Your Trivia Night Cheat Sheet

A handy guide for getting the most out of your Gumboots and Guesses event

The Quiz Master

Selecting an engaging and dynamic quiz master is crucial. The quiz master significantly impacts the fun, excitement, and funds raised at your event. Please have them use a microphone; it is much easier and more enjoyable for the contestants. Check if one is available at your venue, or consider borrowing or hiring one.

The Trivia Questions

If you choose to use “Gumboots & Guesses” for your questions, we’d love for you to share the demographics of your attendees with us! This information will help us create a quiz that’s a perfect fit for everyone. Alternatively, you can also choose from one of our fun themed quizzes. We're here to help make your event enjoyable!

How Many Rounds?

Many commercial quiz nights typically offer 8 rounds of 10 questions, which is perfect for them. However, for fundraising events, I’ve discovered that 6 rounds (with 2 being jackpot double points) are far more effective. This streamlined format lasts about 90 minutes, keeping the energy high and participants engaged.

Team Size

Choosing the size of your team is up to you, but I highly recommend forming teams of 4 to 6 members. This size strikes the perfect balance for competition and fosters lively discussions and debates among team members. Additionally, you may have some eager individual quizzers, so you may want to offer the option to form teams on the night.

Scoring

A way for your participants to see their scores between rounds is essential. You can do this via an excel spreadsheet or manually using a display board.
Whether you use an electronic scoreboard or a nice big whiteboard, a dedicated person to handle all the marking and scoring is always a fantastic option.

Promotion

Share your event on your neighbourhood’s social media pages and to any local clubs or groups you think may be interested. Eye-catching flyers are also a great option for getting the word out about your event. Word of mouth is also always effective so make sure to spread the news with your friends, family and colleagues.

Prizes

Remember to have prizes for every team member involved in your fundraiser. The prizes don’t need to be extravagant; local businesses and sponsors are often willing to donate items. Vouchers are a great option. If you turn the evening into a competition between clubs, consider providing a small trophy for the winning team. Let your creativity shine, but be mindful of your budget.

Technical

Our quizzes are designed to be viewed on a big screen, although I have seen them projected onto a wall. You will receive a USB drive containing a PowerPoint presentation. To view it, you will need a laptop with PowerPoint and an HDMI cable to connect to an entertainment system, projector or TV screen. It’s not as difficult as it may seem. Full instructions will be in your package.

Tips for Players

Be creative—pick a fun team name and label your answer pages! Choose one awesome team member as the scribe to record your answers. Bring scrap paper and a pen for notes! If an answer comes to mind, jot it down and share it with your scribe. In this way, we try to keep your answers to your own team. When presenting, I love hearing your excitement when you call out answers! Just remember, if I can hear you, so can the other teams. A little friendly competition just adds to the fun! Enjoy!

Halftime Fundraising Ideas

Hold an auction for a more valuable sponsored prize.

Roll a $2 coin toward a prize on the floor. Keep only the nearest coin on the floor while the rest are yours. At the end of the game, the person with the nearest coin wins the prize.

Set up a dartboard and charge $2 for each dart. The participant with the highest score from one dart wins a prize.

Sell additional raffle tickets to raise more funds.

Popular Trivia Night Themes

Random

You never know what question will come up next! I love creating these rounds and finding fun ways to make them exciting. We might have quirky themes to keep you guessing, or we could explore a variety of topics, such as cars, the human body, or even outer space

Christmas

Embrace the festive spirit by decorating the venue, and everyone can join in the fun by wearing cheerful Christmas hats and T-shirts. Each round will focus on these special holiday-related topics, ranging from delicious food to interesting history and festive lyrics.

World Tour

This theme is ideal for participants passionate about travel. They probably possess extensive knowledge about geography, politics, nature, culture, food, capital cities, and languages from around the world. They so enjoy showcasing their expertise.