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Build a Rapport with your Audience

Build  a Rapport with your Audience

 

Today we are going to look at one more vital element in your quest to bring people into your trivia events and hence run a successful trivia business – The rapport with your audience. This can make or break your night as your audience are the people who matter and without them, you can have all the best questions and ideas you like, but without them it isn’t going to work. Making them feel welcome, at home and in a location where they feel valued is key. Make it more than just a trivia night but the word I want you to think about is “social event”. The best trivia events are the ones in which the players feel relaxed and at home.

 

We will look at three keys areas –

 

  • Building rapport before the show
  • Building rapport during the show
  • Building rapport at the end of the show

 

Build Rapport with your Audience – WHY Build Rapport before the Start of a Show

You need to do everything can to not only entice players to play but to get them to stay in the bar or restaurant and you are not going to do that by sitting behind a desk. If you can build up a rapport with the players and get talking to them then they are likely to stay longer, they may come earlier the next week to chat and they will feel much more relaxed and comfortable in the venue and hence more likely to stay after the trivia is over. According to many cbd marketing agencies, overall, its all about the impression and the way in which you can make your trivia night unique and making the effort to build a rapport with the audience is vital to this.

 

Build Rapport with your Audience – HOW to Build Rapport before the Start of a Show

Is it easier said than done? Of course it is! All you need to do, quite simply, its talk. If you are the sort of trivia host who has an event at 9pm and turns up at 8.50pm, rushes the set up and is leaving straight away upon completion then I am afraid my friend this is why you are not maximizing your profits. Get there nice and early, get set up and spend a good 20-30 minutes going around the venue chatting to your players “Where were you last week?” “How was your holiday?” “Horrible weather this isn’t it?”…make jokes about anything and everything, make good conversation. The more you get to know them the better it is and if the same teams coming back the conversation will become natural.

 

Head round the tables, get people talking and they are more likely to play and then stay if you approach them personally rather than just announcing it behind the bar. Tell them its fun, its “not too serious”, there are “plenty of prizes”….whatever the theme of your trivia night is, let them know all about it.

 

Build Rapport with your Audience – Why Build Rapport during the Show

We all have our good and bad nights and this goes for your audience as well. The questions may not be suiting them, they may be struggling to keep up with the pace and they may thus feel a bit down on the event that week. If you have that rapport you can make jokes, keep them entertained and even if they are scoring 0/20 for one round then at least they have your rapport to keep them enjoying the night.  If you have a dedicated group of players with wireless buzzers, it is fun to have a separate wireless buzzer to have audience members run up and press.  This allows the audience to play against the players, essentially stealing points away from them.

 Judges Voting

Build Rapport with your Audience – How to Build rapport during the Show

This is all about keeping it fun….if you stand and just monotone read out question after question the audience will get bored and wont feel the rapport. If you make little jokes and mention players by name they will feel engaged.

 

Two key ways to do this –

 

  • I always make records of the teams performance and as I read the scores out make comments. “In Second after Round 3 with a full house, the highest they have placed in weeks, is The Quiz Addicts?” or “The Nutsmen lead after Round 1…again…come on boys, give us all a chance!”

 

  • Then make jokes during it…if there is a team of older men called, for example, The Hastings then this sort of thing works – “This one is about 2010s rap music….right up your street The Hastings…” etc etc.

 

Make it fun, make it personal and then you will make it profitable!

 

Build Rapport with your Audience – Why build rapport after the event is over?

Another key time for your rapport building is after the event. Leaving the venue straight away will make it look like you don’t care, or you aren’t really bothered about the people. Making good contact and ensuring you are around for chat makes the whole occasions more personal. It can also help you hand out marketing materials, encourage people to follow you on social media and remind people to come back the following week.

 

Build Rapport with your Audience – How to build rapport after the event is over?

The last point is the easiest…..tour the tables! If you go round and chat to each team about the quiz and the trivia questions it will make them much more engaged in the event. Again, use your knowledge of them “That’s the best you have ever done isn’t it?” or “Well done this week….you got some real toughies”. All works.

 

In essence then, the art of building a rapport is all about keeping it personal and ensuring you are making the most of your audience. Ignore then and they will ignore you by simply not attending your events. Make the occasions more sociable, build up a rapport with the audience and watch the business rise! If you don’t you can be sure someone else will in the area and you will lose your custom to them.

 

I hope that helped and continue to stay tuned to the blog in the coming days for many more tips, advice and suggestions!

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