Testimonials

Brainstormer in the Media, and Corporate, Hospitality and Education World

'The quiz was so much fun and everyone seemed really into it. Dave and Kim were great hosts and definitely got the crowd into the game. Thanks for bringing all the prizes. I feel like everyone liked that there was another way to win … I will definitely be in touch as we might do another trivia night later this year.'

Event Manager for large Silicon Valley tech company (Sunnyvale, CA) -
(April, 2013)

'I have used Brainstormer for over 6 years as a valuable tool to assist my students prepare for their Advanced Placement exam. Brainstormer has been fantastic in helping me create an atmosphere of camaraderie as my students prepare for success. What's more, Brainstormer has provided an incredible learning opportunity for my students and empowered them to fully access their prior knowledge. Brainstormer has become a tradition!'

High School history teacher (San Mateo, CA) -
(April, 2013)

Brainstormer is voted 2013's Best Trivia in Portland, ME (at Rí Rá Irish Pub) in the 2013 Best of Portland contest.

Brainstormer was featured on an episode of 'Anger Management' where Charlie begins a questionable romantic relationship with an ex-patient and attends a 'bar trivia' night.

‘Anger Management’ episode 13, 'Charlie and the Ex-Patient!'

Voted Brainstormer is voted Best Pub Quiz of 2012 in Phoenix, AZ (at Rula Bula) by Phoenix New Times.

'Wow! That was so much fun. I had been planning to leave the event at 7 p.m.'

Corporate client overheard commenting to his team, time 8:30 p.m. (San Francisco Accounting Firm) -
(February, 2013)

'The quiz was AWESOME! We had a bigger turn out than expected, the questions were PERFECT for our group, and everyone had an AMAZING time! Your hosts did a great job and were super nice too! I'll be sure to spread the word about Brainstormer to the other folks in our company ...'

Department Event Coordinator (Major Silicon Valley Tech Company) -
(December, 2012)

'We are getting very positive feedback from our Indiana location on the format, content and general feel of the quiz from Brainstormer. Atlanta also liked the Soccer version you produced for the Euro 2012 Championships and is planning on switching to Brainstormer's quiz format in August when the students return to Georgia Tech.'

Group Business Director (National Pub Chain) -
(July, 2012)

'The quiz slideshow went great! Everyone seemed to have a really great time, and we loved the questions. Thanks again for making sure it was a variety of different topics ... we hope to bring out Brainstormer again in the future...and have even more participants!'

Michaele Lien (Human Resources Coordinator - Oakland Athletics) - Oakland, CA
(July, 2012)

'THANK YOU so much for yesterday. The people had a great time and I have heard great reviews today. The organization, format, and enthusiasm were so wonderful on your end. I will definitely be recommending you to others in the biz.'

Events Marketing Specialist - Law Firm - San Francisco, CA
(February, 2012)

'Our event was fantastic! Everyone had a great time and Rick was an awesome host. The pub quiz was a great way to get everyone thinking collaboratively. Thank you so much for helping to make our board retreat fun and productive.'

Gabriella P. Arroyo (BayBio Executive Assistant and Office Administrator) - South San Francisco, CA
(January, 2012)

'I have used other quiz development companies. But with very little exception I have to authenticate many of the questions in their rounds with occasion of replacing some.'

Ann Hayes (Owner - Brigid's Cross Irish Pub) - Bemidji, MN
(January, 2012)

'Everyone had a great time and commented to me afterwards about what a great event it was … we will definitely use you in the future!'

Manager - Accounting Firm - San Francisco, CA
(January, 2012)

'Thanks so much for making the first annual Bay School Trivia Contest so much fun. We all had such a blast ... I have heard nothing but kudos for this evening - hopefully it will be the start of a long and fun tradition with you all. It could not have been any better.'

L. Greenfield - The Bay School - San Francisco, CA
(January, 2012)

'Thank you very much. The quiz was excellently produced, and our teams said afterwards they really enjoyed it. We'll be sure to consider you for future events with our staff and clients.'

