When quiz night numbers start to drop

Why a quiz night that worked starts to shrink, how to tell which cause you have, and the fixes that bring teams back without starting the night from scratch.

Last reviewed 4 November 2026

First, check it is really dropping

Quiz nights have seasons. Numbers fall in summer, in the weeks before Christmas when people have other nights out, during school holidays, and on any night with a big match on. A bad month in July is not a dying quiz.

Compare like with like: this October against last October, or the last six weeks against the six before them, leaving out weeks with an obvious reason. Count teams rather than takings, because takings move for reasons that have nothing to do with the quiz.

If it is still dropping after that, it is worth working out why before changing anything.

The causes, and the sign that gives each one away

Most shrinking quiz nights have one of these. Look for the sign first, because it tells you which fix to make.

The same team wins every week: The sign: the tables that stopped coming were the ones finishing third to sixth. Nobody minds losing, but people stop coming when they can see they will never win. Fixes: a prize for second or for most improved, a season table that rewards turning up, a cap on team size, or a small handicap for last week's winners.
It runs too long: The sign: people leave at the break or before the last round. Cut a round, start on time, and aim to finish by quarter past ten on a weeknight. A quiz that ends while people still want more is one they come back to.
It has gone stale: The sign: regulars still come but stopped bringing friends, and nobody talks about the quiz afterwards. Keep the skeleton, because regulars like knowing the shape of the night, and change one round a week. A themed round or a new format is enough.
It has got too hard: The sign: winning scores are low and the same few teams are close. Make the first round one everybody scores well on, and keep the hard questions for round three or four. Every table should finish with a score it is not embarrassed to say out loud.
Newcomers do not come back: The sign: new teams turn up once and never again. They probably felt like they were intruding on a regulars' club. Welcome them by name from the front, explain the rules properly, and give a small prize to the best new team.
The host has changed, or lost interest: The sign: the drop started on a particular date. People come for the host as much as the questions. If it was a change of host, give the new one a few weeks and the same format. If it is the same host getting tired, the work of writing and marking is usually why.
Somebody else started a quiz: The sign: you know the pub, and some of your teams have been seen there. Do not move your night to avoid it, because moving loses your regulars. Make yours the better quiz and keep promoting it.
You stopped promoting it: The sign: the poster came down months ago and the last social post was in spring. An established quiz still needs a weekly reminder. Post the scores, the winners and the jackpot every week.

What not to do

Do not change everything at once. A new night, a new format and a new prize all in the same week resets the clock on the regulars you still have, and if numbers then recover you will not know which change worked.

Do not move the night. It feels like a fresh start and it loses the people who still come.

Do not try to buy the crowd back with a big cash prize. It brings in a different and more competitive crowd, and it sets a level you then have to keep paying.

A four-week plan

One change at a time, in this order, so you can see what worked.

Week one: ask: Ask three regular teams what they would change, and ask anyone you know who stopped coming why. The answer is usually one of the causes above, and they will tell you which.
Week two: fix the one thing: Make the single change that answers what you heard. Shorter, easier, a prize for second, a better welcome for new teams.
Week three: tell people: Put up a new poster, post about the change, and tell the regulars to bring someone. A fix that nobody hears about does not bring anyone back.
Week four: count: Count teams and compare with the four weeks before. If it is moving, keep going. If it is not, the next cause on the list is the next thing to try.

Knowing when to stop

Some quiz nights have run their course, and that is fine. If you have fixed the obvious causes and numbers have not moved in two months, it may be time for a break, or for a different event on that night.

A quiz that stops for the summer and comes back in September with a new poster often does better than one kept going on four tables.

See who keeps coming back

Session history keeps every night's final leaderboard, so you can see when numbers started to drop and whether the same teams keep coming back. The first session is free.

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