Essential Checklist: Planning a Successful Pub Quiz Night

A smooth trivia night starts 72 hours before doors open. Every week. Every time. This checklist is what separates the bars that build a weekly ritual from the ones that try trivia once and decide it “didn’t work.” Run through every step and you’ll host a polished, professional night that players want to come back to.

72 hours before trivia

• Confirm host availability and pay rate for the week.
• Review and download this week’s question pack from your Cheap Trivia account.
• Proof every question and answer. Flag any typos, dated references, or regional jokes that won’t land with your crowd.
• Post the Instagram and Facebook event with this week’s theme, time, and team size requirement.
• Print answer sheets. Rule of thumb: one per team plus 25% extra.
• Email the trivia regulars email list (if you’re running one — and you should be).

24 hours before trivia

• Test the projector or TV with the PowerPoint file. Confirm every slide advances cleanly.
• Test the wireless microphone battery. Keep a backup battery on hand.
• Update all in-venue signage: chalkboards, table tents, bathroom mirror messages.
• Brief kitchen staff on this week’s trivia-night specials and pacing.
• Send the email blast to your trivia list with the theme teaser.

2 hours before doors open

• Set up tables in team-friendly groupings (4–6 people per table).
• Place answer sheets, pens (sharpened, with backups), and table tents on every table.
• Connect PowerPoint to the projector; cue up the first round.
• Sound check the microphone from every corner of the room — find and eliminate dead zones.
• Brief servers on how to check teams in and push the trivia-night food/drink specials.
• Queue up background music for between-round transitions.

Doors open

• Greet and check in teams. Take each team name and quick photo of the table for your social post later.
• Push the food/drink special at check-in. Servers visit every team within 5 minutes of arrival.
• Collect any entry fees if you’re charging.
• Confirm every team has pens and answer sheets.

During the event

• Start on time — never more than 10 minutes late.
• Between rounds, push food and drink specials from the microphone.
• Track scores on a visible leaderboard (whiteboard, TV, or projected Google Sheet).
• Keep energy up with between-round music.
• Finish in 90–120 minutes. No one loves a 3-hour trivia night.

After the event

• Announce winners and give out the prize.
• Post winning team + leaderboard photo to Instagram and Facebook that night.
• Collect answer sheets for recycling and for weekly attendance analytics.
• Debrief with your host for 5 minutes: what landed, what bombed, what to change.
• Schedule and post next week’s theme before the last team leaves.

Weekly post-event metrics to track

• Total attendance (headcount)
• Returning teams (team names that came last week)
• Food and drink sales vs. a non-trivia weeknight
• Average team size
• New teams acquired this week

The shortcut

Skip the question-writing, proofreading, and slide-making. Our Weekly Trivia Subscription delivers proofed, fact-checked, ready-to-host packs every Sunday in both PDF and PowerPoint. Pair it with the free Trivia Night Checklist and you’ll never forget a step.