Vice-President of PR Firm - San Francisco, CA
(November, 2011)

'Everyone loved it! The questions were excellent and Brian and his assistant were wonderful. And the custom branded play cards were also perfect. On top of it all, we raised a lot of money for a good cause! All in all, the feedback from all has been great -- they want us to do it again!'

Senior Associate with real estate firm - New York, NY
(November, 2011)

'You did a great job Friday - nice mix of questions, keeping things rolling and people engaged. Everyone had a lot of fun and they want to do it again. That says a lot!'

Administrator for CPA firm - San Francisco, California
(October, 2011)

'Oh my goodness! The whole trivia part of the event was a HUGE success ... Rick had all the tables filled and everyone was having a blast! I will definitely add you to my list of extra activities for client events...'

Lora Salfi, Director of Catering Inn Marin - Novato, California
(October, 2011)

'Brainstormer does a great quiz and it draws an extra 3-4k in sales every week for us. Another two of our West Coast stores use their service as well.'

General Mananger, Restaurant/Pub Franchise - San Francisco, California
(September, 2011)

'The night was great! Dave was the perfect host and we are really grateful for all your help and planning. Everyone thought the event, (which raised $27k), went really well and we are excited to make it an annual event... we will definitely be in touch again to work with you guys in the future.'

Diana Adamson, ScholarMatch - San Francisco, California
(August, 2011)

'We so appreciate your helping put on a terrific event on June 9th. I heard nothing but smash reviews from the group (of summer interns). We look forward to doing the event again next summer!'

Office Administator, Law Firm - San Francisco, California
(June, 2011)

'The reviews are in...Everyone had a great time. The swag (Brainstormer prizes) was perfect. However, no one is sharing their Smarties. Having Miranda come round to the tables to offer refills on drinks was a nice touch. It was great to meet you both. Thank you for providing a fun afternoon!'

HR Administrator, Law Firm - Campbell, California
(June, 2011)

' ... the trivia game was a success! ... it served its purpose by motivating our team to connect with their competitive spirit and to also have fun. We’d like to do this again. Kudos to you and your team for putting this together and making things simple to set up ...'

Executive Assistant/HR Coordinator, On-Line Sales Company - San Francisco, California
(May, 2010)

'Our event was WONDERFUL. The 'quiz' portion went off like clockwork and, I had to laugh, they were all SO COMPETITIVE!! It was really fun to watch. You know, like I said, they are problem solvers so they really worked well together as teams and were really challenged with the questions, music, and themed trivia!! It was a great ice breaker and really rounded out our event ... Thank you for helping to make our event so fun and successful'!! '

Senior Administrator, Silicon Valley Tech Company - San Jose, California
(August, 2009)

'Our Brainstormer Quiz is so popular that I'm actually turning people away. So, starting Monday January 2008, we will be hosting it two nights per week.' '

Terence O'Neill, Penny Lane Pub - Richmond, Virginia
(January, 2009)

' ... everyone on staff really enjoyed the trivia. It was a home run all the way around -- many thanks for your help!' '

VP, Communications Major Cable TV Network, Washington DC
(October, 2008)

'I got a lot of positive feedback from people with remarks like 'that was the best company event that I have been to.' Thank you!' '

Company Event Planner, South San Francisco
(July, 2008)

'The event was a success! I received a lot of positive feedback from the participants. Your team was professional and very entertaining. Your contribution added to the success of our first quiz night and we look forward to doing business with you in the future'

J.J. - Int'l Financial Services Company, New York City
(June, 2008)

'Thank you very much! You did a great job getting everyone to participate and relax ... '

Event Planner for Technology Company, San Francisco
(May, 2008)

'We tried (another Quiz company) for 12 weeks and you were right. It is not nearly as good as Brainstormer.'

Jennifer Capurro, Finbar Devine's Pub - Petaluma, California
(March, 2008)

'Thank you very much for your hard work in presenting our Quiz. The evening went extremely well I don't think any of our clients had been to a quiz evening before. It ended up with a tie breaker. Some clients even requested we run another quiz night next year!'

Event Co-ordinator with International Insurance Law Firm, New York City
(January, 2008)

'We had a fantastic time and everyone thought the Quiz was great fun! One of the better events we've had. Thanks again, and hope we can work together in the near future.'

