Working with the crowd is pretty much the Quizmaster’s bread and butter. That being said, sometimes there are situations where you might think… well darn… what do I do now? We got you!
A player is arguing that the answer I have is wrong.
Politely remind them of rule number 3: The Quizmaster is always right. If the player is arguing an answer and can provide a legitimate source, use your best judgment. While we try very hard to make sure this doesn't happen, all of our questions are written and fact-checked by humans and human error is possible. If all else fails, call or text your Regional Managers and make them decide and then you can tell your players that The Powers that Be have spoken.
A player/team keeps shouting out the answers.
After the first time, remind them that they are supposed to write down their answers and not shout them out. This can be done with public shaming too as long as it’s good-natured and tasteful. Don’t be a jerk. If the same group does it again, let them know they are being disruptive and that the other teams probably don't appreciate their behavior. If it continues, put the game on hold and let the waitstaff know that you cannot continue the game until the disruptive person/group has been removed.
A player just called me a name. And not a nice one.
Maybe they're drunk. Maybe they're just a terrible human being. Either way, while name-calling is rude and irritating, the best option is to shrug it off and move on. If they continue to insult you, let the bartender or manager on duty know of the situation. If they refuse to do anything about it, call the after-hours phone number. If you feel unsafe, please leave and let us know what happened. Your safety is our #1 priority.
A player is using racist/homophobic/sexist language towards me or other players.
Drunk or not, we do not tolerate hate speech of any kind. Immediately put the game on hold and inform the bartender or manager on duty.
A player just threatened me or another player with some sort of physical harm.
King Trivia has ZERO TOLERANCE for threats toward Quizmasters or another player. Immediately put the game on hold and remove yourself from the situation. Inform the bartender or manager on duty. If you feel uncomfortable continuing the game, please call the after-hours number. Your safety is our #1 priority.
A team is claiming another team is cheating.
Let the accusing team know you will keep an eye on the supposed cheaters. Then keep an eye on the supposed cheaters. More often than not, they are just a really solid team and the accusing team can't fathom somebody doing so well. Other times, you may catch them cheating.
- Walking around all the time and mingling constantly is a great way to catch potential cheaters as opposed to staying in one spot!
- If your venue is super big you might even be able to ask the server or busser (since you’re besties with them) to help you out and if they happen to see a team cheating to let you know. No one ever thinks twice about it if a server or busser is behind them and happens to see what they are typing on their phone.
I caught a team cheating!
The most common form of cheating will be teams using their phones to look up answers (not a lot of teams are bringing their Encyclopedia collections to bars...and besides, is that even cheating?). If you catch a team looking up answers on their phones, remind them of the "No cheating" rule and inform them that they will not be able to get any points for the current round. That usually takes care of the cheating problem because no one likes losing points and they will most likely have learned their lesson.
Promotions!
King Trivia uses many outlets to promote our shows, but the best promoter for your show is YOU!
- When you're there, make sure they have posters up and table tents advertising the show. Notice where these posters are: is there one lone poster hanging above the urinal? Or are posters plastered all over the walls? We send marketing materials to all our venues when they sign up, but we are happy to send more if they require it. For ordering more promotional materials for the venue, gently remind the venue that they can order with us.
- Bring your friends and family. Yes, they ARE allowed to play at your games and they ARE allowed to win! Of course, we rely on you to abide by the honor system aka not to give your friends any hints or answers.
- Use that social media! If you can't personally drag people to the venue with you, utilize Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc., to let people know that you are going to be in the spotlight! Tagging King Trivia and the venue itself are helpful when posting and hey, maybe you'll get some new followers. We’ll also repost your post if you tag us in it!
- Talk to your players. Get to know them. Make new friends! We find that a lot of our players show up at the same game week after week because they dig their Quizmaster. Once you see the same people for 5 or 6 weeks in a row it's almost weird NOT to try and get to know them better, right? This can also become beneficial when utilizing the social media promotional tool. If you become Facebook friends with your players and then you post about your game, it reminds them to show up! It's also helpful if you're going to start hosting a new game; you can directly connect with those folks and encourage them to join you a second night of the week.
- Encourage your teams to like King Trivia on Facebook, follow us on IG and Twitter, and sign up for the newsletter... all that fun stuff. The more connected with us they are, the more informed they will be when new venues pop up or Theme Events are announced.