It’s a mainstay in bars and restaurants across the nation, and with Knoxville trivia nights, it’s no different. Knoxville, TN is an amazing college town with a large number of venues having trivia nights. It’s almost impossible to find a bar, brewery, or restaurant that is “trivia-less” for lack of a better word. The problem is, especially in this region, the variety of trivia styles is lacking. Many venues run the same kind of trivia format (a format that I’ll explain in detail a little later) and it is starting to feel a bit droll. Yeah, I used the word droll…whaddya gonna do about it, huh?
I’m surprised when I walk into a bar or restaurant on trivia night and the place is practically empty with only a few teams and players. If it’s a brand new event, it’s understandable, but usually, it’s just not that great of an experience. And it surprises me that owners will continue to run the same low quality game week after week.
I’ve been playing and hosting trivia for a decade now, and I can tell you, there are certain “must haves” when it comes to a high quality trivia night experience. Besides the usual (great drinks, yummy food, and a cool venue), there are two main components that will make or break a bar trivia night – The trivia format and the personality of the host.
The Trivia Format
In the Knoxville trivia scene, there is a standard format that has taken over the town. It works like this. The trivia host asks the question on the mic. Teams write down their answer. The host goes around and collects the answers, enters the scores, and then reveals the answer. Do this 16 times and, well, you’ve got a trivia night. YAWN.
I’m not trying to be facetious but it’s true. This format is pretty mellow. I mean, hey, some venues might like that. Like a wine bar. Or a library. Or an operating room where an intense surgery is taking place. Seriously, though, here are the issues I have witnessed when it comes to this format of trivia for a bar.
First, when the host gets everyone’s attention, everyone SHUSHES each other so they can hear the question. Yes, this makes logical sense, but, we’re supposed to be…in a bar. Having fun. So, yes, it does kind of feel like a “library with beer.” Maybe not the best environment to promote higher sales.
Second, and this one is really tough to gauge, the personality of the trivia host is crucial to the success of the trivia night.
The host personality
Most trivia hosts don’t understand why the bar is having trivia in the first place. It’s so the bar can actually make a profit on a normally slow night. They want a host who will make the beer-drinking, food-buying customer happy enough that they will return week after week.
The other component to being a successful trivia host is knowing what your job actually is. Many think it’s their “show” and they are the “star.” Dude. Bring it down a notch, you aren’t the most important thing in the room. And that’s where they get into trouble. They either forgot or never learned that the most important person in the bar is the customer! As a trivia host, you are there to service them! If you find a trivia host who understands this and bases his performance on the satisfaction of the customer, you will have a winning trivia night.
So, what should a bar or restaurant look for in a trivia company and trivia host?
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MONDAY Night Trivia! Make sure you will get the same host EVERY WEEK. It’s important to build consistency for the customer (you know that!) and with a lot of trivia hosts only getting $50 a night, you’re going to get a lot of turnover.
- If possible, select a trivia company that will create a powerpoint of the trivia that can be shown on your TV or TVS! This way, instead of everyone trying to hush each other (LAME) as the host reads the question, they can just look up at the screen as the host is talking and read along with the question. This works great because the host will stop the music, ask the question quickly, then shut up and put fun music back on immediately! No more, “Huh? What’s the question? Can you repeat that!?!?” because they will just say, “Oh! It’s on the screen! Cool!” (critical for any picture-based trivia, which bar customers LOVE.)
- Hire a trivia host who is a customer service professional who has worked in the restaurant business (like me…since the early 90’s). Ask your potential trivia host, “Do you know about table touching?” A dumbfounded look means…you should move on.
- Make sure the game has a wide variety of engaging content. The best format I’ve found for customers is the 5 rounds with 10 questions per round format. Besides straight-forward trivia questions, doing a picture round, music round, puzzle round, and more will enthrall the teams. Customers can settle in, eat and drink, and enjoy a solid 15 minutes of trivia. Then in between the rounds, there’s 10 minutes for restroom breaks–but more importantly, for ordering more food and drink!
There are other factors involved when it comes to winning your customers with a trivia night, like good prizes (not necessarily expensive) and quality service from the bar staff. A host with an ACTIVE social media presence who, again, makes the customers the “stars” of the night. And the basics, like a top quality sound system and properly written questions geared toward the bar or restaurant demographic. But that stuff is kind of boring. Stick with the above facts and book one of the best trivia companies in Knoxville (or wherever you are located), and your bar trivia night will be packed every week.
From the author:
Hi, I’m Jimmy Loram and I host live trivia and believe it is the best produced, highest quality trivia night you’ll ever experience.
First off, you get me, the owner of Original Content Trivia, to host every week. No random dude or dudette. Customers love consistency.
I write and create all the trivia, build an amazing power point presentation and everything goes on your TVs! No more library-like atmosphere with guests trying to SHUSH each other.
I am also a customer service professional who has worked in the restaurant business since the 90’s. I keep customers happy, I visit each table at least once per round (table-touching is critical), and I make sure guests are having fun and spending money.
Heavy social media promotion. You can visit my instagram here to see how weekly clues and other promotional materials is key to communicating with and promoting to teams and players.
People love the 5 rounds of 10 questions, including music, picture rounds, puzzles, and more. All on video. It’s huge.
No other Knoxville locations do trivia like this. And guests love it.
Visit me at octrivia.com or OC Trivia on Instagram