How do you handle the slow stretch before regulars arrive?
Honest question, no agenda.
A pattern we keep hearing: trivia is supposed to start at 7pm, the regulars don’t really show up until 7:30pm, and the half hour in between is awkward. Bartenders are wiping down the same spot for the fourth time. The TV is showing the QR code to nobody. The early arrivals are wondering if they got the night wrong.
How do you handle that stretch?
A few things we’ve heard so far:
- One venue plays a “warm-up” round that doesn’t count for points. Just five questions, low stakes, gets the early arrivals laughing.
- Another runs music trivia first because it’s the most forgiving for late joiners (you can drop in mid-song and still play).
- Another just doesn’t fight it — they list start time as 7:30pm even though they begin “soft” at 7pm.
We don’t know which of these works best. Probably depends on your venue. What do you do?
(And if you’re new to running trivia and you’re reading this thinking “wait, you’re supposed to do something during that gap?” — yes, you are. Doing nothing is a choice and it usually loses. We’d rather you post your worst experience here than quietly give up after week three.)
— The Trivia Fun team