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The popularity of a trivia night event has made it a natural event to shift to a virtual alternative. On our podcast, The Multipurpose Room, we hosted Sara Franko, a PTA parent who recently ran a successful trivia night for her school. She had some great tips for creating a fun and memorable event. Here are the must-dos for your next virtual trivia event.
School Trivia
Pick a Format
The format of hosting a trivia night needs to be thoroughly considered. The format would depend on the type of activities that are being included. A few options exist, such as a smartphone-based trivia app, a video event including chat, or pen-and-paper-based trivia. The pen-and-paper-based trivia is the easiest to execute; typically, the questions can be displayed via PowerPoint, and the host announces them while the players write their answers on paper. You can do a similar thing with a video app + chat (e.g., Zoom), where the questions are displayed with the answers typed into chat. A trivia app can be helpful but often has the most associated cost. The host or chair is responsible for keeping the score in any scenario. The format used relies on your target audience and should be chosen accordingly.
Bonus: Here’s a helpful step-by-step guide from Donorbox on How to Run A Virtual Trivia Night Fundraiser.
Find the Right Host
Another crucial aspect of planning a virtual trivia night is finding the right person to host the event. The host should be able to keep the contestants engaged and interested throughout the event. Most organizers choose to become the hosts themselves. While it sounds more convenient, it is not an easy job and requires a lot of multitasking, energy, and confidence. Hiring a host can be a great alternative if you don’t have someone stepping up in your organization. Check out this blog for details on how to find the best trivia night host.
Prepare for Challenges
Planning a virtual event comes with its difficulties, and it can help to stay one step ahead and prepare in advance. Any technological issues that could arise need to be identified with backup options. Email the contestants with a detailed guide and outline of the activities planned. Be available during the event to answer any questions through a live chat to help the contestants smoothly adjust. There can be some heated competition during these events, and a person must be appointed to diffuse the situation and make it more friendly without offending the audience.
Invest in Crafting Great Questions
The life of a trivia night is the questions displayed as part of the activity. The options available are multiple-choice, true or false, picture-based, and one-word answers. Categorize the questions beforehand and divide them accordingly into individual rounds. Ensure there's only one answer to each question to avoid biases or confusion when tallying the scores. Keep an automatic timer to make each round more fast-paced and efficient.
Attract Sponsors
Getting sponsorship for your trivia night can benefit both the organizers and the sponsors. Design a detailed plan for the evening, present it to your potential sponsors, and attract them with marketing incentives. For example, allot each sponsor a specific time during the rounds to speak about their business or run a live advertisement. You can make the event more inclusive for the sponsors by displaying their logo on the screen throughout the event and asking your host to mention the sponsors individually and thank them for making your night so memorable.
Celebrate the Winners
At the end of the night, plan a creative closing ceremony for all the guests and sponsors, and thank them for participating in your event. Select the winners based on a series of scores collected during the game and award them prizes. Distribute giveaways to all the contestants for their contribution and offer to stay connected with them via email.
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Using these tips, you should have a great trivia night. But don’t forget to get feedback from the audience. You can use this feedback to make improvements and adjustments for your next event.
Have fun, and let us know how it goes!