How to host a trivia night
Trivia is the most forgiving recurring event you can run: people come in teams (so they bring their own social safety), the format carries the evening, and venues love it because a quiz crowd stays for two hours and drinks. One host, a mic, and forty questions — that’s the whole machine.
What format works best?
- Teams of 4–6 — big enough to feel safe, small enough that everyone plays. Cap team size or one giant table wins every week.
- 4–6 rounds of 8–10 questions — mix general knowledge, a music round, a picture round, and one themed round that changes weekly. Two hours total.
- Score after every round, announce top three — the leaderboard is the drama; keep it visible.
- A prize worth joking about — bar tab, ridiculous trophy. The prize is a punchline, not the incentive.
How do you get a venue for free?
Pitch the slowest weeknight — usually Tuesday or Wednesday. A quiz that brings thirty people who each order two rounds is worth more to the bar than the room. Most pubs and cafés will give the space, and some pay regular quizmasters. (In Dublin the pub function room is standing infrastructure; in Gurgaon breweries compete for weekday formats.)
How do people find a trivia night?
“Trivia night near me”, “pub quiz tonight”, and a city name — that’s the whole search pattern. A public event page with the venue, start time, team rules, and entry price answers it, and the same page collects RSVPs so you know how many answer sheets to print. Teams that RSVP’d once follow your calendar and see every week after. Set up the free RSVP page.
Free entry or ticketed?
Free entry with a venue deal is the standard start. Once the room fills weekly, a small per-head or per-team fee (₹100 / $5 per person) funds prizes without denting turnout — paid teams also flake far less. How ticketing works — flat 5% on Espeya, 0% on Plus.
Run it on Espeya
Publish the quiz as a recurring event, cap capacity by teams, and let automatic reminders handle Tuesday-afternoon memory. More on running a recurring format.