Building Momentum

After the kids, back to the relative anarchy of an adult quiz, at a really nice roof bar in Soho, and it was actually the most fun quiz I've done in ages.
When you play a film clip for Question 3 of the first round and everyone is laughing hysterically just watching it, you know it's not going to be difficult to get the crowd in the mood, and you can really relax and enjoy running the quiz.
Occasionally, if a crowd is in too good a mood at the start, you know it spells a bit of trouble later on, as their 'mood' will only become more 'merry' and a quiz does require some element of concentration and control, listening and not shouting out, that kind of stuff. But last night, it was perfect, they were all just really loud and jolly all the way through, but very much involved in the quiz right to the last question. I think I chose the questions pretty well, and, always the bonus, we were fed and the food was really good.
The issue of food is an interesting one for the evening quizmaster. We never ask to be fed by our clients (why should they?) but it tends to turn out that over 50% of them very kindly offer us the same food that they are having or else an alternative. Which is always a bonus, but does raise the question of whether or not to eat beforehand - do I take the risk of an empty stomach and really enjoy the hospitality on offer (for example, last night, the food was of a quality that you'd pay a fair bit for) or do I hedge my bets, eat beforehand as one can't really have the expectation of being fed, and then have to turn down something lush, or perhaps eat it already full just because you feel you should never turn down a free meal. I usually opt for the stop-gap Nutrigrain scenario - (a classic quizmaster scenario) so the deepest pangs of hunger are staved off, but a good feed can be truly appreciated.
Gosh, I see Federer is losing, there'll be a question in this...