Roving trivia corporate events

Here’s a topic which has been coming up for me more and more lately. An event planner like you reaches out, seeking corporate event entertainment in NYC, Southern California, or elsewhere. There’s just one catch, however: the event isn’t going to be “structured.” There will be no set time with a beginning and end for an engaging event activity, no designated space or setup for a team trivia contest or other means of engaging the entire room at once. Rather, this will be what we in the events industry lovingly refer to as a “loosey-goosey” gig: people flowing in and out, free mixing and mingling, possibly a mixed crowd with a lot of diversity. In short, it’s intended to be a social activity, rather than a formal employee team building activity or similar.

For years, I dismissed such inquiries as something I simply couldn’t do anything about. The events TrivWorks delivered were stand-alone team contests, intended to provide a solid one or two hours of structured event entertainment. Yes, I could modify our proven format a bit, and offer a series of head-to-head “bouts” between individuals or small groups rather than a full-blown affair for the entire room; however, I honestly just didn’t see this as a viable option for what these planners were seeking (neither did they, as it were).

But then something hit me. I took a look at Ryan Oakes – the award-winning magician and mentalist whom I have been collaborating with for almost three years, creating hybrid trivia/magic events – and I saw he was doing something interesting. Ryan’s a real professional, and he has a mentalism show that will blow your mind. However, he also provides another offering: roving “walkabout” magic. Instead of being up onstage in front of the entire crowd, he’s roaming around, working the room, approaching individuals and clusters of attendees and engaging them with jaw-dropping close-up magic tricks.

This in itself isn’t all that unique – in fact, just about every magician I’ve ever seen does some form of this, either as a warm-up to his/her main onstage act, or as the whole activity. But because I know Ryan well now and have seen his act so many times, I’ve had a unique opportunity to watch how he engages with the audience during his “roaming” sets – and how well the audience responds to him.

All of this got me thinking: why can’t I offer that, only with trivia?

This, again, isn’t all that original of a concept. Freelance performers have been providing roving trivia for corporate event entertainment in New York City and elsewhere for decades, maybe even centuries. I think what’s held me back is the fact that for the most part, the kinds of performers who would do this are bona fide trivia gurus, while I am not (yes, it’s true – I own a trivia company, and I’m terrible at trivia. Read more here). We’re talking folks who can spontaneously throw out trivia questions about ANY category, on the spot, with zero preparation or notecards. Me, I get tongue tied whenever somebody finds out what I do for a living, and the first thing they say is, “Ask me a question!”

But after thinking about it carefully for a long period of time, I slowly came to the realization that one doesn’t need to be an encyclopedia of random factoids, in order to be a professional trivia host for corporate events. After all, I needn’t look further than myself – I’ve been fortunate to have been named one of the best quizmasters in NYC by many media outlets, and virtually every one of the over 800 gigs I’ve personally hosted for public and private audiences has been successful. But I’m no expert, no guru – I’m just a guy who can come up with great customized questions, and deliver them in a fun & engaging way.

As I built my company, I have partnered with other emcees who are the same way. When I look to hire hosts, I’m not looking for Jeopardy champions – I’m looking for people with fantastic personalities, who are sharp, witty, exceedingly professional, and can hold a room. If these professional hosts (myself included) can pull off team trivia contests, then why not roving trivia as well?

And so, without further ado, we’ve rolled out “walkabout” trivia as a new offering! The concept is simple: we dispatch one (or more) of our highly experienced & engaging emcees to roam the room, approaching people and asking them trivia questions, either individually or in small groups. As with any other TrivWorks experience, the questions will be customized, highly tailored to the specific audience in attendance, appropriate not just to the age range, nationalities and other demographic factors, but interests as well. If there are key messages to be reinforced, we can do that, too! We’ll also provide great fun prizes, either small ones which the emcees can hold, or at a designated prize table nearby, where winners can claim them afterwards.

I have to tell you, I really love this new offering. It has so many different applications! I can see this as being perfect as a stand-along activity for a causal setting, such as a cocktail reception, holiday party, or even a private party. It can also be used for large-scale meetings, conferences or conventions, where it may not be practical to have a structured activity, but the organizers are still looking for a fun, unique and sophisticated means of engaging attendees. It can also be used like Ryan the magician does, as a warm-up to the main act: as folks are arriving for a trivia contest, our emcee can work the room, getting to know the crowd and tossing out some fun trivia questions, before leading everybody in a full-scale team contest shortly thereafter.

Many applications, many possibilities! As the premier vendor for corporate trivia events nationwide, I am fully committed to expanding TrivWorks’ offerings and capabilities, to meet any challenge and provide exceedingly compelling options for planners. Click here to learn more, or to schedule roving trivia at your next event!