Archive for the ‘Blog’ Category
A Quizmaster’s Journey: The Road to Becoming a Professional Trivia Host in NYC
Wednesday, May 16th, 2012
It’s NYU Commencement Day, and I find myself thinking back to exactly 9 years ago today, when I graduated from NYU’s Steinhardt School of Education & Stern School of Business, having completed a specialized master’s degree in Music & Entertainment Business. It’s been quite a long and adventuresome route I’ve taken since then to my current position producing corporate team building activities in New York City, and people always ask me: how did you get here?
9 years ago, with a bachelor’s in psychology already under my belt, I thought I was going to work in the music business. If you think the industry is in a tumultuous position now, however, just imagine what it was like in 2003: CD sales were plummeting as people turned to digital, with buyers heavily favoring downloaded singles over albums; record companies were consolidating; concert venues were starting to go corporate as well, with ticket prices sky high and tour dates being cancelled left and right. Oh, and we were in the throes of an economic recession to boot. Needless to say, my job prospects within the industry were bleak.
I certainly don’t want to bore you with the details of my career trajectory since then, so here is a quick snapshot of how I went from there, to here:
- Spring 2003 – Winter 2004 – Helplessly unemployed, flat broke, and generally miserable
- Winter 2004 – Spring 2006 – Falling back on previous experience within the sales/marketing, PR and concert industries, I worked for a number of large PR firms in Manhattan, where I received a crash course in the arts of time management and attention to detail, as well as providing excellent client service.
- Spring 2006 – Winter 2012 – My passion for creating events & experiences led me to the 92nd Street Y, a major cultural & community center in Manhattan. Starting out as a program associate in the adult education division, I eventually worked my way up to director of all adult programs, developing and overseeing 500 annual events, classes & lectures offered through the institution.
- Summer 2006 – Fall 2008 – While working full-time at 92Y, I also freelanced with a professional scavenger hunt company based here in NYC as both a hunt producer & guide (kind of random, I know – however, I used to write and produce scavenger hunts for my friends in high school & college, and figured there had to be a similar offering for corporate groups in NYC – and there was!). It was here where I really got a firsthand education in how to create & run team building events.
- Summer 2006 – Spring 2011 – Not yet satisfied with a full time event planning job and a freelance corporate team building gig, I also found myself hosting a weekly pub quiz night at The Gael Pub, a just-opened Irish bar in Manhattan. To my utter surprise, it quickly turned into one of the best-attended, best-reviewed pub quiz nights in the city. I also eventually picked up another weekly gig at Social Bar & Lounge (which I still host), as well as a monthly gig at The Bell House in Brooklyn.
- Fall 2007 – Winter 2009 – In the middle of all of this, I had the good fortune of being nominated by 92Y’s executive leadership to enroll in a special fellowship with Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA). Offered through the Picker Center for Executive Education, I received a graduate certificate in professional organizational leadership, as well as a firm understanding of the nature of how organizations work, management theory, and the driving forces behind effective employee motivation, recognition and reward.
- Winter 2012 – Present – Now a self-employed entrepreneur, I have the unique privilege of operating NYC’s only corporate event entertainment & employee team building company specializing exclusively in live trivia.
Quite a journey indeed – and it all started 9 years ago today, when I, too, received my diploma from NYU.
Go Violet!
The 3 Critical Elements of Summer Associate/Intern Orientation
Tuesday, May 15th, 2012
It’s the middle of May, which for many companies here in NYC and elsewhere means that summer associates and interns will soon be joining the ranks alongside your permanent staff. For those who have been tasked with recruiting these temporary hires and developing a program curriculum for the summer months, I salute you – it’s no easy task!
HR directors, intern coordinators, summer associate managers and other professionals like yourself are expected to take a disparate group of eager young people – often hailing from far and wide with little to no prior experience in a professional office environment (or New York City, for that matter) – and make sure that they have a highly educational, meaningful and enjoyable experience within your firm. And fewer moments of the session are as critical for setting the tone of the summer as the orientation.
Let’s fast-forward to arrival day: you may have anywhere from 20 to 200 bright-eyed, extremely smart students in the auditorium, staring back at you with anticipation as you walk them through what to expect over the coming weeks and months. What are the most important elements you need to convey?
Having worked with many groups such as these during many years producing summer associate & intern corporate entertainment activities in NYC, often right at the crucial moment when summer staff arrives, I would suggest keeping the following 3 recommendations at top of mind during your planning:
1. Keep it as brief as possible – Yes, there is a tremendous amount of material to go through; yes, there will be a lot of questions asked. However, this group has been looking forward to this summer for a long time, and is eager to get underway in their new city – not to mention they’re also likely distracted, as well as tired. In order to start off on the right foot, resist the temptation to cover absolutely every single issue, item or contingency during orientation; you can always refer them to the Intranet for specific questions/concerns, or let them know that you are available afterwards.
