Trivia Nights
Currently, there is one regular Kiss Events trivia night.
Wednesdays 7:30 - Appin Hotel, Appin.
Thinking about booking a Trivia Show?
Here is some information that may help you decide if this show is suitable for your venue.
Trivia nights are as popular as ever and always attract regular audiences. Some shows in the Illawarra have been running for around 10 years and can often be used to build up a quiet night. Trivia tends to be a little like crossword puzzles, in that people who do them on a regular basis get to know the style of question and can become quite good at it. Because of this, the show can attract ‘professional’ trivia players who go from venue to venue and win wherever they go. Whilst this is good for the venue, it can be off-putting for the locals with less expertise. To give everyone a chance, I always include an element of luck in my shows. Consequently, a team who is coming last can often do a come-back and win a prize.
Although trivia can attract competitive people, I don’t believe that the prizes have to be high to draw people. The Appin Hotel gives a dinner voucher, some drink vouchers and a bottle of wine away every week. Because there are no large amounts of money involved, the ‘playing for sheep stations’ people aren’t attracted and the show stays interesting for the regular cliental. I believe this is one of the reasons why my shows have been running for so long. Also, to encourage people to come back, if a team attends four out of the six weeks, they are eligible for a $150 cash prize. This cost is covered by the venue and I often supplement the prizes with small give-aways, Please feel free to discuss other prize options you might like to include.
The Corrimal RSL took a different approach and offers a prize pool of $500. This show ran for about three years years and has recently finished.
If you decide to run with this show, to further supplement prizes, you could contact your rep from one of the breweries who will often come on board with prizes. Tooheys in the past supported the Kembla Heights Bowling Club show I ran for around a year with t-shirts, caps and key rings.
For the total cost I will host the show, provide a sound system if necessary, keep you supplied with venue-specific flyers, posters and all support paper-work for the players. I believe that it is advisable to commit to at least six weeks for the word to spread and the show to be established in everyone’s social calendar.
Click here for part of a quiz that I presented this year at the Appin Hotel. We have a fairly well-informed cliental who are attracted to this pub and once I know the audience, I pitch the questions accordingly, judging their experience with trivia nights, age and general knowledge. Your show will be tailored to suit your players’ age, interest and expertise. I constantly revise and add interest to my shows and this show could be marketed to your desired cliental.
Finally, the emphasis of the shows is on fun. The audience leaves in a good mood and always come back for more. The night can be as extensive or simple as you require and I am open to any suggestions that you may have in order to build more business for your club and service for your members.
Some trivial thoughts.....
In the past decades, trivia has developed from an occasional pastime to a worldwide phenomenon. From the tradition of pub quiz in Britain to the hotels and clubs in the Illawarra, people like to play trivia for many reasons. Some love the competition, some like the mental challenge; others like to be able to showcase their knowledge. Many of us actually feel smarter when we can prove that we have mastered a particular subject, be it the names of every US president since 1789 or an intimate knowledge of every story line of The Simpsons.
Perhaps the first true rush in trivia development was the creation in 1979 of the board game, Trivial Pursuit. While trivia games had been played previously in a more informal format, Trivial Pursuit was the first official trivia game to gain widespread popularity. Television shows such as Jeopardy! In the 1960s and Who Wants to be a Millionaire first released in the UK attract enormous audiences as we watch from home and call out answers to our television sets. Arm-chair trivia players like to battle it out with on-air contestants.
Of course, trivia has become available on-line these days, but nothing beats the camaraderie and competitive spirit that prevails in the local pubs and clubs around the Illawarra. There is a lot of good-natured sledging that goes on between teams, and there is the added bonus of families, workmates and couples going out and having fun together.
I have been hosting trivia nights and writing quizzes since the early nineties and there is an art form to it. You need a balance of questions, some difficult, some moderately challenging, some educational, some pretty easy and others just plain entertaining. Writing good trivia questions takes a good amount of effort; I usually get it right but when I don’t the players will let me know!
Twelve year old Caitlin, who is a regular with her parents at the Steelers Club trivia night held every Monday night, says ‘I enjoy coming to trivia nights as I like to test my general knowledge. Most of all I love the fun environment’, and Alison, a university student, says, ‘I learn something new every day and I do a week’s worth in two hours at trivia nights’
Tony, who has been playing trivia for 20 years and is a regular at the Corrimal RSL and many other venues around the Illawarra, says that the nights give him an outlet for lots of both useful and useless information that he has accumulated over the years. ‘I started playing trivia to deflect from working long hours and I have met many interesting people form all walks of life’, he said.
Whatever the reason, trivia is alive and well and happening at a venue near you on most nights of the week.
