Posts Tagged ‘pub quiz’
Trivia Themes Which Nobody Likes: A List of Failed Trivia Rounds
Thursday, June 30th, 2011
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 with trivia questions and themes. I’ve managed to develop a strong sense of what people respond to, but also what does not resonate well for live trivia. On the one hand, I enjoy being creative, and pride myself on coming up with rounds which are unique, fun and different; on the other hand, though, if the rounds don’t soar with the audience, well- they tend to sink like rocks.
Below is a list of my all-time greatest trivia theme flops, in no particular order:
1) Funky Sounding Colors Round – I announced colors with weird names, and teams had to name the family of more familiar colors which they belonged to (ex: “chartreuse” is a mix of green & yellow). This was the most stale, boring and uninspired round I’ve ever done, people were booing halfway through. Ouch.
2) Awareness Ribbons Round – Like the colors round above, only I’d give a ribbon color, and the audience named the cause the ribbon was associated with (ex: pink = breast cancer awareness). Not only was this incredibly dull, but there were multiple causes for each color (do you have ANY idea how many causes use blue ribbons??)
3) Weird Beards Round – Early on in my pub quiz days, I thought it would be fun to describe weird people who have beards [ex: “This person lives in isolation, but breaks into people’s homes once a year." (Santa Clause)]. What the heck was I thinking?
4) Pie Round – I thought this was clever, since I love pie (any baked goods, really, but pies especially). Asked questions about sweet & savory pies, ethnic pies, ingredients, shapes etc. Total flop. People don’t care about pie. I was crushed.
5) 2008 Year in Review Round – Sounds innocent enough, only I did it at a bar on like, January 3rd, 2008. I thought it was pretty clever- turns out, not so much. It could have been called the “extreme current events round,” and I still would’ve gotten booed back to the stone age.
6) Band Hometowns Round – I name the band, you tell me their hometown. Guess what? Not only do people not know where bands come from, but they will argue your Wikipedia-backed answers to death. Epic fail.
7) YouTube Viral Videos Round – So it turns out, people don’t know anything about viral videos beyond the basic premise. Once you start asking about character’s names, view counts, quotes and such, the crowd turns on you like a pack of killer whales on a freshly-wounded sea lion. Beyond bad idea.
8) Math Round – Terrible.
Believe me, there are more. These are just the ones which stick out in my mind as being particularly ill-received; there’s nothing like having upwards of 150 strangers booing you to remind you not to ever, ever offer that round again. If you’re a fellow quizmaster, hopefully I’ve spared you similar shame; for trivia enthusiasts and HR managers looking to book a private trivia party for your company, don’t worry- you will never be subjected to these rounds, I guarantee it.
What experience do you have with horrible trivia rounds? Leave them below, so we can know to avoid as well!
How to Maintain the Integrity of Live Trivia Events
Tuesday, June 28th, 2011
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 money up for grabs. In a word, these game shows maintain a high degree of integrity, to ensure that the gameplay is fair, well-balanced and beyond reproach.
With live trivia events, however, this is not the case. Whereas the television studio is a controlled environment, trivia events in live settings – be they pub quiz nights, corporate team building activities or brand engagements for experiential marketing – are essentially out in the wild. While challenging, it is still important for the quizmaster to keep the game as honest as possible, regardless of the prize.
Below are crucial steps to impose at live trivia parties, to ensure that the integrity of the event is maintained throughout:
Enforce the “No Cheating” Rule – Perhaps the most obvious difference between television and live trivia, contestants on “Family Double Dare” aren’t liable to Google the answer on their Smartphone. The quizmaster, event hosts, bar staff and participants themselves must be constantly vigilant of cheaters, in order to keep the game honest.
No Shouting Out the Answers – This is more of an issue with public events rather than private ones, but it’s never good to have someone yell out the answers to questions as they are asked. At bar trivia nights, the guy who shouts answers out is usually A) just walking into the bar halfway through the quiz and doesn’t know the rules; B) drunk out of his mind; or C) a plain old jerk. Either way, shouters ruin trivia nights, and need to be kept in check.
Maintain Accurate Scorekeeping – Not all of the trouble keeping live trivia events clean comes from the audience. The quizmaster/scorekeeper needs to be on the ball, and make sure that A) all of the answer sheets are collected and scored; B) the scores have been added correctly; and C) the scores have been properly transcribed to the score sheet or laptop.
