Can you solve the Treasure Hunt Design Christmas Puzzle?

Email us your answer to info@treasurehuntdesign.com

Click on the image to enlarge.

We will send chocolates to the winner of this puzzle. Email your answer to info@treasurehuntdesign.com. The draw will take place on 29th December 2011.

Good luck!

A big thank you to everyone we have worked with this year – have a wonderful Christmas and a prosperous New Year!

Treasure Hunt app running on the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1

We are proud to have launched our Treasure Hunt tablet app.

The app is exclusively for use on the Codebreaker 4×4 in conjunction with Land Rover Experience at Eastnor Castle running on the newly released Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1.

The treasure hunt incorporates some of the most beautiful landscapes in the UK, around the Eastnor Castle estate and including part of the Malvern Hills.

There is no better way of trying to solve some mind bending puzzles than in a top of the range Land Rover, incorporating part of the Land Rover Experience course at their worldwide headquarters, using the ground breaking technology of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablets.

If you would like book this exclusive adventure then please contact Eastnor Castle.

Excellent photography by Meg Hanlon.

We can create a magnificent treasure hunt for you too – get in touch!

This is a guide to creating a great treasure hunt for your home, which can be adapted for your town, park or even your holiday.

You’ll learn how to create a number of different clues, pick a theme as well as how to make an authentic looking treasure map.

All you’ll need is a couple of household objects, some willing pirates and of course – some TREASURE!
The brilliant treasure hunt that you create is limited only by your own imagination, kids’ party, hen do or team building event.

Order now in Kindle format on Amazon.

Order now in PDF format on Smashwords.

The book includes a pirate dictionary, ideas for other clues and alternative themes.

If you would like a professionally organised large treasure hunt then please get in touch with Treasure Hunt Design.

In order to secure a successful treasure hunt, a key part of the publicity has to be the signage leading up to the event.
The first and easiest is to have a pop-up banner in reception for all your existing clients to get the message.

The beauty of a pop-up banner is that they are quick, convenient and can convey a great deal of information fitting in with your brand.

The next is to arrange to have road signage leading to the event.

Keep the details to an absolute minimum as you only have a fraction of a second to get the message to the motorist.

Finally posters and leaflets promoting the treasure hunt event are a real boost. Make sure they are eye catching and appealing to your target audience, positioned where they are likely to be lingering.

Your brand is really important so make sure that you combine any theme you choose with the overall guidelines of your property/company (or use people that can (like Treasure Hunt Design for example)

If you would like a treasure hunt event, or professional signage for an event designed and produced then the very first thing you need to do is get in touch: info@treasurehuntdesign.com

Pre-Event Planning

Web page

The first place that people look for what’s on will be Google. Get a dedicated page on your website featuring plenty of all the key words that your target audience will be looking for i.e. family, berkshire, bank holiday. Google needs about 6 weeks to register your entry for it to show in  listings.

What’s on guides

Search for local what’s on guides online. Almost all of them are free and desperate for more entries. Compile the details beforehand so you can easily copy and paste them quickly into the guides. The fields you will most likely be asked for: Event Name, Event Description, Venue, Opening Times, Prices, Contact Information, County, Start Date, End Date, Website, Ticketing URL, Contact Email.

Local newspapers

The local rags love treasure hunts, so prepare a Press Release. You need a story, so if you were using Treasure Hunt Design for example, you could say “We saw an opportunity and called in the treasure hunt experts from Channel 4′s Country House Rescue to see what they could do for us…” To find the local news people, Google something like “cumbria local media contacts”. If you can’t find the personal email address of the relevant person then try news@ or newsdesk@.

Road signage

If you can get a sign in a prominent position a fews weeks beforehand locally then it is a great and cheap way to plant the idea in the minds of passers by. To obtain consent to put up an advertisement or sign you may need to apply to the planning authority for the area where it will be displayed. Click here to read the rules. Most planning authorities provide a standard application form, which you can obtain from the local Council’s Planning Department. Electronic standard application forms are available from the Planning Portal via the following link: www.planningportal.gov.uk. In addition to the completed application form, illustrative plans and drawings are required; and you will have to pay the appropriate charge for the advertisement application. The tariff of charges is related to the type of advertisement involved in the application, and the amounts are reviewed annually. Information about current charges is given on the application form, or can be obtained from the Planning Department’s area office.

Local Tourist Associations

In all areas there are organisations set up to promote local tourism. There might be a nominal fee to join, but you would benefit from piggy-backing a large existing distribution network to get the word out about your event.

Stationery

Leaflets and posters certainly help to promote the event. Bear in mind that the majority of dispensers in the UK take 1/3rd A4, and if you can squeeze a corner of the local shop window and noticeboard the poster would ideally be A4.

Local clubs/schools

Target places that will be interested in your event. i.e. if it is going to be an Orienteering Treasure Hunt let the local scout/guides groups, orienteering clubs and local schools know.

Event Planning

The very first thing to do is estimate how many people you think will attend your treasure hunt event. The rest of your decisions depend on this figure.

Clue Sheets

Get the clue sheets printed, including a space to collect the visitor’s information. Using a professional printer normally works out cheaper and less trouble than trying to print it yourself on a desktop printer.

Prizes

Two things to consider. If you are holding an event involving children, they all appreciate a little gift on completion. A grand prize that you yearn to possess would be the ultimate thing. If you are a venue, then look at the services that you could offer without any major financial outlay i.e. exclusive use for an evening, pony trekking etc.

