Game Show America Blog

Greetings and Salutations Everyone!

The past ten days on the road have been an incredible adventure for GSA.  We started in Chicago at a urologist’s convention, heading next to Connecticut to do a show for Guinness, then off to West Virgina for a fun-filled evening with an educational organization, and finishing off the tour in Virginia doing a show for a professional golf association.  It was literally non-stop, with one day to break away and have some fun (Busch Gardens and NASCAR).  I am typing this as we are driving home from my mobile office (it’s OK…I’m not the one driving) because once we stop for the night, I know I’ll be asleep in about 10 minutes.

The urologist’s convention was definitely a sight to behold.  Working alongside our sister company, our job was to attract doctors to our client’s booth to answer some questions on a new drug.  Participants enjoyed playing the game over the three days that we were in the booth.  Our standing joke is…we met a lot of doctors, but when it came to shaking hands…we opted for the fist-bump instead.

Once done in Chicago, we headed to Connecticut to perform for the folks at the Guinness headquarters.  The group included 50 sales representatives from from the company.  This show was an absolute home run!  Everyone enthusiastically participated in our Quest for the Best game show.  The response was incredible!  We are looking forward to returning to Connecticut for our next Guinness performance.

We then drove down to Charleston, West Virginia to do an evening of entertainment for a group called SASBO.   They also requested our Quest for the Best game show.  The group was divided into twelve teams (there were 12 states represented).  It was fierce competition all the way to the end, and a great time was had by all.  Debra and her crew made us feel very welcome and part of the family.  Our thanks go out to Jennifer at the Marriott for referring us to this client (it was our third time at this venue - and we absolutely love it!).  Thanks Jennifer - we’ll see you again soon!

The last stop on our tour was Williamsburg, Virginia working with our sister company to provide the game show set and audience response technology for an interactive game show for a professional golf association.  As a bonus, we got to meet some of the players.  The show was a huge success!  A special thanks to Bryan for including GSA on this production.

On the day before this production, our crew had a day off, so we tried to do as much as we could in a single day.  We started at Busch Gardens and tackled some incredible roller coasters.  My favorite was The Griffon.  There’s nothing like a 200 foot drop straight down hanging over the edge of the track.  This roller coaster is definitely on my list of Top 5 Coasters.  Here is a link to check it out:  Busch Gardens

That same day, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race was in Richmond.  We made the hour journey to Richmond and got some great seats to the race.  I haven’t been to a race since I was a kid, so I forgot how LOUD these things are.  The race was definitely a lot of fun…and a very cultural experience for me.  Congrats to Kyle Busch on his birthday win!  Another big thanks goes out to Bryan for including us in this unforgettable experience.

And now we’re heading home.  It’s been an incredible tour, and it sure was a lot of fun, but 10 days later, I am looking forward to crawling into my own bed again.  We leave for Dallas on May 15th for our annual Texas Rangers event.  That show is always a lot of fun!  Until then, I’m going to take a bit of time off to relax and enjoy being with my family.

Until next time…keep on playing!

Greetings and Salutations everyone!

A while ago, I started networking with an entertainment company from Ireland via email.  Now a year later, our networking has developed into an exciting new business venture and evolved into an international business partnership.  GSA is proud to announce the launch of Gameshow Ireland (www.gameshow.ie).  Gameshow Ireland is owned and operated by Robert Farmer from Cork, Ireland.  Robert brings over two decades of entertainment experience, loads of talent, and some of the latest game show technology to this new business venture.  Gameshow Ireland has the capability to bring TV-Style game shows to clients of all shapes and sizes.

The official launch date for Gameshow Ireland is March 26, 2009 at the Cork International Airport Hotel.  It is sure to be an event that everyone will be talking about!  We wish Robert and GSI all the best and look forward to collaborating on international game show projects together!

Greetings and Salutations Everyone!

When we created Quest for the Best, we had no idea that it would become our most popular game show production!  QFB has been Game Show America’s signature show for the past three years.  The reason for its popularity comes from its high level of interaction.   The game involves the entire audience throughout the entire game!  To date, the largest audience that has experienced a QFB game show is 1,100 people - and EVERYONE got to play along!

As an encore to Quest for the Best, we have created a brand new all-inclusive game show called ESP.  The tagline for ESP is, “It’s more than just common sense” - and how true this is.

With ESP - The Game Show, the entire audience actually helps create the questions for the game - all while competing against each other.  The entire show can be customized to fit any theme.  For more information about ESP, please call (608) 356-2869 or send us an email (events@gsapro.com).  We’ll have more on this exciting new show in future blogs.

Until next time…game on!

Greetings and Salutations!

When pitching Game Show America for an event, it’s important to make sure our productions are presented to your clients in a way that makes them feel the energy and excitement a game show can bring to their events.

When clients call me directly, I typically do not sell anything.  I first ask a few questions about the event.  Then I explain the type of game shows that I feel would work best for the event.  Then I share with them a story about past events and how excited our clients were about incorporating GSA into their programs.

What I’m selling is me.  My explanation conveys and excitement and enthusiasm that is unmatched.  I truly LOVE what I do, and when a client calls, they hear it in my voice.  I paint a picture for the client.  I give them ideas.  I give them testimonials.  But it’s generally not what I say, it’s how I say it that wins the client over.

