A Buzzing Event thanks to Buzzgold!!
As a teacher in charge of a foreign school trip, the issue of fund-raising is always looming large. The parents of the students participating on the trip are each paying £800 for the privilege, so we (myself and the three other teachers going) decided we wanted to organise an event that would not involve these parents, so that they did not feel obliged to put their hand in their pocket once again.
I have hosted a couple of fairly basic quiz nights before, but this time I really wanted to push the boat out, and decided that we would put on a big quiz night. I contacted several local hotels to see if they would be willing to host the night. One fairly prestigious establishment, Crieff Hydro Hotel, offered their main function suite free of charge (because it was a fundraiser), with a capacity of 150 guests. We accepted their kind offer and the challenge was on to try and find the guests to fill the room and raise our funds. We had two months to organise it.
The ticket price was set at £10 per person. £6 of each ticket went towards a buffet provided by the hotel. Our main source of guests was colleagues. We really sold the event, assuring everyone that they would have a great night of entertainment for a tenner a head! Colleagues really bought into it, and we were delighted to have sold 136 tickets prior to the event. We had made £544 (136 x £4) before the night even started so we knew it had to be good. The hotel set up 17 tables of 8, with 2 quiz teams of 4 at each table.
That is where Buzzgold came in. Probably due to my keen interest in sports, I am a firm believer that it is not the taking part, but the winning that counts!! In order for us to keep people updated with their team’s progress throughout the night, I wanted the scores displayed clearly at regular intervals. I scoured the internet and quickly found Buzzgold. They supplied a free to download scoreboard which fitted the bill perfectly. It could be adapted to suit the number of teams, the background formatting could be changed and perhaps most importantly, it was very easy to use. Scores could be entered and the scoreboard automatically ranked them in our preferred format.
I was quizmaster. After welcoming people to the night, we got straight into the quiz. After 3 rounds, each team of 4 swapped their answers with the other team at their table. Answers were supplied and then ‘runners’ collected these answer sheets and brought them to Julie, who was our scoreboard technician for the evening. She entered the scores for all 34 teams as I started round 4. By the end of round 4, the scores for round 1 – 3 were displayed clearly for all to see. This pattern was repeated throughout the night, and after 10 rounds we awarded prizes to the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 34th placed teams!
By the end of the night we had raised £1200 through ticket sales and a raffle held during the buffet. This is an incredible amount of money and way beyond our expectations. People have not stopped telling me how much they enjoyed the night, commenting on the professionalism of the whole event. The Buzzgold scoreboard was at the heart of the whole night and was always on display – many guests asked me where I got it from, and said they can’t wait until the next quiz that we do. There was a real “buzz” in the room the whole evening!
As a teacher I can see how this scoreboard and other products produced by Buzzgold could be used in the classroom or assembly hall for whole school events. It is definitely something that I will be pursuing in the weeks and months to come.
If you are thinking of organising a quiz of any description, do not hesitate to contact to contact Buzzgold. I have been in contact with several of their staff in preparation for the quiz and they have pulled out all the stops to make sure that my event went smoothly. There is a service provided that can very much be tailored to your needs.
A hugely successful night.
Thank you Buzzgold!!
Gordon Crawford
(The Community School of Auchterarder)