Staff

A rough guide is one person per one hundred people, with a minimum of three to account for loo breaks and surges.

Parking

Firstly look at the space you’ve got available. Base your spaces on approximately three people per vehicle. Allow at least 3m width by 5m per car to calculate. Make sure you have someone pointing people in the right direction.

Catering

The simplest thing to do is to get a commission based outside contractor to pay you to attend your event. If you tell them the numbers, they can give you an expected return. If you advertise that there will be food there, the take up will be much higher.

Activities

For a family-based treasure hunt think family fun day/school fete: bouncy castles, pony rides, cake stalls, beat the goalie, tombola, coconut shy, darts, egg and spoon race, grand prize draw, guess the name/number, jumble sale, obstacle course, refreshments, skittles, car wash.

Toilet facilities

The minimum for 1000 people (500 male and 500 female) for an event less than 6 hours is 4 Female WCs, 1 Male WC and 3 Male Urinals. Appropriate sanitary accommodation should be provided for wheelchair users. It is recommended that one WC with wash-hand basin should be provided for every 100 disabled people.

Entertainers

You can have people dressed in the matching theme of the treasure hunt, plus face painting, a clown/magician to entertain any queues and music/musicians.

Post-Event

Data Collection

Collate the information from the returned clue sheets to let the visitors know about your next event.

Press Release Follow Up

Write a press release and send it to the publications that printed your story – it is good for them to have closure on stories.

If you are thinking about holding a treasure hunt event and would like to make sure it goes smoothly and without a hitch then you know where to come: Treasure Hunt Design +44(0)7958 648576.

On April 10th 2011 the episode of Country House Rescue that Treasure Hunt Design were featured in appeared on Channel 4. Ruth Watson met with Toby Wilson and Sam Gething-Lewis at High Elms Manor (formerly Garston Manor) in Watford. The show illustrated that treasure hunts can be used by venues as a method of generating money. Thanks to the wonders of internet research – Treasure Hunt Design received their first enquiry during the ad break just minutes following their appearance. Here is a direct link to the episode. If you are short of time and would like to know specifically more about the treasure hunts then fast forward to 14:45 and be sure to watch Ruth presenting the concept to the house owners. If you would like a money making treasure hunt at your venue contact Treasure Hunt Design on 07958 648576.

TV Treasure Hunter to the Rescue

Professional treasure hunt expert, Sam Gething-Lewis, has been called in by Ruth Watson from Channel 4’s Country House Rescue to help revive the fortunes of an ailing property in Watford.

Garston Manor was bought by Sheila O’Neill for £500,000 as a wreck. On the programme to be shown this week, her daughters plan new money-making schemes, including a UFO academy and a treasure hunt at the Georgian property.

“It was great working with Ruth, she is a real professional,” said Sam, who’s from Blakeney. “The girls at Garston were a scream, you’ll have to watch the episode to find out how it all turns out!”
Sam launched Treasure Hunt Design in 2009 and the business has grown from strength to strength, featuring everything from hi-tech cross-country adventures with the Land Rover Experience, to baffling brainy professors in city centre puzzles.

Treasure Hunt Design has recently completed a successful pilot for families with the National Trust in Montacute House in Somerset, with a view to rolling the model out to properties across the country. More locally, during the last decade Sam and his team have completed almost thirty treasure hunts for one location alone. You can take part in one of the treasure hunts over this Easter weekend at the spectacular Eastnor Castle in Herefordshire, hunting for the hidden giant eggs.

“He is very creative and his work is slightly ‘off the wall’ which makes it much more interesting and unusual, said Simon Foster, Eastnor Castle’s estate manager.

Treasure Hunt Design’s latest project in development is a creepy hunt featuring elements from all of our nightmares from clowns and ventriloquist dummies to mannequins and skulls.

If you think that your venue would benefit from having income from a treasure hunt then you can contact Sam on 07958 648576.

Country House Rescue will be aired on Sunday 10^th April 2011 at 9.00pm on Channel 4.

The Eyes Have It – but how many are there?

Click on the image to enlarge.

We will send chocolates or wine to the winner of this puzzle. Email your answer to info@treasurehuntdesign.com. The draw will take place on 29th December 2010. Good luck!

A big thank you to everyone we have worked with this year – have a wonderful Christmas and a prosperous New Year!

UPDATE: The competition was won by DJ in Uxbridge. The correct answer was 77.

Today on Neighbours we saw Callum and Sophie taking part in a Scavenger Hunt. This derivation of a treasure hunt involves collecting objects in order to win a prize. The tasks will normally involve either resources that are naturally abundant, such as the leaf from a certain tree and a product from a shop, or something which might be a little harder to find such as a photo of your group with a traffic warden, or everyone camouflaged in the background. This mechanism can be great fun but is open to abuse by participants. On this particular episode of Neighbours one of their tasks was to get hold of a tea cake. As a result of which, the evil Lou promptly went and bought all of them, to hamper his competitors’ progress.

The concept can take up a lot of resources if run commercially, as event holders can end up with huge piles of leaves/tea cakes, and will also need to check everyone’s inventories, which is very time consuming.

A potential solution to this would be to turn this hindrance to your advantage by getting competitors to retrieve items that would benefit the cause i.e. wood/coal/money/rubbish.

Scavenger hunts sometimes also refer to treasure hunts in general.

If you are looking for a professionally organised scavenger hunt then let this good neighbour be a good friend… www.treasurehuntdesign.com