2. Do something social – Anything at all, just make sure you do SOMETHING. These people likely don’t know each other from Adam, and may be a bit intimidated. Have at least 1 structured event which is designed to be purely social, and which will allow people to mix, mingle and get to know each other – making sure, of course, that the activity is firmly in line with your corporate culture (If you will allow a note from my personal experience, I recall my first day of graduate school: we had 2 back-to-back orientation meetings, and then were “dismissed.” No social period, no icebreaker, no nothing. It was a real let-down, and I never forgot that).
3. Get them fired up – There is no greater opportunity than the orientation meeting to truly set a positive tone for the experience to come for your summer hires: TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT! Don’t make orientation it a long & boring presentation which is all about firm history, schedules, and codes of conduct; I’ve seen T-shirts made, rousing speeches given, scavenger hunts, pizza parties, funny videos, prizes, surprises, you name it. Just whatever you do, make it high-energy and motivating!
However you structure your orientation, do your very best to incorporate the above 3 elements.
Trust me, they’ll appreciate it.
Any thoughts/suggestions on how to companies in NYC and elsewhere can optimize the orientation for their summer associates and interns? Please leave your comments below!
(Image courtesy of Easy Small Business HR)
New Prize Announcement for 90s Trivia Night: GHOST the Musical!
Monday, May 14th, 2012
We are currently lining up some truly fantastic, appropriately-themed prizes for our special 90s trivia night hosted by Pat Kiernan at The Bell House on June 26th, and are delighted to announce our latest partner: GHOST the Musical!
Readers of this blog know what a huge fan I am of taking familiar stories and brands “offline” through live experiential marketing experiences in NYC and elsewhere, and Broadway adaptations of well-known movies are such a fantastic example of that. If you’re like me, you remember seeing the movie Ghost when it came out in the early 90s, and having it become a permanent part of your pop culture consciousness: the touching original plot, amazing special effects, incredible acting, and of course the soundtrack (hearing Unchained Melody is now forever associated with pottery making – who knew?).
Now, all of the memories and emotions associated with the film have been vividly brought to life via GHOST The Musical, a new production which has just made its Broadway debut! Allowing audiences to experience the movie GHOST up close and personal, the critically-acclaimed musical adaptation of the hit film retells the familiar story of Sam and Molly, a young couple who are shocked by Sam’s untimely death. Trapped between two worlds as a ghost, Sam will not leave Molly’s side when he learns her own life is at risk, turning to psychic Oda Mae for help communicating with her – ultimately saving Molly, and avenging his own death.
On June 26th, we are so incredibly delighted to be adding tickets to GHOST The Musical to our 90s trivia night prize cache, allowing some very lucky attendees to once again experience this classic 90s film in a new and unique way!
Click Here to Secure 90s Trivia Night Tickets Now!
To learn more about GHOST The Musical or to purchase tickets to the show, please visit www.GhostOnBroadway.com. You can also keep in touch with the production by becoming a fan of their Facebook page, following it on Twitter @GhostBroadway or checking out the official GHOST YouTube channel!
Event Recap: HurryDate/JDate NYC Pub Quiz for Singles
Wednesday, May 9th, 2012
Last night, we had the honor of partnering with HurryDate, the live events division of online dating colossus JDate, to produce their first-ever pub quiz night for singles!
Taking a new twist on our trivia team building and NYC experiential marketing events, we worked alongside the pros to create a truly unique, engaging and extremely social singles mixer – and a highly successful one at that!
As described in a recent post, singles events present a number of distinct challenges for event planners. Unlike other events, the ultimate success or failure of the evening depends on a single factor: who will show up? Will there be enough attendees to have a meaningful event? Will there be an equal gender mix? Will the attendees be age-appropriate? All of these are questions which both singles event planners, attendees and potential attendees ask themselves – and, unfortunately, are virtually completely out of anybody’s control.
Last night, however, I am delighted to report that everything fell into place! Taking over two spacious 2nd floor private joining rooms at Social Bar & Lounge in midtown Manhattan, a SOLD OUT crowd of smiling trivia lovers converged for a night of competitive, high-energy entertainment. While I am not posting any photos of the event out of respect for our attendees’ privacy, I can assure you that not only were attendees within the 30s/40s age group that the event was directed towards, but we had a PERFECT 50/50 male-female ratio – virtually unheard of in singles event circles. Can’t ask for better than that!
I made sure my wedding ring was on prominent display throughout the event.
