Relive some of the questions we asked during our first-ever XBO Trivia Night, which was a great way for our industry’s young professionals to bond!
It wasn’t a surprise that the emerging leaders who attended NSCA’s Excellence in Business Operations (XBO) Experience this fall are smart, curious, and forward-thinking—but we learned something else about them, too: They’re pretty competitive when it comes to trivia!
In the middle of a packed schedule, XBO attendees made time to join in our first-ever Trivia Night. The event was co-hosted by two industry pillars:
- NSCA Education Foundation, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2025
- Shure, which is celebrating 100 years of audio innovation in 2025
This was a fun and different way for young professionals to engage with NSCA and Shure’s shared history. While they spent lots of time in breakout rooms learning about leadership, business strategy, operations, and finance, Trivia Night gave them time to bond and relax over food, drinks, and a friendly clashing of industry and pop-culture knowledge.
We used the evening to spotlight the NSCA Education Foundation’s 25-year legacy of supporting workforce development, as well as to thank sponsors like Shure for backing the next generation of leaders just as wholeheartedly as we do.
To mix things up, we asked a mix of trivia questions about the Foundation, Shure, and the industry as a whole. History turned into a team sport, giving young leaders a crash course in NSCA and Shure milestones.
The result was a night of nostalgia, bragging rights, and plenty of “I swear I know this!” moments. If you weren’t there, we wanted to make sure you don’t miss out on all the fun.
Ready to see how well you can do? Here are some of the questions we asked that night. (To reveal the answers, use your cursor to highlight the space right after the question. The answer appears there in white.)
- NSCA’s workforce program Ignite was launched the same year the Chicago Cubs won the World Series for the first time in 108 years. What year was it? 2016
- What does the “SM” stand for in Shure’s SM58? Studio Microphone
- Shure’s V15 Type III Phonograph Cartridge and Pink Floyd’s iconic album The Dark Side of the Moon were both released in what year? 1976
- What was the name of NSCA’s original trade show (before merging with InfoComm)? NSCA Systems Integration Expo
There was also one hotly debated question that evening: NSCA is one of the few trade associations that started in the Midwest rather than on a coast. In what state did it originate in? Illinois
If XBO Trivia Night is any indication, we think this group of up-and-comers is more than ready to help Shure and the NSCA Education Foundation shape the industry’s next chapter.
And congrats to the winners of Trivia Night: The Crimper Tantrums.
- Will Pettus, Jeremy Blackstock, and Pooven Naidoo from M3 Technology Group
- Ned Coleman from Smarter Systems
- Mariana Pinho from OfficePro
- Hannah Saunders and Graham Kelly from TD SYNNEX
