Now that your Trivia Nights have taken off, let’s review some additional elements you can add to make your service even more unique. Offering a little something extra to your players will give your Trivia Nights a competitive advantage, and will make it easier to expand your business.
You know your clients and crowds best, so as with all other aspects of your Trivia Nights, select the option(s) that will appeal to them most. Or better yet, come up with a twist of your own creation! Below are some crowd favorites to consider adding to plus up your Trivia Nights.
Add a theme round to your shows
Theme rounds are a great way to inject a little extra excitement into your show. There are several approaches for theme rounds.
One option is to announce what the theme round will be ahead of time and use it as a way to drum up buzz for your show. This is an abbreviated version of an entire theme show. If you do opt to go this route, be sure to poll the players to determine which categories they get the most excited about, and then promote the show accordingly.
For example, in your Facebook promotions for the Trivia Night, you can write, “Join us for Trivia Night at Joe’s Pub starting at 7:00pm tonight! Round 3 this evening will be sports themed, and the rest of the show is general knowledge Trivia.” By posting this with a fun sports photo or meme, you increase the likelihood that people will share the post or tag their friends. Track the attendance at your shows both before and after adding a theme round to see if this has a positive impact on turnout for your Trivia Nights.
The second approach to theme rounds is to add a “secret” theme round for each show, which the teams have to guess in order to win a bonus point. In this approach, you do not tell players when you’ve reached the theme round, they have to listen for a trend in the question/answers.
For example, in one round, let’s say the questions are:
1. What celestial body was deemed “not a planet” at the 2006 meeting of the International Astronomical Union? Answer: Pluto
2. Taking place on two separate occasions in 1987 and 2011, the “Jasmine Revolutions” occurred following changes in presidency in which country? Answer: Tunisia
3. What is the name of the 2008 film in which Mickey Rourke stars as Randy ‘The Ram’ Robinson? Answer: The Wrestler
Any teams that guessed Disney characters (Pluto, Jasmine, and Mickey), would get a bonus point for correctly identifying the theme round. This approach is a way to set your Trivia apart from the competition, and to add an extra element of fun for the players.
Create a Trivia League
One way to create a sense of community around your Trivia Nights, and encourage players to stick to your Trivia locations is to create a league. By tracking the ongoing score of each team across all of your locations, you encourage teams to play more frequently to increase their chances of coming out on top.
A good rule of thumb is to start a new league “season” regularly, so new teams have an incentive to join without being too far behind the veteran players.
At first, bragging rights are a sufficient rewards for top teams. Be sure to give top league teams a shout-out on social media. If you have the ability to give them something small (a trophy, medals, or a gift card), you can encourage teams to compete harder, as in, play more often!
Celebrate milestones and Achievements
Offering small rewards for specific milestones is a great way to show players that you appreciate their attendance, and to encourage them to attend your Trivia Nights more often.
There are various milestones you may want to recognize, and the choice comes down to both what your players will enjoy, and what you want to encourage.
One example is a “Perfect Attendance” button for a team that attends every one of your Trivia Nights for a certain length of time. Another option is a “100 Club” trophy for teams that get a perfect score. Again, these could get as specific as necessary to cater to your audience.
Celebrating teams who reach these goals also provides you with another social media opportunity to give shout-outs to the players and encourage more people to join in on the fun!
There are countless ways to add interesting and unique twists to your Trivia Night. These range from minute details, like signing off with a signature song, to larger elements, like creating a Trivia league. As always, your choices should be intentional, and reflect the preferences of the bar owners and players. While these aren’t necessary when first starting your Trivia Nights, it is exciting to consider the possibilities as your customer base expands and your resources grow.