TrivWorks Set the Standard for Trivia Team Building – But How?
2026 is a milestone year for me. It’s been seventeen years since I launched TrivWorks as a side business, and twenty since I started hosting trivia professionally. Over the course of these past two decades, I’ve worked tirelessly to refine what I do. I want to make the experience I offer more enjoyable and impactful for my clients, while at the same time offering new and exciting things to more audiences.
Back in the 2000s when this all began for me, there were no “trivia companies” – this simply didn’t exist. Pub quiz had just started to become a thing in bars and restaurants, however these were mostly run by independent folks (like me) who were picking up a fun weekly gig at their local watering hole. For sure, however, there were no companies specializing in trivia for employee team building. What made TrivWorks unique was that I focused solely on this, like a laser. I didn’t want to be like some of the other “jack of all trades” vendors out there, dabbling in a variety of offerings. No, TrivWorks was going to be THE go-to vendor for corporate trivia events.
2006 vs. 2026
Fast forward to today, the scene is drastically different. Especially post-pandemic, it seems like “trivia companies” have sprouted like mushrooms across the entire country. I can see it when I travel for events, while taking my Uber from the airport to the hotel, passing countless establishments with posters advertising “Pub Quiz Night” in their windows. These bars and restaurants are of course capitalizing on the ever-growing popularity of trivia as a means for socializing and getting folks into (and staying at) their businesses, particularly on “off” nights. It also just so happens that trivia works really well for employee team building.
Just how good are these pub quiz companies/hosts? Tough to say. But What I CAN say is that none of them have spent the past twenty years honing the craft of live trivia entertainment and group bonding as I have, specifically for corporate audiences.
There is a standard of excellence which planners should be seeking when choosing a vendor, and this area I’m in is no different. Here are a few of the ways I’ve taken TrivWorks to the top over the years, which I’m proud to have become an industry leader in.
Customized Trivia Content
It’s funny, however I actually don’t consider generating trivia material itself to be my strongest asset (I’ll get to what I DO think it is in a moment). It takes more than saying you’ve got the “best” trivia, “perfect” questions, etc. to make you stand out in this niche. To make an impact, you really need to customize the content to the specific group in attendance, as well as the goals for the event. To do this requires experience – a LOT of experience. Not only do I conduct a thorough customization process with each and every TrivWorks client, but over the years I’ve developed an innate sense of what works/doesn’t work for different audiences.
What you use to engage a group of finance bros in Manhattan is going to be different from university students in Chicago, from lawyers in Los Angeles. To know what works and what doesn’t you really do need the experience from years and years of doing this, which very few people have. I can’t say for sure how many thousands of gigs I’ve customized over the years, however I think you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who’s done it more than me.
Professional Trivia Hosting
When I first started doing this, I had no real experience in professional performance of any kind. I never did stand-up comedy, didn’t act, wasn’t on an improv team. I was simply “Quizmaster Dave” at The Gael Pub on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. However, from my very first corporate gig, I knew that I had to level it up, from pub quiz host to corporate entertainer. I put on my suit, arrived on time and led the event cleanly, no swearing or drinking (not that I normally would, but I was extra cautious). This is a standard I’ve held myself to ever since, as well as for every emcee I’ve ever hired to work TrivWorks gigs.
Compare this to an inquiry I got last week. A prospective client in Chicago called me up, saying that at last year’s trivia fundraiser they hired some friend of a friend for $500 to emcee it. After getting properly sloshed, the trivia host told the organizer to “F off.” Twice.
I mean, what did they expect? You get what you pay for. Hiring the guy down the street who’s been hosting bar quizzo for a month to lead your company’s trivia team building event might seem like a good idea from a budget standpoint. But can you really trust that person to be professional, to represent the company (and you) in front of your colleagues, bosses, etc.? If so, good luck! I wouldn’t…
Ongoing Counsel & Client Service
This is an area where I think I really shine, that sets me apart from the competition. My background is in client service and event programming, so I know how to take care of customers. When you hire me, you’re not just getting a funny host and some sharp-witted questions. I provide ongoing counsel and service every step of the way, which my clients truly appreciate. I’m highly responsive to any questions or concerns, often responding within minutes. I’m proactive, I anticipate needs and I try to address any possible contingencies or areas of confusion before they crop up. This is the standard by which all premium service vendors should be measured, and which I am proud to call myself a leader in.
I Actually Know What I’m Doing
I never planned to go into this line of work, to make professional trivia hosting for company events my living. There may not be a license, credential or academic specialization in “trivia team building,” but if there were, I think it would be pretty darn close to what I have. I’ve got a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Tufts University in Boston, a master’s degree in music & entertainment business from New York University and a graduate certificate in professional organizational leadership from Columbia University. I spent two years in client service at major New York City public relations firms, before spending six years as a programmer for adult education and enrichment events at Manhattan’s celebrated 92nd Street Y (since renamed “92Y,” and most recently “92NY.”). All this in addition to my aforementioned 20 years as a trivia pro.
I don’t know who else has a background so uniquely suited as mine for this type of work. But at the very least, I think my education and experience sets some minimum standard for qualifying as a team building trivia event specialist.
For another related article, check out “What Kind of Person Starts a Trivia Company, Anyway?”