A YORK company which has played a major role in revolutionising the traditional pub quiz has recorded its strongest-ever trading month.

Demand from UK pubs has fuelled the record growth for tech company SpeedQuizzing which is on track to become a £1 million business within the next couple of years.

Its interactive online quiz platform and app allows pubs to ditch pens and paper by enabling players to answer questions on their smartphone or tablet.

Monthly sales of its digital quiz packs exceeded 4,500 in November for the first time, with sales over the last three months exceeding 12,500 in total.

It marks the pinnacle of a year that has seen demand for the company’s digital quiz packs grow by 30 per cent year-on-year, with SpeedQuizzing’s interactive quiz platform and app now used to host game show-style quizzes in more than 800 pubs across the UK every week. These range from small village pubs with a handful of teams, to large bars with up to 400 players.

It was founded by Alan Leach, best-known as the drummer in British indie band Shed Seven, and his younger brother John.

They hope to build on this momentum in 2020, with plans to add new features to the app aimed at making SpeedQuizzing even more fun to play and host.

The duo is also looking to take SpeedQuizzing into new markets outside of the pub sector and grow its international presence, building on the 225 SpeedQuizzing events currently hosted in more than 25 countries every week, including the USA, New Zealand and India.

John said: “2019 has been a milestone year for SpeedQuizzing, with pubs all over the UK using our industry-leading software to drive footfall, sales and fun in their establishments.

“With its fast-paced, multiple game variations and automatic scoring, SpeedQuizzing is packing out pubs up and down the country, offering all the excitement of a quiz and game show rolled into one.

“There’s a lot more to come too and, over the next 12 months, we’ll be unveiling a host of exciting new game variations and features, designed to make it even more exciting to play and host, as we look to make the pub quiz fun and accessible to everyone. We’re also looking at how we can better cater for international audiences and exploring the possibility of developing content in a host of foreign languages.”

One pub that has seen sales rise since introducing a weekly SpeedQuizzing event is The Deramore Arms in York.

Landlord Mark Pinckney said: "From taking the faff out of preparing for and hosting quizzes, through to driving some of our biggest crowds of the week, SpeedQuizzing has transformed our pub quiz night.

"Since we started hosting SpeedQuizzing nights in 2018, we've seen a huge swell in the number of people coming down to take part and we're now at the point where we're averaging about 16 teams and close to 100 people every time.

"The footfall SpeedQuizzing is driving is incredible and it makes a massive difference to our business, driving sales and generating a brilliant atmosphere that no other form of pub entertainment can touch."

SpeedQuizzing directly employs 14 people, including five question writers who create 1,500 new questions to SpeedQuizzing’s database every month.

SpeedQuizzing is indirectly supporting hundreds of DJs and entertainment professionals across the UK, who are hosting SpeedQuizzing events as a way of boosting their income, with many now doing it full-time.