Business Operations Analyst, San Francisco
(January, 2008)

'Every customer in the bar became involved and couldn't get enough. The pub was delighted with the business!'

Stephen Patterson (Owner)
Finn McCool's Pub, New Orleans
(January, 2008)

''When looking to put on a first-class event in entertainment, there is noone better than the minds at Brainstormer. I should know, having been in this business for 28 years.'

Nick Jones
The voice of Sports in Bermuda
(January, 2008)

'Brainstormer Trivia was easily the highlight of our Relay For Life event. Having walked around a track for 8 hours to honor those affected by cancer, over 100 students participated in the trivia contest, despite it starting at midnight. This is simply a must-have, and we will definitely use it next year!'

Stuart Prenner
co-Chair Yale University Relay For Life
(May, 2007)

'The event went over with flying colors. Thanks so much for the positive spin on a boring dinner.'

SF Bay Area Corporate Event Planner
(January, 2007)

'Brainstormer proved to be a wonderful way for my clients to meet and get to know each other! Our Quizmaster, Mark, did an excellent job facilitating the evening with a good dose of humor and wit! Thank you!'

Brandi de Carli (Regional Director)
Table for Six Total Adventures
(2006)

'It has been good for us to have a supply of questions from Brainstormer. Tuesday night has become a very significant event at the Rose and Crown'

Tony Babb (Owner)
Rose and Crown Pub, Palo Alto, California
(May 2006)

'A lot of the regulars will come down around 5 or 5:30 to grab a good table, and they'll have dinner while they're holding it. And they're always here until it ends around 11.'

Paul Rudd (Manager) Sean Kelly's, Missoula, Montana
(Client 2001-current)

'O'Neill's has been hosting Brainstormer for seven years. On Quiz nights we are about four times as busy.  Sometimes you can't get a table...'

Eoin O'Neill ( Owner)
O'Neill's Irish Pubs, San Mateo and San Francisco, California
(May 2006)

'Brainstormer is very good for business. Our quiz has enjoyed great success this summer. We boasted 26 teams for the last 2 weeks!'

Ashley Sheridan (Owner)
Anna Liffey's Bar, New Haven, Connecticut
(Client 2000-current)

'All in all, it was more than we thought possible ... The room was completely filled! People who didn't know each other teamed up and are excited about next week'

Wendy Halambeck (Owner)
Albatross Pub, Berkeley, California
(Client 2000-current)

'We have been using the Brainstormer packages now for eight years and receive a new set of questions each week. The bar business has dramatically increased on what used to be a slow Tuesday night'

Flor O'Sullivan (Owner)
Scruffy Murphy's Bar, Sunnyvale, California
(Client 1998 -current)

Publications

'The contests, held Wednesday evenings at the Kentucky Street pub (Finbar Devine's), have become so popular that the pub books solid with reservations.'

Santa Rosa Press Democrat
(July 2006)

'Brainstormer Pub Quiz ® nights are so popular here that fans gather around thicker than a pint of Guinness.'

USA Today

'...armies of young men and women arrive an hour early to commandeer tables; bar business has increased four-fold from the pre-quiz days'

New York Times

'...for a quiz night, it has a professional setup...'

Washington Post

'The action of the Brainstormer Pub Quiz ® is restricted entirely to whispering and writing. (And drinking) ... with patrons tippling back Guinness with one hand and scribbling furiously with the other. It's like the SATs, basically, but there's booze.'

Blake de Pastino, Missoula Independent, MT

'...it was fun to watch tables get friendlier with each other...'

Sarah Knott - Cincinnati.com

'On the regular (Brainstormer Pub Quiz ®) nights, there's often standing room only in the 200-capacity pub (The Dubliner - Cincinnati, Ohio)'

The Buzz Magazine

'Brainstormer Pub Quiz ® challenges customers, boosts profits. Operators say they are enjoying increased success and profits, and their patrons have had tons of fun as a result of the event'

Nightclub and Bar Magazine

'The place came to life as tables filled with groups of friends and co-workers who caught the spirit, had dinner and joined in on the pencil-and-paper challenge' - 

Nancy Kimball - Daily Inter Lake (Kalispell, Montanta)