How to Host a Trivia Night Tip #2 - The Rules

As much fun and entertainment a trivia night or pub quiz can be, sometimes it can be controversial.

Here are some examples:

• A team or individual starts texting or using their phone in the middle of the round
• There are disputes over the validity or correctness of the answer provided
• A late comer to a team puts them over your limit of 6 (or whatever number you want)

It's important at the beginning of the event to establish a set of rules for the event so that there is no "grey-area". Here are a few of the rules we recommend you establish.

1. Under no circumstances are any of the teams to use outside help of any kind, this includes but is not limited to mobile phones, Ipads, texting or using the Internet. Trivia is intended as a fun way to test your knowledge, not what you can google.
2. Once a ruling has been made, the decision is final, no matter how unfair it may seem. This is for the good of the game, can speed up the game, and keeps it fair and enjoyable for everyone.
3. Set a maximum of 6 per team. We find this number works best. If you don't have a limit, you may end up with 15 people on one team and 2 on another, and this makes the game unfair.
4. Establish how the game will flow including how many questions there are in a round, how long the quiz may last, if there is a tie-breaking round, if there are prizes etc...

The more information you provide in the beginning, the more professional it will look and it will actually make your job a LOT easier! Overall, establishing rules at the beginning of the quiz is key to a well-run, successful and fun event.

Please look out for part 3 in our "How to host a Quiz Night" blog post with "Efficient ways to score each round" 

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