It’s 2026 – Why Does TrivWorks Still Use Pen & Paper?
“Wait – you mean you don’t use an app for answer submission?”
I get this now and then from prospective clients, when describing how our corporate trivia events flow. Not all the time, mind you, in fact far less than you might think. But it does happen, and I get why.
Yes, it’s true. Here we are in 2026, and after seventeen years of TrivWorks and twenty years as a professional trivia host, I’m still using good ol’ pen & paper at my events.
But why?
Aren’t there so many other options out there for submitting electronically? Isn’t doing so faster, cleaner, easier, more streamlined? I’m not going to argue that it isn’t – in fact, surely in many ways it is. But for my purposes – specifically, team building trivia and corporate event entertainment – going “old school” on answer submission is not only acceptable, it’s actually preferable.
Allow me to explain.
It’s Easy to Use
First of all, one of the reasons people hire TrivWorks is because I guarantee a turnkey experience. By this I mean I want to make things as easy as possible. Planners have enough on their plates to think about, without having to worry about how the trivia event will go. Yes, I could roll into my events with a slick app or other downloadable gizmo, but that would require effort on my clients’ part: explaining how to download/install, requiring WiFi, troubleshooting, etc.
In short, it’s a headache. And I don’t want headaches, I want EASY.
With paper answer sheets, there’s no confusion about how to use it. You press the pen to the paper, and scribble your (hopefully correct) answer. No muss, no fuss. I like that, and so do my clients.
I should also add that print answer sheets are also easier for TrivWorks staff to use. There’s no training required, no tech skills necessary. Just printing, stapling, and scoring. I want my events to be as easy as possible for my emcees and production staff as well!
It Allows People to Connect
The purpose of TrivWorks events is to get people to engage and connect with one another in a fresh and fun way. I can understand how for something like bar trivia it’s easier for venues to use electronic submission, apps, etc. But for my purposes, I want to not just collect and tabulate answers; I want people to get to know each other and collaborate better, so that they can work better together back at the office.
How does pen and paper accomplish this? First off, before asking a single trivia question at my events, I ask attendees to place their digital devices in the center of the table. This isn’t so that folks don’t cheat (which I’m never really worried about at a corporate trivia night, honestly); rather, it’s so that people feel present. I call it “liberating” them from their devices, because it’s something that we’re just not used to doing anymore these days, especially at a work event.
Having people write their answers down versus plunking them into a digital device is refreshing. For those of us old enough to remember a time before smartphones, it’s even nostalgic. In short, it makes people feel good – and when people feel good, they feel more comfortable and relaxed. This is the perfect environment for fostering new workplace bonds, and strengthening existing ones. (For more on this, check out “Why Does Trivia Work for Corporate Team Building?”)
Digital Answer Submission is Limiting
Whenever new clients ask why I don’t like using digital submission at TrivWorks events, my answer is always the same: it’s limiting. But how? Isn’t it the opposite? Isn’t it limiting to have to manually grade answer sheets between rounds, to have to hire dedicated production staff for the events for just this purpose?
For me, I don’t believe the benefit of digital submission is worth the tradeoff. What does submitting digitally do, after all? Instead of writing down answers on paper and walking it over to someone to grade, you’re just submitting it through the device. What time are you saving, really? The “walking over” part?
Wait, you’re thinking – digital scorekeeping is WAY easier! It’s fully automated!
Yes, that’s true – for multiple choice answers. And here is where I think digital is limiting. Again, coming back to my purposes for corporate team building, I want to see people working together and collaborating. It is FAR more satisfying for teams to collectively come up with the answer to an open-ended question and get it right, versus simply selecting from one of four choices. Most digital submission technology out there is based on multiple choice, meaning the experience for the participants is fundamentally different. You just don’t get the same crowd response from teams who come up with and write down the correct answer, vs. those who simply chose “B.”
Technology Scares Me
OK, so I’m not necessarily “scared” of technology per say. However, I DO get a healthy surge in anxiety whenever technology I’m 100% reliant upon to do a task isn’t working properly, or fails completely.
That’s a big reason why I haven’t made the leap from antiquated ink to digital wizardry for TrivWorks events. Sure, there’s plenty of technology out there I could use: Mentimeter, CrowdPurr, etc. – heck, I could even build my own app if I wanted to. But besides from being multiple choice-based (see above), whenever technology is involved in live events, there’s risk. For something as fundamental to a trivia event as submitting answers, I just don’t feel comfortable taking that risk, and relying on the technology to keep score.
I know myself, and the “what ifs” will keep me up at night. What if the app doesn’t work? What if the WiFi goes down? What if everything gets erased mid-game? Especially for a large-scale event, this could prove disastrous. Not only would I not want to put myself in that kind of situation, but I wouldn’t want to put any of my emcees in one, either.
Yes, I know a big part of this is my own paranoia. But my clients have paid a lot of money for what I’ve promised will be a high-quality experience, and with my brand reputation on the line I can’t take a chance if I can’t guarantee the scoring system will work.
(If you want a recent example of this, look no further than Barry Manilow’s concert in Las Vegas last month – the digital display system shut off mid-show, as did his in-ear monitors, and he had to walk off the stage!)
The Bottom Line: If it Ain’t Broke…
When it comes to corporate trivia answer submission, I can’t say that the way I do things is the most-glamourous, the sexiest or even the most-efficient. But I CAN say that pen & paper works – every time. There’s no confusion, no frustration, no catastrophe – just people having a really awesome time, doing something they don’t normally get to do in this day and age. Okay, so it’s not as environmentally conscious as I’d like (although we DO recycle all the paper we use after every gig). However, we still custom-brand each answer sheet with the client’s logo and event name, which helps make it feel personalized.
Using paper answer packets is just how things are done at TrivWorks. I’ve dabbled with digital, and who’s to say at some point I might make the switch if something super-dependable comes along which gives me the confidence to do so. But until that happens, I’m using old reliable pen & paper, just like I did when I first started hosting bar trivia nights 20 years ago.
And I guarantee your group will love it!
For more on this topic, you might enjoy “What Equipment Does a Professional Trivia Host Bring to Team Building Events?”