Tips & Tricks

• Bars, restaurants and pubs with a slower Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday night.
• Check social media and reviews for events or "slow nights."
• Smaller venues (50–150 capacity) feel full even with a modest crowd.
• Venues with live music, karaoke or bingo already get event nights.

• Lead with the benefit to them: "I can help fill your slow Tuesday night with a weekly crowd."
• Keep it to about 90 seconds: what trivia is, why it works, and what you need from them (a TV and a bit of floor space).
• Mention that there's no permanent installation — everything you use is portable.
• Talk about the regulars effect: trivia builds weekly repeat business more reliably than one-off events.

• Ask to speak with the owner or general manager — not a bartender or server.
• Weekday late mornings (10am–12pm) are often good — before the lunch rush.
• If the decision-maker isn't available, leave your name and ask when they're typically in.
• Follow up once if you don't hear back — once is professional, twice starts to feel pushy.

• You run the game from a laptop or tablet. Teams register from their phones or with you, and no app download is needed.
• Open display.soundchecktrivia.com on each TV and scan its QR code to link it to the venue.
• Do a quick test run so you know scores update live before the room fills up.
• Keep a backup device (a tablet or spare laptop) you can switch to if your main one fails.

• Review the game ahead of time — know the questions and the bonus rules.
• Check every TV shows the venue's screens before teams arrive.
• Check your audio: microphone battery, speaker volume and background music level.
• Arrive 20–30 minutes early, and bring your own power strip, extension cord and HDMI cable.

• Aim for 2–3 hours total with breaks. A game that drags past 3 hours starts losing teams.
• Read each question twice — once normally, once slightly slower.
• Don't let teams debate the timer out loud. Set clear rules once and enforce them consistently.
• The bonus is a highlight — build it up, don't rush it.

• If energy is low, pick it up with your voice and pace — don't wait for the room to come to you.
• Regulars want to be recognized. Learn team names by week 3.
• New teams need more explanation. Explain how joining works before the first question.

• Your ruling is final — say it kindly but clearly.
• If a question is genuinely ambiguous, award the point to any reasonable answer and move on.
• Never single out a team in front of the room — handle it quietly and quickly.
• If you make a scoring error, correct it openly and briefly. Transparency builds trust.

Choose a night that's usually slow but not dead, and keep it the same night every week. People build trivia into their routine when they know it's always Tuesday.

Pair every TV, run the free test game, and check the sound so the songs play clearly across the room.

Walk the room and sit where your guests sit. If a table can't see a TV or hear the host, move a screen or the table.

A game night runs 2–3 hours. Let servers know the flow so they take orders between questions, not while the host is reading one.

Social posts, table tents, the chalkboard by the door, and your receipts. Say the night and the start time every time.

Your promo screens run 24/7, even on nights without a game. Put a trivia night screen in the rotation all week.

A trivia-night food or drink special gives teams one more reason to grab a table before the game starts.

Players with a free account get game-day reminders from you and can track their stats. More sign-ups means more reminders landing in inboxes.

A themed game, a league kicking off, or a holiday night gives people a real reason to come.

Regulars bond with their host. A steady host (set as the night's default host) keeps the room's inside jokes going.

Shout them out, post a photo on your socials, and consider a small prize like a gift card for their next visit. Check your local rules on prizes first.

Once you have regular teams, a league with season standings gives them a reason to never miss a week.

The attendance trend and new vs. returning players show what's working. Try a change for a few weeks, then check the numbers.

Ask teams what they'd like to see more of, and ask happy players to leave a review.