No Hyper-Specialized Rounds – Remember that famous episode of Cheers where Cliff goes on “JEOPARDY?” TV’s favorite mailman was given such softball categories as “Stamps,” “Beer” and even “Bar Trivia.” Though it’s not easy to predict for public events, to keep things fair trivia should cover broad categories; if a group of postmen came into pub quiz on the same night there was a “Stamps” round, that would be highly suspect. This is easily remedied at private trivia events, where the questions are all customized.
No Special Treatment for the Quizmaster’s Friends – Here’s one that every pub quizhost across the globe should learn well. No matter the situation, if the host’s friends are playing trivia and coming up to socialize during the game, everyone will take notice. It is INCREDIBLY important, therefore, to avoid even the perception that the host has got the fix in for his/her team to win. Hosts should be conscious of this whenever friends are playing, so as not to unnecessarily upset the other teams.
Do you host or attend trivia nights? What are some other ways you can think of to help maintain the integrity of live trivia events? Please let us know by leaving your responses in the space below!
Using Live Trivia for Audience Engagement & Brand Awareness: The Economist Case Study
Friday, June 17th, 2011
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 to engage this loyal readership, the magazine is continually seeking new and creative ways to reach out off of the written page, allowing enthusiasts to connect with them through a variety of means. These not only include a Facebook page with a over 700,000 fans and an official Twitter feed with nearly 1 million followers, but also many “live” audience engagement events held in various cities, ranging from social gatherings to editor meet-and-greets.
The idea for The Economist pub quiz came about late last year, when the magazine was approached by an avid reader who also loved NYC trivia nights. Feeling that live trivia parties would be a perfect match connecting the cerebral publication and its clever readers, we set out to create events which would not only deliver a hearty amount of entertaining & high-brow trivia, but which would have an instantly recognizable Economist look, feel and flavor. Using the same level of care and attention to detail which The Economist is known for in its articles, we then set out to craft trivia questions which the average reader would have a reasonable expectation of knowing about world affairs, politics, economics, and the magazine itself.
After selecting fun trivia bars in New York City, the magazine made sure to paint the venues “red” for their events by tastefully displaying the magazine’s famous logo on signage and flatscreen TVs throughout the rooms. Upon arrival, attendees were presented with Economist pens and answer sheets, as well as complimentary red T-shirts. Teams were instructed to choose their own team names, and encouraged to be creative to earn bonus points – resulting in many humorous Economist-themed names, which delighted the crowd. After reading out a couple rounds of trivia, we then welcomed a high-ranking member of the magazine’s editorial staff to read off their own favorite trivia questions about The Economist, as well as share a sampling of their ipod songs, which attendees could earn points for identifying. After raffling off several prizes, we passed around a round of picture trivia featuring major political figures, all of whom had something in common which the audience had to figure out in a set amount of time. We concluded the events with a final round of “challenging” questions, and then awarded prizes to the winning team.
I find these Economist pub quiz nights to be so fantastic, for three reasons: 1) the audience who attends loves the magazine, and clearly enjoys the opportunity to interact with it in an exceptionally fun, unique and personal way; 2) the magazine gets to engage with its most loyal fans firsthand in an extremely positive, high-energy manner; and 3) the intellectual challenge of creating questions for highly intelligent, sophisticated and lively trivia enthusiasts simply can’t be beat.
Do you feel that experiential marketing and brand awareness events successfully bring a brand closer to its audience? What other ways can you think of for a distinguished brand to engage with its loyal following in a “live” setting?
The 7 Annoying People You Meet Hosting Trivia Nights
Thursday, June 9th, 2011
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 mold being someone who, despite their best intentions, brings the event down in some way (the “compulsive Smartphone checker,” the guy who” reflexively shouts out the correct answer” etc.). I thought that this article was spot-on, and was glad to see someone stating what everyone who loves trivia nights knows, but does not say (a-la Jerry Maguire).
Thus was the inspiration for today’s blog post. Since most trivia night enthusiasts experience the event as participants, I thought it would be fun to paint a similar picture of the 7 annoying characters encountered by the trivia host:
1) The Complainer – This is the person who will always find something to gripe about, from the questions being too hard (or EASY-??!) to the air conditioning not being on high enough. In fact, even if everything is perfect and the other 99 people in the bar are having a great time, this person will find something – ANYTHING– to vent about to the hapless quizmaster.
