Posts Tagged ‘The Bell House’
Event Recap: VH1 Save The Music Foundation Trivia Fund Raiser
Wednesday, June 15th, 2011
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 keeping music and the arts in our schools, raising over $5,000 for the foundation!
Following incredibly inspiring and informative opening remarks by VH1 Save The Music Foundation executive director Paul Cothran, attendees were treated to an amazing performance by the students of Brooklyn’s P.S. 58, the very first school to receive a grant from Save The Music, and all of whom were playing on instruments donated by the foundation. We were thrilled to be partnering with the incredibly addictive Bananagrams, who graciously donated both games and strategy books to the students, as well as to the adults playing trivia in the form of prizes.
Our TrivWorks “Special Host” Pat Kiernan then took the stage, with the house appropriately blaring Canadian artist Bryan Adams’ “Somebody” to get everyone on their feet. Following explanation of the rules, including an introduction of his score collecting assistants, “Pat’s Pages,” Pat dove right into the trivia with a “Movie Taglines” round, followed by a “TV & Movie Plotlines” round. Other rounds at this event included “Pat’s iPod” where 10 songs were played off of Pat’s personal device, with audience members receiving points for naming the song/artist, and “Pat’s Picks” round of hard pop culture questions.
In between rounds, while the answer sheets were being graded, Pat would draw a raffle from those who had paid $5 for tickets and bring two winners onstage for special head-to-head questions. These “mini-games” included rounds such as “Song Lyrics,” where Pat would read off hysterical lyrics in his signature deadpan voice with witty inflection, “Fast Food,” “Seinfeld” and “Commercials.” Winners were then able to take a spin at the huge prize wheel onstage, with the chance to take home great prizes such as tickets to off-Broadway musicals, upcoming shows at The Bell House, a NYC harbor Jazz cruise and yes, more Bananagrams!
As a finale, Pat brought up the top two teams, to compete in a head-to-head “showdown” in order to determine the winner. Reading off one question at a time to representatives of each team, players had to take their pick between two pop culture trivia categories. Each correct answer awards their team a point, and the first team to reach eight points won!
People had an absolutely fantastic time, which was so wonderful to see at an event supporting an incredibly good cause. We will have lots of photos and images to share soon, and hope to see yours if you attended!
Spotlight: VH1 Save The Music Foundation
Tuesday, June 14th, 2011
Tonight, TrivWorks is thrilled to be producing a special trivia fund raiser event in Brooklyn in support of an incredible organization, VH1 Save The Music. Now in its 14th year, the mission of the foundation is to promote music education in our local schools through awareness, education and fund raising, all in the spirit of “brainpower” to help children lead more enriched, well-rounded lives with a solid grounding in the arts.
I have personally been blessed with a strong music education since childhood, enabling me to pick up the saxophone at age 9 and never putting it down. My wife, a public schools music teacher here in Brooklyn, naturally shares my passion for music education, as do so many others who have come together tonight to support the cause championed by VH1 Save The Music.
We are so grateful to the staff and board of this foundation for their tireless efforts to keep music in our schools, and hope that tonight’s event helps this critical nonprofit organization to keep doing what it does well into the future. On behalf of TrivWorks, I can’t express my gratitude enough to partners The Bell House, our many prize donors, Pat Kiernan, and the media outlets who have covered this event. I know that all of you who have purchased tickets will have an incredible time tonight, and look forward to seeing you there!
Partner Shout-Outs: VH1 Save The Music Trivia Night
Tuesday, June 7th, 2011
One week from today, on Tuesday, June 14th, we are thrilled to be producing a very special trivia fund raiser for VH1 Save The Music, a foundation devoted to keeping music education in public schools. I have long been passionate about this cause, a passion which I share with my wife, a New York City public school music teacher. While we at TrivWorks are working incredibly hard to ensure that this event is a success, it simply would not be possible without the ongoing support of many other parties.
Below is a list of all of the partners who have come together, in order to make this incredible event for an extremely important cause possible:
VH1 Save The Music – The foundation has been enthusiastically behind this event from the start, and we are so appreciative of the generous amount of time and effort they have devoted here.
The Bell House – What better place to host an event supporting music education than Brooklyn’s premier live music venue! With a long track record of curating fund raisers for a variety of important causes, including the Haiti earthquake and recent Japan tsunami, we are thrilled that the home of our monthly Brooklyn trivia night has so graciously joined forces with us to create an event supporting VH1 Save The Music.
P.S. 58 – Located in Carroll Gardens and just a stone’s throw from The Bell House, we are honored and overjoyed to be welcoming band students from P.S. 58, the very first school to receive a VH1 Save The Music grant, to perform an introductory song – on instruments donated by Save The Music, no less!
Off-Broadway Productions – We could simply not think of more appropriate prizes for this event than tickets to see off-Broadway musicals, and appreciate so much the productions which have donated tickets! We would especially like to thank Avenue Q, The Awesome 80s Prom, The Sphinx Winx and others for being so very generous, and have no doubt that our prize winners will enjoy seeing these performances live!
NYC Harbor Cruise – The elegant private yacht company Classic Harbor Line took advantage of the musical theme of the evening by graciously donated two tickets to one of their famous Sunday jazz cruises!
