Trivia company corporate events

Last week, I received a piece of feedback from a new client which I’ve been beaming about all weekend, and even today as I think about it. We recently produced team trivia for a company event in NYC, and I’m proud to say it was a home run – but it was also a long time coming.

This particular client would be sending a group of extremely important executives, and wanted to make sure the event would go perfectly from beginning to end. I provided as many reassurances as I could that this would absolutely be the case with TrivWorks, as it always is: we are the industry leader in corporate trivia events, having specialized only in this unique niche for nearly a decade. We customize the questions for each specific audience in attendance, as well as for the function’s stated goals – we additionally only work with highly trained emcees with tremendous experience in front of audiences made up of employees, executives, clients, or other professional event attendees. I dutifully communicated all of this, as well as provided professional references from existing clients within the industry, some sample trivia questions, and even took the step of sending one of my corporate trivia emcees to visit the client’s office for an in-person presentation.

I was told that we were up against a few other trivia night vendors in NYC, and that they had to do their due diligence – but ultimately, we were chosen. The event was a huge success, and everybody had a blast! When I asked my client afterwards why they had ultimately chosen to go with my company versus the other vendors under consideration, her answer made me gush: “They just weren’t as refined as you.”

I have to tell you, this made me feel immensely proud. I started this company from nothing – literally out of thin air. Through sheer perseverance and a firm commitment to delivering a high-quality product, I’ve enjoyed watching it grow from a side gig to a full-time business. We’ve expanded our operations from New York City to nationwide, our client roster now includes a robust list of Fortune 500 companies, and we have been featured in such top-tier consumer and industry press as The Wall Street Journal, U.S. News & World Report, Successful Meetings, BizBash, Sales & Marketing Management and other outlets. Our roster of emcees has also steadily grown, and now includes a diverse bench of corporate hosts and “Special Talent” emcees, who can deliver an enhanced experience that is even more fun and memorable than our standard offerings.

Since this company’s inception, I’ve had the word “professional” at the forefront of my mind: I wanted a professional look and feel, and to communicate from the first interaction right up until the post-event recap that this is a pro operation through and through. I like to think that I’ve kept true to that vision, and that everything I’ve done has reinforced the perception – and actuality – of being a truly “professional” vendor. But there was just something about hearing the word “refined” which made my heart sing!

You see, when I first started out back in 2009, I had a serious barrier which I was facing. I won’t mince words with you; it was a serious challenge to differentiate myself and what I was offering as a corporate event entertainment vendor in New York City, and the other “bar trivia” offerings out there. How could I communicate that what I wanted to do would be different from what already existed – that being, bar trivia? After all, pub quiz nights were a dime a dozen (especially in a place like the Big Apple, and even more so now than eight years ago). I knew that I was a good bar trivia host; the weekly events I hosted at The Gael Pub and Social Bar & Lounge in Manhattan, as well as monthly gigs at The Bell House in Brooklyn, were always packed, and I was perpetually at the top of “Best NYC Quizmasters” lists in Time Out New York, New York Magazine and other local outlets. But it would take more than simply being popular to get companies to want me to produce and emcee their events.

I would have to demonstrate that I was refined.

It’s something I’ve worked nonstop at from the very start, even before I officially launched this company. I focused long and hard on what it would take for me to not only create the perception of professionalism, but to actually back it up by delivering an unquestionably – and unparalleled – professional experience as well. What would such a brand look like? What would it do differently that purveyors of “bar trivia” weren’t doing? What skills did I not yet have, that I would need to obtain? How could I honesty, truly be “the best?”

Well, I’m glad to say that keeping my eye rock-solid on this goal has allowed me to get to where I am today. I am so incredibly blessed to not only work for myself, but to do something I genuinely enjoy doing: creating positive share experiences for others. Every day presents a new creative and business challenge, a new and exciting way for me to build upon what I’ve done the day before, as well as to continually develop and grow both professionally and personally. I’ve established collaborations with outstanding people, gotten to produce over a thousand events, and helped make lord knows how many tens of thousands of people happy along the way. It’s a very special place I’ve arrived at, one I never take for granted and which I count my blessings for each and every day.

So when a representative from a prestigious firm says to me that my company is the most “refined” in my particular field? Yeah, you can bet that makes me feel great – that it’s all been worth the effort, and that I can say without hesitation that what I and the fantastic people I have the pleasure of working with do truly is the best available. It means a lot – we put every ounce of what we’ve got into creating extraordinary and memorable experiences for you, our clients, and I can’t tell you how wonderful it feels to hear!

For another useful article on what differentiates TrivWorks from other trivia companies for corporate events, check out https://trivworks.com/2015/02/nyc-trivia-companies/