How I Used Live Trivia to Get 600 Houlihan Lokey Executives Talking, Laughing, and Working Together
When you bring 600 executives together from around the world, one big question is: how do you help people connect with each other?
At the Houlihan Lokey Global Leadership Conference, I hosted live trivia for corporate events, along with a Family Feud-style game that brought participants up to the stage. The goal was to give people a reason to talk, laugh, and work together, not just sit in the same room.
The room started with executives who didn’t all know each other well. By the end, they had shared something together. I saw people cheering, laughing, communicating, and working through trivia questions as a group. And afterward, several executives stopped me by the bar to say how much fun they’d had.
Getting people involved from their seats
Live trivia gives a large group a shared activity right away. People can listen to a question, think about it, talk it through, and work toward an answer together.
That sounds simple, and it is. But when people are new to one another, a shared question can make it easier to start a conversation. Instead of looking for the perfect thing to say, people have something in front of them to react to.
That’s what I saw in the room. Executives talked with each other, compared thoughts, and worked together to solve the questions. There was plenty of cheering and laughter along the way. The energy wasn’t coming from me alone onstage. It was coming from the people in the room taking part.
For a planner, that matters. You may have people attending from different offices, teams, or parts of the world. They may share a company, but they may not have had much chance to talk before. An activity that gets them interacting can help turn a large gathering into a shared experience.
Bringing people onto the stage
I also hosted a Family Feud-style game and brought participants up to the stage. That gave the room a different kind of moment: some people were playing in front of everyone, while the rest of the audience could cheer them on and react.
A stage game can help change the pace of a conference. It gives people a chance to watch, laugh, and support their colleagues. It also creates moments the audience can enjoy together, whether they’re onstage or in their seats.
The important part is that the activity gives people a way to take part. Some may be ready to come up to the stage. Others may be happier playing along from their seats. A good event activity can make room for both.
The result I saw
The result wasn’t only that the room had fun, although people clearly did. The executives who started as strangers became much more acquainted. They had spent time communicating, solving questions, laughing, and cheering together.
After the event, several executives came up to me by the bar. They thanked me and told me what a great time they’d had. Hearing that directly from the people who took part meant a lot to me. It was a sign that the activity had landed with them.
For a planner, those moments are useful to think about. When people leave an activity with a shared story or a laugh they can talk about, they have an easy way to keep the conversation going. That can help people feel more comfortable approaching one another during the rest of the event, too.
What planners can take from this event
Every room is different, but there are a few things I’d keep in mind if you’re planning a conference and want people to connect:
Start with the kind of connection you want to create. Do you want people to talk across teams, loosen up, get to know colleagues from other locations, or share a fun moment as a group? That can help guide the activity.
Choose an activity that works for the size of your room. With hundreds of people, the activity needs to be clear and easy to follow. People should understand how to take part, whether they’re in their seats or onstage.
Make participation feel natural. Not everybody wants the same role. Some people will jump into a stage game; others will join in from the audience. Giving the room more than one way to participate helps more people feel included.
Look for ways to get people talking with each other. The activity is only one part of the experience. The moments when people share an answer, react together, or cheer on a colleague are what help strangers become more acquainted.
Think about the feeling you want people to leave with. At Houlihan Lokey, I wanted the executives to have fun and share an experience. The laughter, teamwork, and comments I heard afterward showed me how much that kind of moment can matter.
Helping your people connect
I believe the microphone is a tool. The real goal is helping people connect. At the Houlihan Lokey Global Leadership Conference, live trivia and a Family Feud-style game gave 600 executives a reason to talk, laugh, and work together.
If you’re planning a conference or company event and want your people to do more than sit and watch, let’s talk. I can help you create an interactive experience that fits your room, your audience, and the kind of connection you want people to take with them.