networking event on behalf of a Fortune 500 financial service company – and not just any networking event, mind you. It was a women’s professional networking event.

I was the only dude in the room.

When it was time for the team trivia contest to start, I pickup up the microphone, strode out to the front of the crowd, and said, “Good evening, ladies! My name is David, I’ll be your emcee this evening – thank you for allowing me into your midst!”

Boom – that’s all it took. They shrieked with laughter, and it was just an absolute blast from that point on. I had set the tone right from the start not only about the type of host I was going to be, but about the type of experience this was going to be. And I’m thrilled to say that it worked!

But this leads me to a broader point, which is: just HOW does a trivia night host (or any type of emcee, really) instantly connect with the audience which he or she is in front of? I’ve written extensively here on my blog over the years about just how versatile our corporate trivia parties are, that they are proven to be highly effective and fostering collaboration and instilling positive workplace skills across a diverse range of industries, and really for just about any group. In fact, one of the challenges I enjoy most when I’m hosting is to get up in front of the crowd, and quickly take stock of just who is in the room – because I know this will affect how I approach the event, and how I interact with the participants.

But connecting with the crowd really starts before that point, believe it or not. Particularly with the type of work I do – providing customized corporate trivia event entertainment – there is a tremendous amount of preparation which goes into every gig. I hold a comprehensive call or meeting with the client to tailor the experience, then research & write original trivia questions based on who is in the room. Having done this for almost a decade, by the time I actually show up at the event, I’ve generally got a good idea of who I can expect to see out in the audience.

I suppose this means that lesson one of connecting is: do your homework. Never show up cold: know the industry, the demographics, the male/female ratio, age range, places of origin, and anything else which could help provide you with some clue as to who exactly will be out there while you’re onstage.

Once you’ve got a lay of the land, the next tip is to set the tone, as I did in the above example. With TrivWorks events, we want the crowd to know right off the bat that this won’t be a dreaded “team building exercise,” or some cheesy game show with bells and buzzers and the like. Rather, we want folks to know that this will just be an absolute blast, chock full of laughs, right from the start. This can be done with a bit of well-placed humor at the very top like my quip from the women’s event, or through a side comment when announcing the rules or trivia questions, to poking fun at team names, to a clever takedown of a heckler (follow this link for another article on some of the ways we inject humor into our events).

Getting the audience laughing right off the bat, in combination with a firm understanding of the group before stepping foot in the venue, sets the stage for what should be an increasingly enjoyable experience, where the crowd becomes more and more familiar with the emcee and, as such, becomes more relaxed overall. Assuming there is a bit of alcohol flowing, as is often the case with professional trivia events and networking parties, this phenomenon occurs even easier. By the time the trivia contest comes to an end, the atmosphere is often so loose that there is frequently an “impromptu” dance-off or other form of ridiculously enjoyable entertainment that we hosts can throw in, to make the event that much more memorable and impactful (for those who have attended corporate events I’ve hosted over the years, you know I’m partial to throwing on the “Macarena” or “Gangnam Style,” just to see what happens).

Finally, I’d just like to say that while team trivia CAN work brilliantly as a group bonding activity regardless of the attendees or industry, the host also matters. Being in the position I am in, it is up to me to assign corporate event emcees to each client (for another relevant post on what my unique job entails, click here). When doing so, I must absolutely take into account the emcee’s personality and style, and make sure it’s in synch with the expected audience. Rest assured, I have complete faith in ALL of the emcees whom I work with, and would unhesitatingly assign any one of them to work as an emcee for any of my clients’ events. However, depending upon the exact folks who will be there and the context of the function, I may decide that one host might be able to connect with the audience slightly better, thus resulting in an even greater experience overall.

In conclusion, connecting with the crowd is truly essential for any emcee, but particularly so for a corporate trivia host. When the goal is to provide a fantastic collaborative shared experience, knowing who you’re dealing with, setting the right tone from the start, and being the best possible person for the job all play a role in ensuring that the event is a success.

Here us another useful article on corporate trivia event hosting: https://trivworks.com/2011/05/less-is-more-when-hosting-a-trivia-event/