In this chapter, we're going to explain the rules to Ice Breaker Bingo. Keep in mind that there are multiple versions out there, but that this one is our favorite.

Key components include the bingo console (desk with blower and ball chamber), an extra set of balls, Flashboards (balls called display boards), common parts such as spare bulbs and fuses, a portable CCTV camera and related cables, connectors, a modulator and amplifiers and TV monitors. A bingo set may include any number of unique bingo cards, from fewer than 10 to greater than 50. The number of cards you need is determined by how many people you expect to play. Will you play with a small group of family or friends, or will you use the game at a large gathering?

There are a number of styles available such as a table top electric blower, portable Bingo blowers, pop up Bingo machines, wood, metal and plastic machines with wire cages and automatic bingo callers. Consider the layout of the room in which you will host the home Bingo game or party when deciding upon the best machine for your needs. Aside from this, you can have plenty of fun setting up your very own bingo room at home too, which will make for a party that people will be talking about for months afterwards! Here is a guide on how to set up your very own bingo ‘hall’ for hours of party fun in a flash. #1: Choose a Suitable Space.

As an added bonus, we'll also include some downloadable cards that you can print off and use with your group of people.

A fun alternative to Ice Breaker Bingo is a game we built called QuizBreaker.

Thousands of teams around the world play QuizBreaker as a fun way to learn more about each other and bring their teams closer together.

People at organisations such NYTimes, Google & Coca Cola have reported how it's a really easy to run a team building activity.

Click here to learn more about QuizBreaker and try if for free.

If your team is working remotely at the moment then you should check out our guide on virtual team building activities and games for remote teams. In there you'll find 100 ideas with instructions that you can try with your newly remote team.

Chapters

Why We Love It

We can all admit, we love a game of bingo - even if it is for old people.

It’s fun, engaging and can get competitive; and that’s exactly why it's one of our favourite ice breaker games.

Furthermore, we adore people bingo (also known as the ‘autograph game’ or ‘did you know?’) because it is fun, easy to organise and even easier to teach.

Simply put, the objective of the game is for employee’s to wander around the room and get signatures of people who have the facts listed on the bingo sheet - but we’ll explain it in more detail in a second.

It might sound almost too simple, but being simple leaves nothing to be over complicated and allows employees to interact with each other without feeling any pressure. It's a great way to run an easy ice breaker game for the first day of your new team.

How To Set Up Ice Breaker Bingo

We got you covered and written step by step directions for you to follow for your next bingo game!

Step 1: Create bingo questions

If you know your employees reasonably well, make a list of 25 interesting things that you know describes different aspects of them.

For example “lived in Sweden”, “Can speak two or more languages”, “plays the guitar” or “has a red porsche” (alright for some, hey!).

If you don’t know your employees at all, make a list of 25 general ice breaker questions. For instance, “has brown hair” or “works for the HR team”.

You can make your questions easy or difficult, depending on how long you want the game to last.

Step 2: Make a people bingo card

It is very easy to make your own people bingo cards.

You can either use a regular printer, or there are many places online where you can create customised people human bingo cards; which you can find further down the post.

How To Play Ice Breaker Bingo

We recommend playing this team building activity with no more than 30 people. If in larger groups larger, divide your employees into small teams of equal sizes.

Step 1

Give each participant a bingo card, either homemade or found on the internet, and a pen

Step 2

Explain that the group has 30 minutes to mingle with each other. During this time, they should be introducing themselves to one and other and finding people who match the traits on the bingo card.

Step 3

Once they have found the person with the correct trait, they must put the person’s name in the corresponding box, or have the person sign the appropriate square

Step 4

Just like a normal game of bingo, the clock continues to tick until the first person to fill five boxes across or down yells “Bingo”.

If you want the game to go on for a little longer, you could have multiple opportunities to win. For example, the first person to get a full horizontal line of words, the first to get a vertical line and then the first to get a full house.

To involve employees even more in the game, perhaps ask them at the beginning what they think a completed game should be.

Step 5

To make the game more exciting and motivating, have a prize (or prizes, if playing the longer game) ready to give the winners.

In our opinion, a bottle of nice wine will do but you could always offer gift vouchers.

How To Reflect

One way to reflect at the end is to ask participants to introduce themselves and share an interesting trait they learned about someone else.

You can also get your employees or school students to describe how they feel now that they know their peers a little bit better.

Handy Links

For a sample printable bingo card, you can download and modify this People-Bingo printable template.

You don't even need to put in an email address to download it, and their privacy policy says you can edit it as much as you like.

Alternatively, you can take QuizBreaker for a spin which is arguably even more fun than ice breaker bingo!

Frequently Asked Questions

• How to host a bingo event?

It is super easy, all you need to do is invite your friends or colleagues to play and be sure to have your bingo board and pen ready.

• What are some fun icebreaker questions?

We got you covered! Check-out our favorite icebreaker questions.

• What is the history of the game Bingo?

Bingo is traced back to 1530 and started off as an Italian lottery called 'Lo Giuoco del Lotto D'Italia' and still played every Saturday in Italy. In the United States Bingo was called 'beano'.

• Can you play bingo virtually?

Absolutley! You will need to start a video chat using your preffered video confercing platform. Make sure everyone in you team has a bingo card and a pen. From there it is just like playing a normal bingo game in person.

Conclusion

So there you have it!

Ice breaker bingo is a great option for a birthday party game or as part of some bridal shower games. We've even heard from some teachers who use it in special education & english language arts to produce interesting facts during free space in the day.

