What it Took to Become the Industry Leader in Corporate Trivia

Indulge me for a moment, and Google “trivia companies.” What do you see?

Without looking, I can tell you that you’ve gotten page upon page of results. Hundreds of vendors, if not thousands. Some service clients nationwide, some are local (click here for an example – who knew there were so many vendors in Orlando!). Some companies’ names (if not logos) conjure up images of thinking while drinking. Some are named after the one guy who hosts it.

Some appear fancy. Most seem cheap. All claim to be “the best.”

I ask you to perform this exercise not just to show you how popular and ubiquitous “trivia companies” are, but to illustrate a point. That is, when I founded TrivWorks seventeen years ago – and started my side hustle as a bar quizmaster twenty years ago – there were no “trivia companies.”

None.

They simply didn’t exist. Back in the mid-late 2000s, pub quiz had really just started to take off as a thing here in the United States. To be sure, there’s always been corporate game shows and that sort of thing. I even performed contract work with a professional scavenger hunt company for a couple of years, because that sort of thing also existed!

But trivia? Nothing. Nada. Your Google result in 2009 would’ve resulted in a list of pages with fun factual tidbits about random companies, rather than vendors – because there were none!

The Vision of TrivWorks

As mentioned, I started out in this world by being a pub quiz host. I was working at three bars in New York City – two in Manhattan, one in Brooklyn – hosting between 8-10 gigs a month. I’m not shy to say I was good – really, really good. I was regularly included in roundups of local media, and my nights were among the most popular in all of New York, which is really saying something. When the global economic crisis of 2008/2009 hit, I understood there was a need for companies to reward their hard-working employees when monetary compensation wasn’t an option.

Rather than simply boosting my presence at bars and making money for venue owners, I sought out from the onset to create a brand that serviced corporate clients. I already had the experience of planning and producing team building activities through the scavenger hunt company, and I’d been writing and hosting trivia long enough to know it works for creating a high-energy, laugh-filled experience. Why not start my own trivia company? I took significant time to carefully plan my approach: drawing up a strategic plan, creating a name and logo, putting up a Website. I set out a vision: to be THE go-to vendor for companies seeking trivia team building and employee entertainment.

Building the TrivWorks Brand

Once up and running, I worked tirelessly every single day to build my company brand. Even though it was still a side business – I was working full-time as an event programmer at New York’s 92^nd Street Y – every waking minute I could spare went into TrivWorks. It was so unique – a TRIVIA company, for Pete’s sake! I grew my client list, collected impressive testimonials, earned favorable media coverage, and built a social media presence, particularly on Twitter. I also was able to establish partnerships with venues, celebrities and other entities, all on account of TrivWorks being the only brand out there doing specifically what I do. By the time I took this company full-time in 2012, I truly was the industry leader in this (admittedly) niche area of the corporate entertainment and team building universe.

Expansion to California

In 2016 – my God, ten years ago already – I relocated to Southern California with the dream of taking my unique offerings to corporate clients on the West Coast. I identified professional corporate emcees whom I trusted to carry the TrivWorks torch back home in New York, and suddenly was able to deliver in two places, rather than one. It was a scary time for me, no doubt. But I knew in my heart I could do it, that I had the drive and skill and the right people working with me.

And lo and behold, I did it! I was successful in delivering the same experience to my New York clients as I had when I lived there, even though it was no longer me on the microphone. Clients still got a customized event, with the benefit of my specialized experience, expertise and ongoing professional counsel. On the day of the event, I simply handed the show over to one of the NYC-based emcees, who always, ALWAYS delivered a fantastic show. I myself was hosting more and more gigs on the West Coast, first in Los Angeles and Orange County, then expanding to San Diego. Not long after, I started receiving requests for corporate trivia events in Las Vegas, Phoenix, Seattle, San Francisco, Salt Lake City, even Idaho. I was WAY beyond Manhattan and Brooklyn by this point!

Covid-19 and Virtual Trivia Events

March 2020 hit my business with as much of a jolt as the rest of the world. In an instant we were locked down, my two young kids were home from school, and all of my scheduled trivia events were scrapped. I was understandably terrified. What would happen to the live events world? People were being laid off and businesses were shutting down left and right. Would companies ever spend a dime on their employees again?

Turns out, Zoom was a thing. A BIG thing.

Without really even knowing what Zoom was, my fellow corporate emcees and I pivoted to virtual trivia events. Why? Because within a week of being locked down, I was completely inundated with requests from both existing and new clients. People were desperately seeing ANY way to help employees feel connected during that horrible, horrible time, and trivia worked. I mean, it REALLY worked. Not only could I still offer a customized experience led my professional emcees, but it was FUN. People no longer felt isolated, they were together and competing, and laughing, and bonding. It was so crucial, especially that first year of Covid. I’ve never worked harder than I did holiday season of 2020, so many companies were seeking a way to engage remote workers. (Follow this link for more on my virtual trivia events learning curve).

Expansion of Locations & Formats

In the ensuing years since Covid, TrivWorks actually still provides virtual trivia for companies, and it’s still very much in demand. But I also was able to broaden my offerings to include more than just the standard team trivia format. In addition to “roving” cocktail trivia and 1-on-1 interstitial games between team trivia rounds, I started to offer new formats. These include TrivWorks Olympics, minute-to-win-it games, escape room format, karaoke/lip sync battle, Bingo and more. I also expanded my hosting roster to include more “special talent” hosts: celebrities, media personalities, comedians, illusionists, trivia experts, drag performers and more.

I’ve also put effort into expanding the TrivWorks footprint to other cities. What we do is indeed very transportable, in that we can fly into any city and deliver a great experience with little more than a suitcase. But having a local presence really does make a difference, particularly for clients who don’t necessarily want to bring in talent from out of town. Chicago was top of my list, and I’m thrilled to now have emcees based in the Windy City. Nashville was also on my radar, as was Washington D.C., Philadelphia and Baltimore. I’ve got folks there now, too, with an eye on some other major metro areas as well.

Conclusion

I don’t necessarily like to boast about being “the best,” since as I mentioned at the top of this article that literally everyone says that. However, I do think that as a name brand that’s been at this for nearly twenty years, TrivWorks really is the top vendor for corporate trivia team building and company events. Who else has been doing this for this long, at this level? Who else has a roster of Fortune 500 clients, top law firms and leading colleges/universities trusted to perform in front of their stakeholders? Who’s gotten consistent coverage in top-tier trade and consumer press, or been entrusted with the brand reputation of celebrities for hosting partnerships?

And, come to think of it, who else has written literally thousands of blog posts on this subject?

I’m deeply proud of what I’ve been able to do with TrivWorks, and profoundly grateful for all of the incredible hosting talent I get to work with. But I’m also thankful for my clients who bring me back again and again, knowing that the experience will always be a blast, and that they’re in good hands no matter what!

For a related article, check out “TrivWorks Set the Standard for Trivia Team Building – But How?”