How to Host a Virtual Trivia Night
Remote work remains strong, and there are many reasons for it - the need to focus on work-life balance, more flexible hours, and an opportunity to work from one’s favorite location, instead of in-person at the office.
However, there are some challenges that can come with this type of work as well, such as the feeling of loneliness and isolation.
The solution? Virtual trivia.
A virtual trivia night can help remote workers feel less lonely and isolated by engaging them in a social gathering with other remote workers from all over the world.
Keep reading to find out the importance of virtual trivia games for remote teams and how you can make use of this important virtual social gathering to create a vibrant culture for your remote workforce.
What is a virtual trivia night?
Virtual trivia games are a popular form of entertainment for many people. The idea is to come together as individuals or form teams and then answer quiz-like questions from categories like geography, pop culture, history, science, music, and more. You can find trivia nights at bars and restaurants, in online events, as well as at private events hosted in a community.
There are two types of trivia nights - in-person and online. In-person trivia events can be best described as a combination of game night, pub quizzes, and an evening out with friends. Online trivia nights are usually played through a website, video conferencing platform, or mobile app. These virtual events are often used by remote teams to build camaraderie and promote a great remote work culture.
Why trivia nights are important for your remote team
It is important for remote teams to have events that bring them together. Events like trivia nights offer a lot of benefits:
Virtual trivia games are an excellent way for remote teams to get to know each other better and have fun at the same time.
They provide an excellent opportunity for remote teams to bond over shared interests.
Virtual trivia games are a great way to bring together remote teams in an environment where they can be social, which will help eliminate loneliness and isolation.
Virtual trivia promotes collaboration among team members in a fun setting.
Steps to successfully host a virtual trivia night
In order to host the perfect virtual trivia night, there is some planning involved beforehand. We'll be focusing on how to host a virtual trivia night and make it successful.
1. Planning - themes, categories, and general objectives
When planning for your team’s virtual trivia night, there are a few things that you need to consider in order to make the event successful.
The first thing you will need is the theme of the event. You can choose from a variety of themes, such as music, movies, general knowledge, and much more!.
Also, it will help to have general objectives that everyone can work towards, such as how to win (by answering more questions than other teams) or just making sure everyone has fun with this event!
2. Create your trivia questions
It's a good idea to create your trivia questions ahead of time. This way, you won't have to worry about scrambling or running out of time when you are organizing a virtual trivia night for your remote team.
You can either create your questions with the help of your team or use a virtual events platform like Bar None Games, which has a wide range of game types and trivia questions that you can use for your virtual trivia night.
3. Recruit players
In order to organize a successful virtual trivia night, you will need to recruit players. You can do this by reaching out to your team members or sending an invite via Slack channel or email.
You can also spread the word through social media. Consider the number of people you want on your team: do you want it to be a small and intimate team event? Or big and inclusive of the entire company?
4. Select a host or moderator
While it is possible to have a virtual trivia night without a host, having the right host can make the event more enjoyable and engaging. The host's job is to make sure that the trivia night runs smoothly and that all the players are enjoying themselves.
When you are looking for someone to moderate your trivia game, you should think about their personality and how they would interact with your audience. They also need to be knowledgeable about trivia in general,, as well as any specific topics that you want them to focus on during the event. It’s important that this person knows how to engage a crowd.
5. Pick the right platform
The right virtual event platform to host your trivia night is one that is user-friendly, has a good reputation in the industry, and can fit your budget. While Zoom may come to mind, there are a lot of different tools out there that you can use, including Microsoft Teams or Google Meet. It is up to you to decide which one will work best for you and your company.
6. Set rules
In any virtual event, it is important to set some ground rules. They help ensure that your trivia night doesn’t turn into a chaotic mess of shouting out answers or mixed up teams. Here are some guidelines to consider:
Set a time limit on how long each round should last
Decide how many people will form one team
If a question is answered incorrectly, is there a penalty (losing points)?
Choose the time limit to answer each question or set of questions
7. Host the event - get ready to have fun!
The day of the trivia night is finally here! You have planned everything from the questions to the prizes, and you are ready to go. But what should you do on the actual day? Here are some tips for hosting a successful virtual trivia night.
On the day of the event, you will need to make sure the time and link for your team are clear and accessible for your team to join.
You can also get more members of your team involved in preparing and hosting so that any issues can be handled easily and swiftly.
Send out a reminder email to your team with all of the details about the game, including how many people will be playing, when it starts, and if they need to have anything prepared. This should serve as a refresher and also get the team excited for the event!
8. Give prizes for the winning teams
The best way to encourage people to participate in a virtual trivia night is by awarding prizes to the winning team(s). Prizes are a great motivator, and they are something that everyone wants to work towards.
Awards can be tangible, such as trophies or gift cards, or intangible, such as bragging rights or praise. It is important to have awards for the winners of a trivia night because it will help keep people engaged in the game and wanting to play again.
9. Provide space for participant feedback
It is important to know how your remote team felt about the trivia night and what they would like to see in future trivia nights. Here are some questions to ask after a virtual trivia night if you want to receive great, actionable feedback:
Did you enjoy the virtual trivia night?
What did you like about it?
What did you dislike about it?
Would you like more or less rounds of questions in future trivia nights?
Would you be interested in other types of games besides trivia, such as mini games or bingo?
Tips for an exciting and successful virtual trivia night
The success of a trivia night depends on a number of factors. We want to share some tips on how you can make your virtual trivia night fun for everyone involved.
1. Start with an interesting and engaging introduction
The introduction should be long enough to get people excited about the event, but short enough that it doesn't take too much time or cause anyone to become disinterested.
2. Create an interactive trivia
We recommend using questions that have multiple choice answers, or questions that require teams to type in their answer. With an excellent virtual event platform, this is easy to achieve.
3. Be creative with your trivia questions
Get creative with questions and answers! You can come up with questions that are related to your industry and company culture, or create a theme for the night. For example, if your company is in the tech industry, you could ask trivia about technology and science topics, or if your company is in retail, you could ask trivia about fashion trends or even about holiday shopping.
4. Test your software and general tech stack
It is always a good idea to make sure that your software, virtual events platform, and general tech stack is working properly before you start your virtual event. This way, you can avoid any technical difficulties or problems that might arise during the event.
5. Make it fun!
The best way to make your trivia night even better is to add in some funny questions or jokes. This will help to make the game more enjoyable for everyone, as well as encourage participation and friendly competitive banter. The right trivia host will know how to find a great balance!
Host your own live-hosted virtual trivia game
A live-hosted virtual trivia game is a fun way to engage your remote team and keep them entertained. It also helps them beat isolation and the loneliness that comes with working from home. However, hosting a live virtual trivia game can be challenging.
Thankfully, Bar None Games can help you make it successful. With over 300+ rounds of trivia questions, various game types, and virtual team building experts, Bar None Games can host a successful virtual event for you team that will allow you to sit back, relax, and enjoy the game!
