If you are hosting a quiz for the first time, here are some useful tips that I have picked up over the years. Some are clearly obvious but surprisingly easy to disregard or forget.

PLAN IT OUT. How long will it last? How long is one round? - It is good practice to ask each question twice, some will need 3 or more times. Don't forget to allow plenty of time for giving the answers. Work out the best times for breaks & don't cram too much into one part.

EASY OR HARD? Try to find out who you are quizzing. Are they a casual, local bunch just out for a few drinks or seasoned quizzers who trawl the quiz night circuit. Usually it will be difficult to tell so best gage it more towards the novice and make it a bit easier. You do not want to alienate anyone, make it too hard and the casuals will not enjoy the quiz.

TYPES OF QUESTIONS. Do you use themed rounds or mix them up? Personally, I prefer to mix them up and have a wide range of questions. Having a Sport round is all very well but consider attendees who may not like any sport. Specialist rounds should be avoided; 10 questions on Ed Sheeran might be right up your street, but no team wants a blank answer page.

POINTS : The ½ point answers. Decide beforehand what your points system is. Do you award ½ points for part of an answer? Is a surname sufficient? If a question requires 2 or more answers, consider awarding a point for each. If an answer is a specific number or year, generally I would give a point to the nearest answer if no one gets it spot on.
In which year was the first football World Cup held? Football afficianados will know that, but maybe none are at your quiz. then it's a bit of a lottery. Closest get a point, but declare that rule when asking the question. (1930, by the way).

CHEATING - The mobile phone : the quizmaster's enemy! Is it possible to make your questions Google-proof? Not usually. It is possible to include some, such as what connects...? Pictures and graphics are worth including if possible. I try to give out answers during breaks, rather than leave them until the end. The number of teams who take advantage of a break to look up answers is astonishing.

ARE THE ANSWERS CORRECT? Double check all of your answers. In fact, triple check. Don't rely on Wikipaedia for the definitive answer. Check multiple sources, especially if taking questions from websites.

Who are the only two teams to have never won the Wooden Spoon at the RBS 6 Nations Rugby Union Championship?
A : England & Ireland.
This may have been correct at the time of writing. Is it still correct?
Try to guess what other answers people may give & have info ready in case anyone queries your answers.
According to the Oxforddictionaries.com website, what is the collective term for a group of moles? Different websites provide different answers and as can be the case with collective nouns, there can be several answers. oxfordictionaries.com has the answer as 'labour of moles'.

I aim to constantly add more questions in time and I hope you find this site useful. Any feedback is welcome, you can e-mail me at quiz@phunkyphill.co.uk. Let me know what you think or indeed, if you spot an error (I'm human after all).
Many thanks, Phill