That's our tutorial on how to play the ice breaker bingo game with your group.

Looking for more activity ideas?

Professional Bingo Set Up

Check out our list of 32 awesome icebreaker games or 49 fun team building activities.

The ultimate goals of all fundraisers is to raise money; so it’s no surprise that that’s the same instance for a bingo fundraiser. Running a bingo fundraiser is one thing, and running a successful one is another. There are many elements that come into play when running a fundraiser in general, and as an organizer, you adequately prepare yourself in order to get optimum results. Now let’s look at the revenue generators or the bingo products you’ll need to sell at your bingo event.

How to Run a Successful Bingo Fundraiser: Revenue Generators

• • Bingo Books & Admission

    Many bingos will sell an admission package to each bingo player when they arrive. This package usually sells for around $20 and includes entry to the event, a bingo book with bingo sheets for each game in the bingo program, and perhaps an added bonus such as a free dauber or an extra bingo sheet for a jackpot game.

    If you have early bird games (a handful of games before your main bingo program), you should sell bingo books for them for around $3-$5. Additionally, extra bingo books should be sold (usually for $5-$15 each) at a discount to the admission price. Finally, it’s a good idea to sell extra single bingo sheets for the larger prize (jackpot) games.

    If you choose not to have an admission package, you can simply sell bingo books for a set price once the bingo players have entered.

  • Raffles

    Raffles are a great way to earn additional funds during your bingo event. During the night, have a friendly person walk around selling with a smile. If possible, it’s a good idea to advertise and presell the raffle tickets beforehand. You can have 50/50 raffles (where 50% of the proceeds go to the prize), or raffle off one or more prizes. Your prizes should be good quality and have obvious value. Don’t be cheap!

    Be careful, raffles, like bingos, can also fall under state regulation. Be sure you find out your state’s policy on raffles beforehand.

  • Pulltabs

    Like raffle tickets, pulltabs (charity tickets) are a great way to increase sales and revenues during a bingo. A pulltab is a similar to a scratch off lottery ticket, but instead it has a number of “windows” that are peeled open to reveal a possible prize. Each box of pulltabs contains a set amount of prizes (usually around 75% of the take). Therefore, each box (once sold) is guaranteed a certain profit.

    Pulltabs come in a variety of games and styles. If you decide to sell pulltabs, make sure you know how each game is played beforehand.

    Be warned! Pulltabs are even more heavily regulated than bingos. Be sure that they are legal in your state. And, if they are legal, make sure that you are properly licensed to sell them.

  • Bingo Supplies

    Bingo supplies, especially bingo paper, can be a little confusing. If you are unfamiliar with bingo, ordering the proper bingo books can be difficult. We recommend you read “How to Order Bingo Paper” on the Wholesale Bingo Supplies website for a quick overview and for some idea what bingo paper cuts and sizes that bingo paper comes in.

    Make sure you order your bingo supplies in advance to give yourself some time. You’ll likely need the following, bingo books, additional bingo sheets for jackpot games, bingo daubers (markers for the players), and raffle tickets and pulltabs (if legal in your area). If you’re unsure of what bingo supplies you need, visit Wholesale Bingo Supplies.

    If you plan on hosting bingos on a regular basis, you might even consider purchasing an advanced bingo console and bingo equipment. But, this can get pricey. For an annual bingo, it’s best to find bingo equipment you can borrow. Also, you can get by purchasing a low-cost, quality, bingo cage.

  • Bingo Callers

Bing Set Up For Homepage

If at all possible, find an experienced bingo caller. You don’t want some novice person calling bingo who has trouble handling the equipment (dropping bingo balls in the middle of a game can be a disaster) or lacks confidence in front of people. If you can’t find an experienced caller, then find someone who is comfortable with crowds and have them practice with the equipment ahead of time. Go over your bingo program step-by-step.

Whether experienced or not, you want your bingo callers to call numbers at a regular pace. We recommend that bingo numbers be called about every 20 seconds for commercial bingo hall environments where seasoned bingo players play. However, this speed should be adjusted to fit your crowd and the number of bingo faces in play. Hopefully, your bingo equipment will have a timer which will alert your caller when to call. However, if no timer is available, use a watch or clock as best you can to call at a regular pace.

Bingo Set App

• Cash vs Baskets or Other Prizes

  It doesn’t make a lot of difference if you give away cash or prizes or a mixture of both at your bingo fundraiser. The important thing is to make sure that whatever you give, you are giving something with value.

  Make your bingo prizes worth the effort for your bingo players. If you give bingo baskets, fill them with quality products. If you give cash, make sure you give away some big jackpots. When your bingo players win a bingo, they want win something and they want to win something good.

• Bingo Concessions

  Your bingo event will usually last from 3-5 hours, with the actual bingo program taking about 3 hours to play. Therefore, it is important to have refreshments and food available if possible. Bingo players are not robots. They will get hungry and thirsty.

  Make sure that the food you serve at your concessions stand is good quality and keep your prices reasonable. We believe it’s smart business to have your bingo concession be a draw for your bingo event and not a profit center. Let your bingo games make the money while your concession keeps them well-nourished and happy.

Bingo Caller Set

Bottom Line

Virtual Bingo Set Up

A bingo fundraiser requires planning. You’ll need to assemble a team of volunteers, find a qualified bingo caller, acquire prize donations, locate a site, advertise, and more. Make sure you give yourself at least a month or two to prepare. Good luck and happy fundraising! If you follow our advice, we’re sure your next bingo fundraiser will be a success.