You wrote a great quiz. Now do not let a dead projector or a wifi hiccup ruin it. This is the thirty minute checklist that catches problems while they are still cheap.
The night before
- ✓ Run through the whole quiz once in the editor. Check every question displays correctly, timers are set, points look right.
- ✓ Do a test join from your own phone: type the room code, play one question, confirm the screen looks right.
- ✓ Export or screenshot the questions as a backup. If the tech dies, you can run it on paper.
- ✓ Charge your hosting device and your phone. You will need both.
Thirty minutes before
- ✓ Project the join screen. The room code and QR should be visible from every seat, not just the front row.
- ✓ Test the sound. If your quiz uses sound effects, confirm the room can hear them.
- ✓ Check the wifi with an actual device, not just the signal icon. Join a test room and play one question.
- ✓ Have paper answer sheets and pencils ready as backup for the table with three dead phones.
The first five minutes
Let the lobby fill while people settle in. Seeing latecomers pop onto the screen as they join gives the whole thing a sense of occasion. Announce the rules once, briefly: teams of up to X, phones face down for team play or phones out for individual. Pick one and be consistent.
When something breaks anyway
It will, sometimes. The plan is always the same: pause the game, switch to your paper backup, keep going. A quiz run from a printout with a charismatic host beats a perfect screen nobody can see. If the wifi drops mid game, most platforms reconnect and let you resume. Do not restart from zero unless you have to, it kills the momentum.
Late joiners
If your platform allows late joining, let people in. A player who joins at question five and claws their way up the leaderboard is a story the room tells all night. If late join is off, put someone at the door with the room code so the next arrivals can start fresh at a natural break.
After the game
- ✓ Export the results immediately. Do not trust yourself to remember tomorrow.
- ✓ Post the winner somewhere regulars will see it.
- ✓ Note which questions most people missed. That is your re-teaching list, or your trivia gold for next time.
- ✓ Keep your quiz file. The second run of a good quiz is half the work of the first.