We ran a treasure hunt in London recently for 60 people. The weather forecast told us the sky would be grey but there would be no rain. Yes, you’ve guessed it. As soon as the briefing was over and everyone stepped outside, the heavens opened – and stayed open long enough for several swimming pools to empty on us.

When it was time for the finale, everyone returned still dripping but eager to tell us what  a great time they’d had. Even when they are squelchy, our treasure hunts are still enormous fun and get people working together in a way few other team-building events can. This group could have rebelled, given up and sat in a pub all afternoon. They didn’t. Why not? Well, after running hundreds of treasure hunts sometimes in even worse weather, we’ve never yet had a group opt for the indoor alternative we always bring with us. As soon as we’ve briefed them and given them their information, nothing ever seems to stop them wanting to brave what the elements are doing. Maybe they’re all mad. Maybe they like getting drenched. Maybe they’re all 40% fish. Or maybe there is something about our treasure hunts that means they really are made for all weathers. Contact us to find out more about why this might be…

1. Writing a good treasure hunt takes a great deal of skill, practice and cunning. If the clues are too easy to find or too close together, people get bored. Too hard or too far apart and they give up.
2. Judging what makes a “good” clue is not at all straightforward. After 15 years of writing them, we think know how to.
3. Our treasure hunts are always created especially for the client, suit the group they’re meant for and are always very up-to-date. We don’t do “one size fits all” and, because they’ve been checked very recently, our clues are still where they should be.
4. Going from place to place finding answers to clues is fun – but has its limits. Especially when they are meant as team-building activities, it’s good to include other ingredients in them. Ours have a “scavenger hunt” element (items you must create or find as you go round) and involve interactions with undercover actors. Imagine the scene: you’re in a village, town centre, park or pub you’ve never been into before. One of the people in it is your “contact”. Who should you approach? How will you approach them? What will you say to them? As group tasks go, it certainly isn’t one many usually face – and the more resourceful, the more charming, the more confident the group is, the better the results!
5. While a treasure hunt is taking place, teams rarely have much to do with any other teams.  As a way of bringing a whole group together and bonding them, this has limits. We always end our hunts with a task in which all the teams take part together.  And, along the way, they will often find themselves competing against other teams in quick, “sudden death” challenges.

For more information about how we can make your treasure hunt special, different and truly memorable, call or email us now.

1. Camaraderie warms you up.
2. Not all of it happens outside.
3. Bad weather is only bad when there is nothing to distract you from it.
4. The animals in the zoo are still just as fascinating.
5. When else can you see seven Elvises, ten Santas and  two brave Britney Spears loitering near the Penguin pool?
6. The McDonald’s people were intrepid, lively, competitive and happy to do something a bit different.
7. Compared to raft building in Cape Wrath in winter or camping on Exmoor in winter, a winter treasure hunt in London Zoo is actually very pleasant.

Most of our treasure hunts are spring/summer/autumn events. But in winter, they have a special flavour and the team bonding they provide is as strong as ever. All our treasure hunts are “themed”. In our “Ghost Walk” treasure hunt, we treat you as if you are all fellow ghostbusters – and 6.30 p.m. on a crisp winter’s evening is the perfect time for spotting spooks!

The key questions:

1. Who else has the company you are booking run treasure hunts for?
2. What examples from previous hunts can it show you?
3. What is different, special or unique about its hunts?
4. Will it create something especially for you or will its hunt be off-the-shelf?
5. Who will run it?
6. What will they be doing during it?
7. How is the route worked out?
8. Will everyone be following the same route at the same time?
9. What other ingredients will the treasure hunt include?
10. What happens if it rains?

Find The Treasure’s answers:

1. High-street banks, charities, government departments, local councils, car manufacturers, soft drink makers, pharmaceutical companies, accountancy firms, law firms, management consultants, private groups, children – and many, many others.
2. We are always happy to send you extracts from our previous hunts, to help you understand how they work.
3. Our treasure hunts are “themed” and include undercover actors, waiting for you to identify them and interact with them. Popular themes include Secret Agents, Vampires, The Famous Five, Footballers and WAGs, East End villains and Medieval nobles and peasants. If you have a theme you want us to use, we’ll do our best to incorporate it.
4. Our treasure hunts are always written especially for you, so they are always very up to date. We research them carefully and make sure even those with local knowledge cannot “cheat”!
5. A very experienced facilitator assisted by our very experienced, professional actors.
6. We don’t just hand out a few sheets of paper and leave you to it. The facilitator introduces the hunt, manages the “emergency” phone during it, marks the teams at the end and does the debrief. The actors lie low, waiting for teams to find them, then return to run our lively finale.
7. Because we only hand out a few clues at a time, no-one ever feels overwhelmed by the journey. We plan it so that teams get to go to wherever is colourful, unusual and spectacular in the local area.
8. Our routes are always circular. Teams start at different points on the circle, so they aren’t all just following each other round.
9. There is always a “scavenger” element – collecting or creating various items en route. Teams may also be given a stills or video camera, to capture what they get up to. And when they meet up with our undercover actors, there are always fresh challenges for them to take on – usually over a drink in a pub!
10. We bring an “indoor alternative” with us, just in case.

Call or email us now to find out more about what we offer:

020 8842 1284

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