Team building ideas Long Beach California

Last week, I had the honor of producing and hosting a company trivia party in Los Angeles. It was for a terrific group, a tech company called GumGum headquartered in Santa Monica. I took an Uber up from our office in Long Beach, got there in about a half an hour and set up shop right there in their office, in the large “kitchen” common area (though in these hip tech companies, it’s more of a central crossroads/open area than a kitchen). I’d say we had about 40-50 people in attendance, and they all had a blast – as did I!

Thanks to @TrivWorks for a fun-filled trivia happy hour! pic.twitter.com/STEOSufMiC

— GumGum (@GumGum) October 14, 2016

Both when planning this event, as well as during my setup, I was often queried by the participants about what was to come: “What kind of trivia is this?” “Will the questions be customized?” “Do we need to form teams in advance?” “Is this, like, a game show?” I’ve been in this unique line of work for over ten years – the past five of which have been full-time. Because team building trivia is such a unique thing, is so different from the other traditional activities people may be used to like office scavenger hunts, ropes courses, cooking classes or even just bowling, I’m used to these sorts of questions. It’s puzzling, no doubt – in fact, if someone told me that we’d be doing a trivia event for the office, I imagine my mind would instantly go in a certain direction.

So what can companies who hire TrivWorks to provide corporate event entertainment and team bonding activities in Long Beach California and anywhere else expect? Here’s a few helpful pointers I’ve pulled together to help remove the mystery from the experience, and paint a clearer picture of what’s in store:

• It’s Team Trivia – We design our events as team challenges, meaning small groups will be formed to play competitively against one another (click here for more on how we break groups down). While the entire room will be sharing the same experience, laughing together and having a great time, these smaller groups will have an opportunity to bond and get to know one another particularly well, because they will be playing against everyone else.

• Everybody Participates – The entire room will be partaking in the contest. Our host will be announcing what we call “full-room” rounds of questions, and it’s just that: questions for the entire room. Whether you’ve got 15 people or 300, ALL of the attendees will be given the chance to answer each and every query we throw out there.

• There’s Individual Trivia, Too – In between the rounds of full-room trivia, our host will be inviting pairs of individual attendees up onstage (or to the front of the room, depending on the setup) for a series of 1-on-1, head-to-head trivia bouts. Personally, I think these are my favorite moments of the entire event. Not only are they hilariously funny, generating some of the most memorable parts of the entire show, but it really is engaging for EVERYBODY, not just the two contestants. We never want to embarrass anybody, especially not at a company function – so we always ask for volunteers, who feel strong with the subject matter and can “opt in” to partake in these “mini games” as we like to call them. Everybody shares some belly laughs, prizes are awarded, and it becomes another thing for the group to think back fondly to afterwards.

• It’s Not a Game Show – When people first hear “trivia event,” they (and I) immediately think of the traditional TV game show experience: bells, buzzers, lights, props, a cheesy host who is “playing the part” of what he/she thinks a game show host straight out of central casting should be. Our events aren’t like that. We don’t like to create a spectacle; rather, the focus is on creating as many laugh-filled moments as we can, using an edgy, sharp-witted style in both material and delivery.

• Everyone Wants to Play, Nobody Wants to Leave – This is the one characteristic of our events which I’m perhaps the most proud of. Oftentimes, planners will go into these gigs and say expressly to me, “we need to make accommodations for those who don’t want to play,” or “if people want to leave early, is that okay?” I always tell them the same thing at the planning stage, which is: yes, but it won’t be an issue. And it never is! Literally the moment these events start, when the host first gets on the microphone and the contest begins, people are hooked. They get into it immediately, and just can’t stop – they HAVE to know what the answers were to the previous round, they HAVE to know what the next category is, they CAN’T leave without seeing what happens next – and of course, they MUST stay until the end, to see who wins. It’s addictive, it builds upon itself, and it’s just awesome to see.

• It’s Not Just Trivia – Over the course of the past two years, I’ve responded to feedback from my long-term repeat clients who are seeking new diverse experiences they could give to their audiences. As such, we now can offer some truly unique ways to enhance our events which you won’t find anywhere else, including celebrity hosts, comedy, magic, improvisation, karaoke, DJ/dance party, social good offerings, and even a new line of trivia-based corporate training!

In the end, the experience is intended to be an absolute blast: laugh-filled from start to finish, high-energy, social, and personalized. Additionally, it reinforces positive team skills such as collaboration, communication, problem solving, conflict resolution, trust building, conveying key take-home messages and more, without hitting the group over the head with it. I founded this company because I wanted to put a new form of effective team building out there, which defies the stereotypes by actually BEING fun, BEING valuable, and creating a shared experience which is truly enjoyed by all who partake in it!

Follow this link for more information about trivia team building events for corporate groups in Long Beach CA and beyond.