Bananagrams – The insanely enjoyable and addicting Scrabble spinoff has generously donated games to be given away as prizes, and we couldn’t be happier!
Finally, we can’t forget to thank our “Special Host” Pat Kiernan for so generously donating his time to this event, and know that everyone who loved The World Series of Pop Culture is going to have an absolutely incredible experience seeing Pat back at his hosting perch!
For more information about this event, or to make a media inquiry, please visit the official VH1 Save The Music trivia event page, or feel free to email me directly at david@trivworks.com. Looking forward to seeing you there!
Hitting the Right Note: Using Trivia for Fund Raising
Thursday, May 5th, 2011
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 are perfect for fund raisers. They are entertaining, challenging and compelling enough to drive a crowd, even in attention-overloaded New York City. Additionally, the questions may be customized so that they serve as an awareness vehicle for the cause- a natural pairing with the raising of dollars, which every fund raiser organizer strives for. A trivia party which captures the passion and enthusiasm of the attendees and hosts alike truly is a recipe for success.
Next month, trivia will once again be used as a means for raising dollars and awareness for an exceptionally good cause as TrivWorks teams up with The Bell House to support VH1 Save The Music foundation. Hosted by our “Special Host” Pat Kiernan, a veteran TV game show host who’s roster includes two seasons with VH1’s “The World Series of Pop Culture,” we will be tapping into people’s love for pop culture and music to raise money and awareness for an organization dedicated to keeping music education in local schools. Attendees will love the “live game show” experience, including a special “showdown” finale, as well as prizes including tickets to off-Broadway musicals graciously donated by numerous theater companies.
VH1 Save The Music was founded in 1997, when then-president John Sykes visited Brooklyn’s P.S. 58 and realized that the band students had no instruments. He started the foundation shortly thereafter, providing P.S. 58 with Save The Music’s first grant.
It just so happens that P.S. 58 is located about 1,000 yards from The Bell House, Brooklyn’s premier live music venue. It is in this spirit of “brainpower” championed by Save The Music that we have all come together to support this extremely important cause; to further drive home the impact and importance of Save The Music, as well as celebrate the special role of P.S. 58, we have arranged for a very special appearance by the school’s band students, who will open the event with a piece performed on instruments provided by Save The Music!
As a lifelong saxophone player who got his start in public schools – as well as a Brooklynite married to a New York City public school music teacher - this cause is one which I am extremely passionate about, and which means a great deal to me personally. I am so very proud to be involved in this special trivia fund raiser, and am grateful to all of our partners who have come together to make this event happen.
Click here to see the official announcement of this event, or purchase tickets by clicking here.
7 Helpful Tips for Being an Event Emcee
Wednesday, April 27th, 2011
I’ve been asked to emcee a variety of large-scale events over the years based on my unique experience hosting trivia, and am more than happy to do so. Not only does it provide me with additional exposure and the opportunity to practice public speaking in a new way, but it is also a healthy diversification of my skillset into other related areas. Among my most enjoyable experiences, I have served as the main stage announcer at the 92nd Street Y’s annual fall street festival for 5 years, and recently served as event host/quizmaster for a “Michigan State Fair” event- a 3-hour “state pride” festival at The Bell House, a major performance venue in Brooklyn.
Here are some tips I’ve picked up which I find helpful when serving as the emcee of a large, sustained event:
- Do Your Homework – Learn as much as you can about the event in advance, including the cause, key participants and important facts. You don’t want to wait until someone hands you a microphone to find out what exactly this event is all about.
- Meet Everyone Involved – Before you hit the stage, take some time to walk around and introduce yourself to the event organizers, performers, booth attendants, venue manager, service staff and anyone else who is critically important to the event’s success. It helps to be “friends” with everyone in case you require additional information or assistance, and you also want to know who to give shout-outs to once you’re onstage.
- Keep to the Schedule – Always have a copy of the event schedule in your back pocket, and track your performance vigilantly. Everyone will be looking to you to find out what’s happening next, as well as to keep the event moving efficiently.
- Look Sharp – As the “face” of the event, you are not just representing yourself, but the entire program – organizers, sponsors, partners, venue and all. As such, make sure you look the part, and dress appropriately. You’ll be glad you did.
- Line Up Your Messaging – Jot down and review the key 5-10 message points you want to announce, and keep repeating them. This will likely include thanking sponsors, welcoming key groups/individuals, highlighting event attractions, mentioning special offers and more. You don’t have to say all of the points each time you’re at the mic, but mix it up- just make sure you provide a natural flow, and hit each point multiple times throughout the event.
- Keep Your “On Air” Time Brief – It’s exciting for public speakers to be onstage with mic in-hand, especially when it’s a casual, ad-libed format such as festivals. However, attendees really aren’t there to see you- they’re there to see performances, network, eat and learn. Don’t be a microphone hog; take the stage, get your message across, and step down. Repeat.
- Stay Upbeat – Attitude is important, and as the emcee your actions, words and presence really do set the overall tone of the event. Make a conscious effort to be jovial, positive and enthusiastic when you are making your announcements. And smile- you’ll likely have a photo or two snapped, so make it count.
I hope you find this helpful. What are some other important things to keep in mind when serving as event emcee?
TrivWorks founder David Jacobson blogs daily on a wide range of topics relevant to corporate event entertainment, team building and live trivia. 