GSA works with a number of event planners and production companies all over the United States.  I personally thank each and every one of you for choosing to work with us and promote our services.  Some companies allow me to participate in the sales process (whether it be on the phone or an in-person pitch).  Some companies take our information and make it a part of their presentation or proposal.  Other companies simply offer it in a menu as one of many options for their events.

The success rate varies, depending on a number of factors.  When the client chooses another form of entertainment or chooses not to do a game show altogether, it’s not always apparent as to why.  At times like this I wonder - was the game show element presented in a way that was exciting and enthusiastic?  Was it presented like I would personally present the game show to a client?

The service GSA provides has physical elements, but the intended messages and goals the game show provides are often intangible.  Things like content retention, motivation, employee recognition, and teamwork are in and of themselves mostly intangible.  All of these can be difficult to measure (did they really GET the message?), and clients sometimes don’t fully comprehend that game shows CAN and DO help companies accomplish all of these things.  Occasionally, I have heard a game show presented as “a Jeopardy-like game”, “questions and answers with buzzers and stuff”, and “it’s something like Family Feud”.  The truth is, there is MUCH more to it than that.

If your client is considering a game show, find out as much about their goals as you can.  Then, contact us.  We’ll help you paint that picture for them - and help you convey that excitement and enthusiasm in your presentation.  We’ll even be on the call with you as your “game show expert” which will give your presentation that “something special.”

We truly want to help you present game shows in the best way possible.  Think of GSA as an extension of your company.  With our enthusiasm, we can help turn inquiries and RFP’s into long-standing clients.

I look forward to talking with many of you soon!  Game On!

Greetings and Salutations everyone!  If you watch game shows on television, it’s obvious that the bar is being raised with regards to prizing.  Deal or No Deal has gone from one million dollar case to over a dozen million dollar cases.  Who Wants to Be a Millionaire is giving people a chance every day to win a million dollars.  Even Wheel of Fortune had their first million dollar winner.  The prize levels of other classic game shows are also being raised.  The set design on these shows is also being taken up a notch.  While Price has stayed very close in design to the Barker years, there are still some modern changes being made to the show.  Take a look at Family Feud’s new set.  The stage has got a great new look, while still keeping the Dawson feel of the family stations and face-off position.  Millionaire was one of the first shows to use moving lights that actually became a visible part of the set, and now other shows are following suit.  The Deal or No Deal set goes over the top with high tech video and lighting that helps give the show it’s high energy style.

Where am I going with all of this?  I’m so glad you asked!

Because TV game shows are raising the bar, we at GSA are also raising the bar with our game show sets and technology.  GSA has developed new technology that incorporates wireless lockout buttons, video screen podiums (think Jeopardy), and large screen graphics - that all sync together to create a totally new interactive game show experience.

Recently, GSA designed the technology and set pieces for the Million Dollar Game Show, a new LIVE game show in Las Vegas.  The podiums, large screen graphics, sound effects and lighting all sync together to create a high energy game show environment that you typically only see on TV game shows.  This same technology is also being offered to our corporate and casino clients to give them the best game show experience possible.

This is a picture of the set we designed for the Vegas Game Show.  The contestant podiums contain video monitors that are extremely bright, even under direct stage lighting.  The graphics for the podiums were also designed by our in-house design team.  All of these elements are available for our corporate and casino clients, enabling us to completely customize any type of game show for any type of event.

GSA still offers basic sets and game show podiums which are extremely effective for many different types of game shows.  All of our game show software however, is designed in-house, and only available through Game Show America.

Over the past 12 years, our clients have challenged us to provide them with the most interactive game show experiences possible.  We have also been challenged to create custom game shows for our clients, making their event something that is completely unique to them.  We have welcomed the challenges and have continued to develop interactive and custom games that keep our clients coming back year after year.

If you have never contracted Game Show America for your event, maybe now time to see how GSA can help transform your next event into something extraordinary.  Let GSA help raise the bar for your next event.

I am proud to announce that Game Show America is one of seven finalists for 2008 Entertainment Company of the Year! This is a Spotlight Award is given by Event Solutions, and is considered to be the “Oscars of the Event Industry”. Just being nominated for this award is truly an honor. Thank you to my clients that have nominated GSA for this award.

The voting begins on November 14th (mark your calendars) at www.event-solutions.com and continues through January 26, 2009. The Spotlight Awards Ceremony will be February 25, 2009 at the Event Solutions Conference & Trade Show at the Las Vegas Hilton & Convention Center. Looking forward to seeing you there!

I’m Matthew King, President of Game Show America, and I approve this message.

Game Show America has an all-new game show! It’s called The Hit List. The name has a number of different meanings, but in the end, it’s a 100% interactive new game show for corporate clients.

Everyone in the audience receives a wireless audience response keypad. During this part of the game, a series of multiple choice questions are asked. Each question can have from two to ten answers to choose from. The players that get the highest scores advance to The Hit List Finale.

The Finale allows up to four players or teams to compete. The object of this part of the game is to find all of the items on The Hit List. Answer correctly and you’re still in the game. Make a mistake and you’re out. The more items you can find, the higher your score. The player/team with the highest score wins the game!

The Hit List is an ALL NEW original game show created by Game Show America. The software for this game was designed by our new division, GSA Media. To bring The Hit List to your next event, call Game Show America today!