2) The Nitpicker – Always seeking “points of clarification” and submitting answers which are “technically right,” this guy sucks the fun out of an event like a leech on a juicy love handle. For God’s sake, just relax and have some fun already!
3) The Loud Talker – Whether two feet away or on the other side of the bar, this person can’t seem to use their inside voice. Whether the host is announcing questions, answers or reading out draft numbers, this person is so wrapped up in whatever they’re talking about that they are completely oblivious to the trivia game going on. Take up smoking or something, just please- go outside.
4) The Drunk – Just because it’s Monday doesn’t mean you can’t get hammered. This inebriated fool will find his way to “the guy asking questions” and annoy him relentlessly, making half-mumbled comments about the trivia, the bar, the Mets or whatever else comes floating through his imbibed head.
5) The Rude Jerk – No “please,” no smile- just grabs a pen and answer sheet, throws down the completed questions without so much as a look in the eye, and leaves without saying goodbye. And this is after sitting within spitting distance of the host for 2 hours! You don’t have to be best friends with the quizmaster, but come on- at least acknowledge the existence of the guy entertaining you for the night.
6) The Solo Weirdo – You know this guy. He came into the bar alone, halfway through the event, and wants to play. His team name is “Team Tim” or something, and all of his answers are wrong. A bit socially awkward, he tries to strike up conversations with the host about trivia, in between trying to chat up the waitress about anything at all. Usually leaves somewhere before the final round – but typically waves goodbye when he does.
7) The Other, Superior Trivia Host – “Hey man, I’m Jimmy. I host a monthly trivia night at a dive bar in Paskataway. Have you ever done a ‘name that cold cut’ round? You should, dude.” Duly noted.
It should be said that vast majority of trivia night attendees are in fact smart, friendly, fun and engaging. However, for those of us who host bar trivia for the public, we’re bound to encounter at least one of the above at any given pub quiz. I should close by admitting that the person with highest chance of being labeled “annoying” at trivia night is the host – after all, he’s the guy talking the most, thinks he’s hilarious, and he’s got a microphone. Am I guilty of annoyance at trivia night? Perhaps. But hey- I’m clearly in good company.
Have you encountered any annoying people at quiz night? Tell us about them below!
Why Some Pub Quizzes Stink, And How to Improve Them
Friday, June 3rd, 2011
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 same- or be viable at all? I discussed this phenomenon myself in a recent blog post about how to thwart cheaters at quiz night, but as I see it, this is only one factor in an even broader problem for enthusiasts: namely, that some pub quizzes are just plain terrible altogether.
Between hosting, producing and playing, I’ve participated in more trivia nights than most, and can say with a fair degree of certainty what the worst aspects of these otherwise incredibly enjoyable events are. Here is my list below, in no particular order:
Host with No Personality – Let’s face it, we’re not only here to play trivia, but to be entertained. If all the host does is read the questions & answers in a flat monotone, that stinks! The host MUST be funny, or at the very least have fun with the event.
Questions That are Too Hard – Fact: nobody likes to feel stupid, and as such nobody likes trivia nights where the questions are too hard. Make them challenging, but come on- a math proof? Really?
Taking Forever In Between Rounds – In an era of laptops and Microsoft Excel, there is really no reason why scoring answers should take forever. Even with dozens of teams, you can quickly grade, input and sort.
No Audience Involvement – By it’s nature, an event held in a local pub should be about fostering community. If people aren’t encouraged to cheer, participate or even heckle, it’s just not as fun as it can be – and should be.
Drunks Who Shout Out the Answers – Hard to control, but still a problem that affects the event, and shouldn’t simply be ignored. This is really something that the pub should deal with, as they are the ones serving the booze; however, every effort should be made by the host, bartenders and even other attendees to keep these chucklehead boozehounds in line.
Lame Prizes – I firmly believe that people go to trivia nights for the competition, not for the prizes. That said, the prize still has to be something worthwhile, at least a $25-$50 bar tab or equivalent. A bar that asks people to play trivia for hours, and then offers a round of kamikaze shots to the winners, well- that’s just silly. The prize doesn’t have to be extravagant, but it at least has to appear valuable.
I’m a huge lover of pub quiz, and you likely are, too. What other observations do you have about how bar trivia nights can be improved?
TrivWorks founder David Jacobson blogs daily on a wide range of topics relevant to corporate event entertainment, team building and live trivia. 
