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5 Companies Trivia Team Building Activities Won’t Work For
Team building trivia events are my passion. I love everything about them, from customizing trivia questions for specific groups to hosting events, to seeing the enjoyment people get out of them and the smiles they beam afterwards. However, as strongly as I feel about this unique form of corporate employee entertainment, I know that live…
Read MoreParty Like it’s 1776: Declare Independence from Middle Management Syndrome!
Today being Independence Day, I thought it would be an ideal time to explore a topic directly affecting many of those who plan and attend NYC team building activities. As a manager in your company – perhaps you are in charge of the team or division, head of the HR department or even the company…
Read MoreBribing Employees is a Good Thing
HR managers, take note: employees are unhappy. They are unhappy with their workloads and unchallenging tasks, dissatisfied with their compensation packages, uncomfortable with co-workers and angry at The Man. In fairness, work is serious business, and isn’t supposed to be fun (although I’ve argued against this in a previous post). However, there is good news:…
Read MoreTrivia Themes Which Nobody Likes: A List of Failed Trivia Rounds
Following up on yesterday’s post highlighting 5 trivia themes proven to bring smiles to people’s faces, I thought today we would explore the flipside: live trivia party themes which are surefire flops. As discussed yesterday, I’ve been writing & hosting live trivia events for 5 years, and in that time have experimented an awful lot…
Read More5 Fun Themes for Live Trivia Parties, and Why They Work
Perhaps one of the first things I’m asked when holding an initial conversation with clients is, “what kind of trivia do you guys do?” The answer brings both good news and bad: the good news is, you can have a trivia event about any topic you like! The bad news, of course: where on earth…
Read MoreHow to Maintain the Integrity of Live Trivia Events
Think about your favorite trivia-themed TV game show. What does it look like? Whether it’s a classic show like “JEOPORDY!” or a more contemporary one like VH1’s “The World Series of Pop Culture,” the basic structure is the same: a select number of contestants, an obedient studio audience, well-thought trivia questions, and a lot of…
Read MoreFinding Trivia Gold in Pop Culture Garbage: Great Questions from 6 Terrible Movies
I read a very interesting article this weekend in the New York Times movie section, entitled “Catch That Reference? There’ll Be a Quiz.” The gist here was that many movies contain veiled references to other works, directors and eras, and that viewers who catch these subtle hat tips will enjoy the films better. This got…
Read MoreWhy So Complicated? Less is More with Employee Entertainment Activities
I’ve worked with many companies and corporate groups over the years, with the goal of developing customized employee entertainment in NYC and the surrounding areas. I don’t have to tell you how hard New Yorkers are working every day – especially since the economy tanked in 2009, and many people are doing twice as much…
Read MoreUsing Twitter for Trivia: A User’s Guide
Since launching our official TrivWorks Twitter feed in 2009, we’ve utilized it for a variety of purposes: marketing upcoming free trivia nights, highlighting news items & achievements of fellow event professionals and live trivia hosts in New York City and beyond, as well as to promote the daily blog you are reading now. However, as…
Read More7 Crucial Reads for Entertainment Event Professionals
I’ve been planning and producing events for ten years, most of which has been in the entertainment sector. While there is absolutely no substitute for experience, I still find it important to round out my knowledge of corporate event entertainment and employee team building activities by reading whatever I can get my hands on. Below…
Read MoreTaking the Terror Out of Running Huge Trivia Events
When I first started hosting pub quiz nights 5 years ago, my approach was completely low-tech. With a small crowd of fewer than 25 people, I found that all I needed was a stack of trivia questions, a pen and paper to jot down scores, and piles of answer sheets for the participants. When my…
Read MoreThe 7 Biggest Killers of Morale in the Workplace
Offices can be pretty awful environments, packed with anxiety, politics, pettiness and negative energy. If you’re like me, you’ve worked jobs which have made you want to slit your wrists. Based on my experience both working in negative office environments and creating positive team building activities in NYC and elsewhere, below are the 7 biggest…
Read MoreUsing Live Trivia for Audience Engagement & Brand Awareness: The Economist Case Study
This week, I had the honor of producing and hosting another very special trivia event with The Economist, the distinguished weekly news magazine known for broad and insightful coverage of current events, politics, economics and world history. Readers of The Economist are equally bright, intellectually curious consumers of global affairs, and in an impressive effort…
Read MoreWe’ll Be Right Back After This Short Break
I’ll be taking a short break from blogging today, in order to recover from this week’s incredible back-to-back, large-scale trivia events: A Night of Pop Culture to Support VH1 Save The Music at The Bell House, and Pub Quiz – The Economist Way. Thank you to the nearly 400 NYC trivia enthusiasts who attended both…
Read MoreEvent Recap: VH1 Save The Music Foundation Trivia Fund Raiser
What a spectacular event! By every measure, last night’s night of pop culture trivia in support of VH1 Save The Music Foundation was a huge success. Demonstrating the tremendous passion New Yorkers feel for both music education and trivia,a sold-out audience of 250 people came out to The Bell House to support the cause of…
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