How to Run a Trivia Night
Trivia nights are among the easiest events to run. They bring groups in together, keep people at their tables for an hour or more, and give regulars a reason to come back each week. The hard part used to be finding a quizmaster, writing questions and keeping score. TVivia handles all three, so the rest comes down to planning. This guide walks through the planning, the setup and what to do on the night.
1. Plan it
- Pick a slow night. Trivia works best as a way to fill a quieter weeknight. Once you pick a night, keep the same day and time every week so people can build a habit around it.
- Start after work, not too late. Starting between 7:00 and 8:00 PM gives people time to arrive, order food and form teams.
- Decide the length. Most crowds enjoy 45–75 minutes of play. The Bar Night preset (6 rounds of 10 questions, 30 seconds each) runs roughly 40–50 minutes including reveals and scoreboards.
- Choose a theme night now and then. TVivia's fandom categories make easy theme nights: Friends, The Office, Harry Potter, Star Wars, Marvel, Disney or 80s & 90s. The Fandom Night preset uses only these.
2. Set up the screen
- Use your biggest, most visible screen. Open tvivia.com in the TV's browser, or connect a laptop to the TV with HDMI, which is often the most reliable option. Put the page in fullscreen with the F key or the ⛶ button.
- Multiple TVs? Run the game on one device and send the same picture to other screens with an HDMI splitter or your AV system. Each separate browser window would start its own separate game.
- Sound: connect the laptop or TV to your house speakers for the countdown ticks, reveals and fanfare. If you want questions read aloud, turn on Announcer voice. In a loud room, keep Show question on phones on so everyone can read along.
- Wi-Fi: post your guest Wi-Fi details near the screen. Players can also use cellular data.
- Do a test run before your first event. Host a quick game and join from two phones to make sure everything works on your TV and network.
3. Choose a format
| Setting | Recommended for bars | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Preset | 🍻 Bar Night | Fills in the settings below in one tap |
| Rounds × questions | 6 × 10 | A full evening without dragging on |
| Time per question | 30 seconds | Gives teams time to talk it over |
| Difficulty | Easy → Hard | Everyone scores early, and the real competition builds toward the end |
| Who controls the game | Host only | Players can't start or skip from their phones |
| Answer lock-in | When time's up | Teams can change their answer while they discuss |
| Speed bonus | Off | Rewards knowledge rather than fast thumbs |
| Tie-breaker | Closest number | A quick, dramatic finish everyone can watch |
For a more casual crowd, try Prime Time (3 rounds of 8 questions, where players vote on categories). For a lively late-night crowd, switch to Bluff Party, where players write fake answers to strange-but-true facts and try to fool the room.
4. Teams and players
- Teams of 2–6 per table keep things social. Each team joins on one phone and uses a team name as its display name.
- Keep names friendly. The host can remove any player from the lobby by selecting the ✕ next to their name.
- Late arrivals can scan the QR code in the corner of the screen and join mid-game, as long as Allow late joiners is on.
- Phone etiquette: a quick "no looking up answers" announcement goes a long way. Longer questions and 30-second timers make searching harder anyway.
5. Prizes
Prizes don't need to be big to motivate people. Popular options include a bar tab or gift card for the winning team, a free appetizer, branded merchandise, or bragging rights on a "champions" board. Many venues also give a small prize to second place or to the best team name.
Keep it responsible: follow your local laws on alcohol promotions and contests, and avoid prizes that encourage heavy drinking. Prizes are run by the venue, not by TVivia.
6. Promote it
- In the venue: table tents, a chalkboard sign and a mention on your menus. Print a QR code that goes to tvivia.com.
- Online: post the weekly night on your social media, Google Business Profile and event listings. Share a photo of the winning team each week.
- Staff: ask servers to mention trivia to tables in the hour before it starts.
- Consistency: the same night and time every week builds a regular crowd faster than one-off events.
7. On the night
- Open the host screen 15–20 minutes early so the room code is on display while people arrive.
- Announce the rules briefly: teams, prizes, no looking up answers, and when the game starts.
- Press Start Game and let TVivia run it. Use pause (Space bar) if you need to make an announcement or wait for food to come out.
- Between rounds, the scoreboard gives you a natural moment to remind people about drink or food specials.
- Crown the winners on the final podium, hand out prizes, and announce next week's theme.
Hosting at home
TVivia works just as well for family game night, holiday gatherings, birthday parties and watch parties. A few tips:
- Use Quick Game for short attention spans or younger players, and Easy difficulty for mixed ages.
- Turn on Players vote for categories so everyone gets a say.
- The first person to join becomes the 👑 VIP and can start the game from their phone, which is handy when the TV has no keyboard.
- For grown-up parties, Bluff Party tends to get the biggest laughs.
Trivia night checklist
- ☐ Night and start time chosen, promoted a week ahead
- ☐ TV or laptop tested with tvivia.com, and fullscreen works
- ☐ Sound connected, and announcer on or off as you prefer
- ☐ Guest Wi-Fi details posted
- ☐ Bar Night preset selected, and settings checked
- ☐ Prizes ready
- ☐ Room code on screen before guests arrive
Questions, or want help setting up TVivia at your venue? Email support@giftmwah.com.