For the past two years, the Bartholomew Consolidated School Foundation has turned fun facts into funds with its annual trivia night. However, due to COVID-19, the competition is going virtual this year.
Community development coordinator Jess Schnepp said that the “Share the Love” Virtual Trivia Night will be held at 7 p.m. Feb. 13.
She said that the foundation is working with the company Hambone’s Trivia to hold the event.
“They’ve actually done several virtual trivia nights for some other foundations, and it’s gone really well,” she said. “And so, we’re super excited to work with them, because they use a private YouTube channel in order to host the trivia night.”
This will be the foundation’s third annual trivia night. Schnepp said that between the past two years, the event has seen an average of about 200 people.
While the move from a live venue to a virtual arena is a major change, it does come with certain advantages. For instance, Schnepp said that there is no limit on the number of tickets they can sell for the event.
“That’s the bonus of going virtual; we have a lot more flexibility on who all can play, so they can be anywhere,” she said. She noted that this means players could join in from all over the country or even the world.
Furthermore, she added that since each team will have a captain who gives the responses, team members don’t need to be on the same device; they can video chat with each other from different locations.
Schnepp added that the foundation is looking for event sponsors and noted that because the trivia event will be broadcast over YouTube, these sponsors will likely get more “airtime” than in an ordinary year.
“They’ll be up on the screen, and there’s some other options that we can play with, for sponsors to actually ask one of the questions or do different things,” she said.
In regards to the competition, Schnepp said that there will be general trivia questions, as well as a special section on Bartholomew County history, since 2021 marks the area’s bicentennial. She added that people can like and follow the foundation’s Facebook page in order to see “teasers” for the event, such as practice questions.
Another 2021 change may come in the form of this year’s prizes. Schnepp said that while a trophy is typically awarded to the winners, the foundation is looking at different options this year. One possibility, she said, are “prize packs” that promote “thinking local” through coupons and deals from area businesses.
BCSF has shared an Eventbrite link for purchasing tickets on its Facebook page and its website. Schnepp said that after a person buys their tickets and forms their team, they can expect to receive an email with the link, rules and information needed to play.
Ticket prices are $50 for a team with one to four players and $100 for a team with five or more players. Teams can also buy “’Extra Credit’ Mulligan points” on Eventbrite.
“Each team can purchase up to five points at $25 each to make up for trivia questions they might miss during the event,” Schnepp explained.
According to Eventbrite, ticket sales end on Feb. 11 and mulligan point sales end on Feb. 13.
The event’s proceeds will go to the school foundation. Schnepp said that the virtual trivia night will raise “unrestricted funding,” which means the foundation has flexibility in how those dollars are spent.
