DJ Expo 2015: How did it go for SpeedQuizzing?

As DJ Expo 2015 in Atlantic City has now drawn to a close, we asked our US hosts exactly how they felt it went.

So Rob, how was DJ Expo 2015 for you and Will? 

The expo was amazing. This was my first convention and Will’s third, but first as a presenter. The schedule was intense and the interest among the people on the floor was very high. To say that we were busy for three days presenting on the floor, is a massive understatement.

Were you nervous about showcasing SpeedQuizzing or does this sort of thing come naturally to you two? 

As trivia hosts we surely have a knack for being in front of a crowd so, the showcasing of the product was actually relatively easy for us. What was different was that we had to fine tune a shorter pitch so that we could make sure we cold speak with such a large group of people quickly and keep them all informed. We were way too busy to be nervous.

What were peoples initial reactions to SpeedQuizzing?

There were a lot of wide eyes.  Most people had no idea that this product existed, or at least the small amount that might have heard about it – they never did the research.  Some of the features that really impressed people were the Live Screen (and oddly the fact that it wasn’t required for the game), the host remote, the ability to purchase questions, the on device advertisements, and most of all – the overall quick response time of the game with no internet.

Have you had many people sign up to it straight away?

We did two things at the show, provide handouts with information reinforcing what we had covered at the show, but we also pushed the “it’s free to download, why not try it tonight” spin too.  By the final day we did see that a good amount of people had done just that.  The other end of it was that we collected data for a US mailing list where we’ll reach out beyond the show to engage those interested parties again.  In the week following the Expo, the mailing list has been growing as more and more people confirm their info.

We found at our UK shows that people wander round after speaking to you and then come back for more, was this the case with you?

Absolutely, yes!  In fact, with a couple of cases we had people return to follow up with questions about credits and payments, but also with technical questions. during the event, I did come across many people from my own area – I’ve actually had them showing up at my events to see it live in the natural quiz environment.

What was the highlight of DJ Expo 2015?

A couple of things. There was buzz with the folks at DJ Times Magazine (the organiser of the expo) that we had the unofficial “product of the show”.  Another highlight was the connection we seem to have made with the team at idjnow.com – an online retailer.  We had dinner and discussed some interesting things that I’ll be getting some concrete info about to pass over to the UK home base.  Also, in a tie to idjnow.com – they had someone on the panel for the ‘new tech’ seminar.  They mainly covered wireless PA technology, but SpeedQuizzing got a couple nice mentions in there about a company really reinventing how we entertain through technology.

Did you run any competitions? Did you have any proud winners?

We did a few competitions, but most wanted a walk through the game to see how it worked.  They also had so many questions that doing short games were a cute idea, but not something we could effectively do.

There was talk about it being ‘product of the show’? What happened?

It certainly was product of the show.  Almost everyone had some level of interest.  When that info came along to us – it turns out it was just an unofficial title that the show organisers had put out there.  Mainly due to the fact that we were consistently surrounded by a group of people.

Will you be going back to do this again next year, do you think?

I completely hope to be, and other conventions too.  We did reach a lot of people – but there’s a big amount of the country left to reach.  In regards to returning to Atlantic City, I think that we should follow with a seminar on top of the booth on the convention floor.  Reason is that we’ll be able to walk interested parties right through the games functions, getting started, and maybe a clinic on making your events pop.  Also, I feel that an actual quiz night somewhere in the hotel/casino, etc would be a good idea.  This way you get the interested parties seeing it live with engaged people playing, not learning about features.

Many thanks to Rob Charette for his feedback about the show.  It certainly sounds like it was a resounding success at the show and we are going to look at some of the suggestions made by Rob as well.  

Whats next for showcasing SpeedQuizzing?

SpeedQuizzing is now due to appear in the UK at BPM at the NEC in Birmingham in September.  We are talking to Alan Leach currently to ask about his intentions at this show and how it will differ to last years appearance.  Maybe we can take on board some of Rob and Wills ideas for their show!

Article regarding BPM 2015 will be coming to the website shortly.