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How to Identify Cheaters at Trivia Night
Cheating and trivia night are thought to go hand in hand, especially in today’s smartphone world. Go to any pub quiz, and you’re bound to find it: people Googling the answers, using music recognition apps like Shazam on ipod rounds, texting friends not in the bar, and likely a host of other ways to beat…
Read MoreExperience Trumps Content Any Day
It’s the mantra of the entertainment industry: “Content is King.” Whether talking about movies, television shows, Broadway musicals, video games or books, the guiding principle has always been that compelling content is what will drive interest and, ultimately, sales. You could have the slickest marketing campaign, the coolest packaging or the most credible spokesperson, but…
Read MoreHumor Tricks for Struggling Quizmasters
So you’ve begun your gig as a quizmaster, hosting live trivia events at the local pub. You’re diligently armed with good public speaking skills, a happy demeanor, pens and an armload of fun, challenging trivia questions, and are ready to conquer the world. The only problem is, you’re not funny. As I’ve argued many times…
Read MoreNobody Likes Hard Trivia Questions
Most trivia enthusiasts pride themselves on their ability to tackle challenging questions. If you or someone you know is a diehard buff, than you know that the buzz received from puzzling, pondering and ultimately retrieving the correct answer to a query is highly rewarding and satisfying. Perhaps, though, what is even more fulfilling when correctly…
Read MoreWhy New York City Team Building Events Are Tops
New York City corporate team building events are awesome. That may seem like a rather broad, stereotypical NYC-centric statement, but it’s true. Our city is really like no other in terms of diversity, density and sheer variety of options for truly everything imaginable, and team building activities are no exception. Prior to starting a professional…
Read MoreMaking Trivia Questions Bulletproof
As a trivia theme party planner and team building event producer, I am responsible for researching and writing trivia questions which are appropriate for a wide variety of audiences: bankers, lawyers, teachers, IT professionals, nonprofits, government workers- you name it, it’s up to me to customize it. One aspect of my job, however, which remains…
Read MoreTrivia Questions Which Will Get You Fired
One of the most useful books I’ve read in recent years is Send: Why People Email so Badly and How to Do It Better by David Shipley & Will Schwalbe, which I referenced in a previous post on recommended reading. Within these pages, the authors have devoted an entire chapter to cautionary tales of Email…
Read MoreExcellent Client Relation Skills for Event Professionals
Though it doesn’t feel like it, I’ve been involved in the client service industry in some form or another for over 10 years. In a nutshell, if you’re providing a service to others- be it in-house, outsourced or freelance- you’re in client service. This applies to all of us in the events industry, including both…
Read MoreIn Defense of Fun in the Workplace
When my father-in-law met my younger brother for the first time, he asked him what he did professionally. My brother, in between jobs at the time, replied – half-jokingly – “I have fun.” If only life could be so simple, right? Imagine, going into work every day, and having that be your description of work:…
Read MoreTrivia Host Toolbox: A Primer for New Pub Quizmasters
So you want to be a trivia host? Awesome! The world needs more people like you. Chances are you are personable and witty, enjoy public speaking and aren’t afraid to make fun of yourself at a bar for 2 hours. Now that you’ve sold your local pub on the value of holding a regular pub…
Read MoreThe Art of Trivia Event Sequencing, Part 2: Questions
In yesterday’s post, I highlighted the important role of round sequencing in live trivia events. Now, let’s turn our attention to the equally important – yet also overlooked – significance of the order of trivia questions within rounds. Questions As with the order of the rounds, the progression of questions in a trivia event can…
Read MoreThe Art of Trivia Event Sequencing, Part 1: Rounds
It’s perhaps one of the most overlooked aspects of the live trivia event, yet one of the most important. What order should the questions be asked in? If you think that it doesn’t matter, think again- the sequencing of trivia is a crucial element to ensuring a fun, well-paced event. Rounds First off, we have…
Read More5 Ways to Keep a Trivia Audience Engaged
I’ve been hosting trivia for a while now, and am fortunate enough to have produced over 300 unique events. While hosting may be second nature to me now, I can still vividly recall when I was just starting out, and not sure what to do; there is no certification course to become a “quizmaster,” after…
Read MoreHitting the Right Note: Using Trivia for Fund Raising
Since becoming a blogger, I have used this space to explore the many aspects of using live trivia as a means of corporate event entertainment, employee team building or brand awareness. Today, I would like to discuss another important use for trivia events, and that is to raise funds for a good cause. Trivia events…
Read MoreGuilty Pleasures of a Trivia Event Host
Naturally, I love creating trivia events. There’s just so many things about them that provide me with an opportunity to smile, I have fun just thinking about it! I do enjoy playing pub quiz, for sure, but believe it or not I’m actually not all that good a trivia myself- nor am I very competitive…
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