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How to run a trivia night

From the first question to the podium.

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The TV after the question: 25 April is right, with the explanation and what each team answered.
The oQuiz podium: Away with the Fairies won, ahead of The Cuppas and The Know-Alls.
A guest's phone in Safari: what date is Anzac Day, with 25 April selected, and 3 of 4 teams have answered.

Decide how long it runs

Five or six rounds is plenty.

  • Five to ten questions a round. Snack break at half-time.
  • Mix easy and hard. That way every team gets something to cheer about.
  • About two hours. Any longer and people start to drift off.

Sort out the teams

Keep teams small.

  • Six at most. In a bigger team, not everyone gets a word in.
  • Get team names in early. Then everyone's ready when the first question comes.

Write clear questions

With an answer you can check.

  • Avoid answers that change. Records, charts and whoever's top right now.
  • Read each question aloud first. What's clear on paper can get lost in a packed room.
  • Give each round a theme. Music, geography, the local area: every team gets its moment.

Rules first

That saves arguments over the scores.

  • Phones. On the table, in pockets, or as the answer sheet.
  • Spelling. Does an answer count if it sounds right?
  • Ties. Settle it with a tiebreaker or on answer time.

Scoring without paper

Teams answer on their phones and the app keeps score.

  • The scores after every question. On the big screen, all night.
  • The podium at the end. With confetti on the big screen.

What a good question looks like

An answer you can check, and something to talk about.

  1. The world's first webcam went live at Cambridge University in 1991. What was it pointed at?

    1. The car park
    2. A coffee pot
    3. A bird table
    4. A fish tank
    Show the answer

    A coffee pot. A coffee pot, so nobody walked down the corridor to find it empty. The camera ran until 2001.

  2. James Dyson didn't get his bagless vacuum cleaner right first time. About how many prototypes did he build?

    1. 127
    2. 1,270
    3. 5,127
    4. 51,270
    Show the answer

    5,127. About 5,127, over five years. The idea came from the cyclone that collected dust at a sawmill.

  3. The Bangles' 1986 hit Manic Monday was written by which star?

    1. Madonna
    2. Prince
    3. Cyndi Lauper
    4. Phil Collins
    Show the answer

    Prince. Prince, under the name Christopher. In the US it stalled at number two, kept off the top by his own song Kiss.

FAQ

How many questions should a trivia night have?

Thirty to sixty: five or six rounds of five to ten questions each.

How many people should be in a team?

Two to six, though a team can also be just one person.

Are phones allowed?

Decide beforehand. In oQuiz the phone is the answer sheet, and each team answers once.

How long does a trivia night last?

About two hours, with a break.

Running trivia every week?

Up to 100 teams/players with an Event Pass or the Host Pass.

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