We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful David Jacobson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with David below.
Alright, David thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What do you think Corporate America gets wrong in your industry? Any stories or anecdotes that illustrate why this matters?
Corporate team building gets a bad rap. The intention is good, in that managers want to boost morale, improve communication, maximize productivity etc. However, just take one look at the expressions on peoples’ faces when they see “Team Building Activity” on the agenda at a conference or meeting – they are NEVER excited for these programs. Honestly, this reaction is deserved – most of the activities masquerading as “corporate team building” stink!
I know from personal experience that this is true. At my first job out of college, my department held an offsite retreat which included a “team building activity.” This consisted of us being broken into small groups, and told we had all just survived a plane crash in the middle of nowhere. We had to fend for ourselves using a series of objects, which we had to rank in order of importance for survival. After two hours of arguments, insults, mocking and outright hostility towards each other, we were given the “correct” order, which was apparently how some unnamed “survival expert” would have ranked the objects. Depending on how closely we matched this expert was how well we “scored” as a team/compared against the other groups.
Everybody left that day feeling angry, deflated, demotivated and uninspired. While I have no doubt the intentions of my bosses that day were sincere, this “team building activity” just plain didn’t work – in fact, it had the complete opposite effect!
What I’d like Corporate America to understand is that team building activities DON’T have to stink. When done properly, with careful thought and attention and through activities which closely match the culture and interests of those involved, they CAN boost morale, improve productivity, etc. – and in so doing, increase revenue.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am the founder & CEO of TrivWorks, a corporate entertainment & team building company specializing in live trivia events. TrivWorks is the industry leader in corporate trivia events, servicing small businesses to Fortune 500 companies nationwide for over 15 years, both in-person and virtually.
In 2006 while living and working in New York City, I took on a side gig hosting a weekly pub quiz at a local Irish bar on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. When the 2009 global financial crisis hit, I realized there was an opportunity to service companies that couldn’t afford to pay their employees more for working twice as hard, but wanted to say “thank you” and show staff they were still valued. I launched TrivWorks as a side business in 2009, targeting corporate audiences, not bar patrons. I slowly built it up over the course of 3 years, and was able to take it full-time in 2012. It’s been my only job/sole source of income ever since!
There are several reasons why trivia works so well as corporate entertainment and team building. For one thing, it’s competitive – there’s nothing like good-natured competition to bring out a side to people that they don’t ordinarily show at the office! It’s also interactive, meaning you’re not just passively watching, but you’re participating; also, everyone can participate regardless of age, infirmity, etc. Trivia is highly customizable in a way which other forms of entertainment/team building aren’t. We can tailor an experience to a specific group’s interests, goals, participants, key messages, etc., making it that much more fun and impactful for participants.
What makes TrivWorks different from bar trivia is that I service only corporate clients. I don’t work with local pub quiz hosts, I work exclusively with professional corporate emcees with years of experience in front of corporate audiences, guaranteeing that the experience will be clean, professional, and that the client will be represented perfectly. I also customize the content for every single client, as described above – it’s never generic or canned, it’s ALWAYS tailored. My events are also turnkey, meaning we provide EVERYTHING: materials, support staffing, advance venue liaison, even audio projection equipment for smaller events. I also have partnerships with celebrity and “special talent” emcees, in order to enhance the experience. This is all in addition to the fact that I’ve been doing this for over 15 years, backed by a reputation working with Fortune 500 clients and coverage in top-tier consumer/trade press. I’m also proud of my all 5-star reviews on Google!
Any advice for managing a team?
When growing my business, the hardest thing I have to do isn’t just finding people who can host/produce corporate trivia events, but whom I can trust to represent me/TrivWorks in front of my clients. Letting go is truly difficult for entrepreneurs like me, but I had to learn to do it, to trust others to deliver the experience I want to share, in order to grow my brand. As such, once I find the right people whom I trust to deliver the TrivWorks experience to my clients, I treat the like GOLD. I pay my performers extremely well, much higher than the going rate for similar work, and do so promptly. I ask for input, share positive client feedback, and let them know that I value them, and pay them what they’re worth – both for their skills/talents, as well as for their time.
I also give the performers I work with tremendous freedom to be themselves when performing. I don’t micromanage them, I don’t critique them – I give them the materials and information they need, then trust that they’ll entertain the crowd in a way that works for them, in their own voice and style. They appreciate the trust and confidence I put in them to deliver a high-quality, professional TrivWorks experience, and ALWAYS do a fantastic job as a result. Most of the people I work with have been hosting/producing TrivWorks gigs for 10 years or more!
How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?
I’m fortunate in that I have many repeat clients, because the events always go well and my clients always have a great experience. Once clients sign on with TrivWorks, they know that the event will be a hit, the emcee will be professional and that the process will be smooth and simple from start to finish. For me, that’s the key to establishing client loyalty: delivering a consistently excellent product.
In addition to reaching out to past clients each year, I stay in touch with them via my Email distribution list, letting them know of new offerings and reminding them to book seasonal events – summer intern programs, holiday party entertainment, etc. I’m also active on LinkedIn, as well as social media channels.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://trivworks.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TrivWorks/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/trivworks
- Twitter: https://x.com/TrivWorks
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TrivWorks
Image Credits
Super Duper Photographic