A bespoke game show for a group

A game show works or it doesn't, and the game doesn't decide which. It depends on whether the group recognises itself in it. Below you'll find the difference between a quiz out of a box and a show built around you, how to divide teams without it going lopsided, what you need in terms of space and time, and when it pays off.

Why a standard quiz often fizzles out halfway

A quiz of general knowledge questions starts well. The first round is fun, in the second round everyone knows who's going to win, and in the third round half the room is talking. That's not because the questions are bad, but because the result is already settled after twenty minutes.

The second problem is that knowledge questions reward one type of person. Whoever knows a lot, wins. The rest watch. In a group that's there to do something together, that's exactly the wrong split.

A show built around the group doesn't have that problem. If the questions are about the group itself, everyone can join in, and you don't know in advance who'll be good at it. That's the whole point.

What makes a game show custom?

The material comes from the group. At a company it's stories from the shop floor, old photos, sayings everyone knows, how long people have worked there. With a group of friends or a family it's the same principle with different content: who has known who the longest, which story belongs to whom, what you remember from ten years ago.

That takes input beforehand. Usually that's a half-hour conversation with two or three people who know the group well, plus some photos. The rounds come out of that. Without that input you still end up with a general quiz, however good it looks.

The rest is format: rounds that differ from each other, a host who keeps up the pace, and points that are visible so the tension stays.

Rounds that differ from each other

Alternate between knowing, doing and gambling. A round in which you have to know something, a round in which a team has to carry something out, and a round in which you can bet or gamble. That third one is more important than it looks: it means a team that's behind can still win at the end.

Four to six rounds is enough for an hour and a half. More rounds means shorter rounds, and then a round is over before everyone has worked out what it's about.

How do you divide the teams?

Divide the teams yourself and don't let people choose. With free choice the groups that already existed form, and that's exactly what you're trying to break up with a game show.

Four to six people per team works best. With three a team runs out of things to say quickly, with eight three take part and five watch. With twenty-five people you end up with five teams, which is also a comfortable number to keep score for.

Mix departments, generations or couples. At a company that's half the point of the evening. With a group of friends or family the same applies: the table where people normally sit isn't the team they'll get most out of.

Let teams give themselves a name

A small step with a big effect. A team that has chosen a name is a team. It takes two minutes at the start and saves you the first round of warming up.

What do you need in terms of space and time?

A room where everyone can see the screen or the host and where teams can sit together. A stage is nice but not necessary. A canteen, a hall or a warehouse works, as long as the acoustics aren't so bad that the host has to shout.

Allow sixty to ninety minutes for the show itself, plus half an hour of set-up beforehand. Shorter than an hour and it's only just getting going. Longer than an hour and a half and attention drops, even when it's going well.

Don't schedule the show as the last item of a long evening. After dinner and a few drinks a group gets chattier, and then a show that needs concentration is the wrong format. Before dinner or straight after works better.

What does a custom game show cost?

A compact programme for part of a day starts at €195 for the whole group, from 6 people. That's the format where we work with existing rounds and weave a few of your own details into them.

A show with its own rounds, its own theme and material made specially for the group is between €550 and €1,250. The difference lies in how much is newly built and how long the show lasts, not in the number of participants.

With a group of twenty-five that comes to about €8 per person for the compact format and between €22 and €50 for a completely bespoke show.

When is a game show the right choice?

When the group is too big to do something together spontaneously and too small to fall apart into cliques. Between fifteen and sixty people a show is often the only activity in which everyone is doing the same thing at the same time.

Also when the weather plays a role. A show is indoors, so it goes ahead. For an anniversary, a farewell or a weekend where one evening is the main moment, that's a reason in itself.

What it isn't: a replacement for an active programme. A show lasts an hour and a half and you still have to fill the rest of the day. What fits there is covered on the page with all activities and under indoor activities.

If it's for a company, the rest of the story is covered under company events. If it's a group of friends or a family, take a look at private outings or organising a weekend with friends.