VIRTUAL gatherings over lockdown and the festive season have seen record demand for a York-based tech company's quiz software.

SpeedQuizzing's month-on-month sales were up by 308 per cent in November, with strong figures following in December.

The company's interactive quiz platform, played on a tablet or smartphone, enables users to remotely host and play fast-paced virtual pub quizzes for up to 250 players.

It achieved its strongest weekly sales to date, with 1,088 activations of its SpeedQuizzing Live software in the week ending December 6.

The company is attributing November's surge to hospitality operators and entertainment professionals switching to hosting online quizzes during the second lockdown.

The festive period is also expected to produce strong sales as people host virtual quizzes with friends, family and colleagues.

The SpeedQuizzing Live app and online hosting platform - piloted in the March lockdown - has helped hospitality operators generate income through hosting ticketed gameshow-style virtual quizzes while venues have been closed.

Sam Robinson, owner of 1331 Bar and Restaurant in York, said: “2020 has been a really tough year with the industry forced to close its doors on multiple occasions for a prolonged period of time.

"We're well known for our entertainment programme and SpeedQuizzing Live has meant we’ve been able to continue to bring people together and remain at the heart of the community even when we’ve been closed, which has been a real boost for us and our loyal customers."

New additions include personalised buzzer sounds and a group feature enabling players in different locations to be part of the same team..