Posts Tagged ‘trivia night’
The 7 Annoying People You Meet Hosting Trivia Nights
I read a great article yesterday posted on The Awl, entitled “The Seven Annoying Friends You Meet At Trivia Night.” The gist of the article, which every pub quiz enthusiast from Manhattan to Long Beach will enjoy, is that every trivia team has at least one or more characters who fit a certain mold- that…
Read MoreWhy Some Pub Quizzes Stink, And How to Improve Them
A recently published article in the BBC News Magazine caught my eye this week, entitled “Can pub quizzes survive in the Smartphone era?” The gist of the piece, as you might imagine, is that in a world where everyone texts and has Google in their pocket, can the traditional pub quiz night ever be the…
Read More10 Clean Comebacks to Trivia Night Hecklers
It’s probably one of the most understated guilty pleasures of the bar trivia experience, for both the host and the audience: watching a heckler get slapped down. Trivia nights are fun and informal, and when done right there is a free and open engagement between the participants and the quizmaster. At my events, I actually…
Read MoreHow 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 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 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 MoreDon’t Take Trivia Nights Too Seriously
There are a lot of reasons why bar trivia nights have become so popular in recent years. People love a good mental challenge, which combined with some competition, the chance to socialize & blow off steam after work, and the opportunity to have a fun time making trivia an ideal weeknight activity. Bars of course…
Read MoreMaking a Trivia Event Humorous Without Overdoing It
Having hosted over 300 trivia events over the last 5 years, I can say with relative certainty that the most important ingredient for a successful event is humor. How does humor play a role in trivia? Well for one, it allows people to enjoy themselves- who doesn’t love a good laugh- or two, or ten?…
Read MoreEnd of an Era – Saying Goodbye to a Longtime Pub Quiz
In the summer of 2006, I first stepped foot into a new bar that had just opened in my neighborhood on the Upper East Side. It was at this large Irish pub that I had my first experience with “real” Irish bartenders, played my very first trivia night and, not long thereafter, embarked on an…
Read MoreMaintaining a Packed House on Pub Quiz Night
By November 2006, barely 2 months after starting my new gig as the volunteer “quizmaster” at Manhattan’s Gael Pub, the bar had to buy a new laptop so that I could score the 30+ teams each week on Excel, rather than by hand. I was still in shock with the overwhelming response I’d received in…
Read MoreBuilding a New Pub Quiz from Scratch
As described in an earlier post about my start in the trivia events world, by September of 2006 I had only been hosting my new trivia night at The Gael Pub for a month, and had already been rewarded with a loyal turnout of…well, strangers! Over 50 of them, coming out of nowhere. Who WERE…
Read MoreAnatomy of a Great Trivia Question
When was the last time you played Trivial Pursuit? Odds are it was a while ago. Even greater still are the odds that the questions were stale, boring and horribly outdated; nobody remembers the actor who played Uncle Jesse on “The Dukes of Hazard,” or who won the Tony award for best actress in 1977.…
Read MoreBecoming an Established Trivia Host
In the Summer of 2006, I unexpectedly landed a gig as the “quizmaster” at The Gael Pub, a new Irish pub on the UES that had recently begun a weekly trivia night. After committing to this challenge, it took me a couple of weeks to get the hang of the format, as well as to…
Read MoreSo You’re a Quizmaster – Now What?
In the summer of 2006, I found myself in a most unexpected position: working a weekly side gig as a “quizmaster” at a local UES Irish pub, while maintaining a full-time job. This side gig was quirky, not too difficult and didn’t pay anything (other than a couple of free beers) but you know what?…
Read MoreTrivia Events are for Nerds (And Other Misconceptions)
If you live in New York City like me, you may have noticed a sharp spike in the number of trivia nights being offered at bars in your neighborhood- I’m told this trend has been reported in other US major cities as well over the past year or two. This likely has to do with…
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