Upon arrival, attendees were greeted by the friendly and experienced staff from HurryDate, who promptly assigned each person to a team – ensuring that each individual group was equally weighted with both men and women. Following a nice mingling session set to music and happy hour drink specials, teams were invited to sit at tables, and asked to come up with hysterically funny team names. I was hosting this event, and made sure to ask questions appropriate to both the age group, as well as the situation (think lots of good 80s/90s pop culture references, as well as some fun NYC trivia as well).
In between rounds, while our team graded answer sheets, attendees were encouraged to stand up, grab a drink and mix throughout both rooms while the music was turned back up. These regular breaks in the game served as natural socialization periods, allowing everyone to mingle, and not feel “trapped” at their table for the entire event. Fun & humorous prizes were given away throughout, including a toy train to the last place team (for “pulling up the rear”) as well as a toy “beauty kit” for the 2nd place team (a-la Monopoly’s 2nd prize in a beauty contest bit).
All told, it was an incredibly fun, highly-engaging event with a positive energy throughout. Having planned and run more singles events than I can count as director of adult education programs at the 92nd Street Y, I know how difficult it can be eliciting positive feedback from these events – which is why I was stunned to have so many people come up to me afterwards, telling me how much fun they had – and that we should do more singles trivia nights in the future! As further sign of the event’s success, most people stuck around after the event had officially ended, to continue mingling, chatting – and hopefully, exchange information.
Given my professional (and personal) background, I have a unique appreciation for how difficult it can be to meet people in New York City and elsewhere – especially for those in their 30s/40s – and am so incredibly happy to have helped create an environment which allowed people to socialize in a fun, interactive and meaningful way!
What thoughts/suggestions can you offer for how this or other singles events in NYC and beyond can be run? I welcome your responses below!
5 Tips for Entertaining Hard-to-Please Staff
Monday, May 7th, 2012
Here’s a hypothetical situation: you are an HR director, office manager or business owner looking to entertain and motivate your staff with a corporate team building activity in NYC or elsewhere. The only problem? Your people are difficult – as in, impossible to please. In fact, it seems that the only time this group of grouches is happy is when they’re completely miserable.
Does this sound familiar?
Based on the number of calls I get every day with some variations of the above theme – not to mention my own experience in the workforce – I am assuming that the answer for at least some of you is yes! Even the most experienced, well-intentioned managers can find it infuriatingly frustrating to try and reward staff with a fun corporate entertainment activity, only to find their efforts fall flat due to a team stacked with perpetually unhappy campers.
However, before you toss your hands up and concede defeat to the negativos, here are some tips to help you deal with an inherently difficult situation – and break thought to an habitually hard-to-please group:
1. Ask them what they want – Very often, the most unhappy people in the workplace are those who feel that they have little to no say over their situation – and for a variety of reasons, this may in fact be the case (I can guarantee you that every single one of your staff believes they are entitled to more of something, be it compensation package, vacation days, workspace or even face time with you). Before you announce the type of activity you are planning, take an informal poll, and let them decide – an easy way to gain buy-in from the start.
2. Use history as a guide – What has this group responded to well in the past? What has tanked? Don’t plan your staff entertainment event in a vacuum – even if you are new in your role or have never tried something like this before, tap into the institutional memory by asking people who have been around a while to provide some direction, based on what’s been done in the past.
3. Everyone loves food – No matter what you’re planning, make sure you feed these people. Everybody loves to eat, especially when it’s free – use calories to your advantage when planning entertainment events for difficult staff members, and you’ll be starting out on the right foot.
4. Plan your activity during the workday – Even more so than free food, this group will respond extremely well if they fell they are “getting out of work” during the workday; the opposite, planning the event after work (aka: on “their” time), may only serve to fuel their resentment (a note of caution, however: keep a very close eye on the calendar if you choose to hold the event in the middle of the workday. If you plan an event during office hours right during crunch time, the entire event will be counter-productive as they seethe their way through what should be a good time, all the while fuming about how the activity is taking away from time needed to work).
5. Recognize that you can’t please everyone – As mentioned, some people are only happy when they are unhappy, and there is nothing which you or anyone else can do to change that. Even within a group of unhappy people, there are a few core individuals who are the worst of the lot – don’t let their toxicity ruin everything for the others who may actually benefit from your activity, let alone for you and your efforts.
I am of the firm belief that even the most challenging group of whining, angry, bitter staff will respond well to a well-planned, well-intentioned entertainment event, designed solely for their benefit.
Do you agree/disagree? Please share your opinions below!
TrivWorks founder David Jacobson blogs daily on a wide range of topics relevant to corporate event entertainment, team building and live trivia. 
