Contest rating: HIGH ENERGY |
See and
be Seen |
Careen about the Emerald City with your fellow sleuths, the Sherlock Holmses,
in a sleek, glamorous chauffeured limousine. Have a blast in a friendly but frenzied chase
with competing team limousines. Search for Seattle's quirks, secrets and trivia. It is a
quest for the famous and infamous, the historic and hysteric. |
Sneakers
in
Sneakers |
The competition is just as hot as when
teams of sleuths prowl the sidewalks of the Emerald City on foot. Sneakers in sneakers get
carried away without limousines! And guess what? Teams on foot actually
get better scores than teams in limos! So what's it going to be: riding
in style or sneaking for points? |
Sleuths
on the
Loose |
Your team, the Sherlock Holmses, checks your Search Areas Map and devises a team
game plan. Your Team Leader directs your team to the
next search area with dispatch. You arrive to case the joint. Now you have to put your
detective hat on, be observant and ask questions. Suddenly your cunning sleuthing skills
pay off! You have solved a mystery and scavenged an item. It's high five's all around!
"On to the next challenge, the grand title of Super Sleuths will surely
belong to the Sherlock Holmses at the end of the day. It's
elementary, Watson."
But wait - for bonus points we have the Mystery Pix puzzle to solve and
then our team's Best Story contest to prepare for .... and to think that
our team's fate may depend on our team choreographing and performing a
skit about our crazy Mystery & Scavenger Hunt encounters. Move over
Shakespeare - we have tales to tell! |
| Team- building
Morale Events |
Mystery & Scavenger Hunts are great
team-building morale events, social mixers, and entertainment for large or small groups.
They are designed to be very challenging
contests. And they are a sneaky
and very fun way to "tour" downtown Seattle's most
interesting places. Designed and emceed by the ClueMaster, these events may
be held any day year-round during daytime or evening hours.
|
What groups
have
done
this? |
From the first event on Halloween 1995 to the end of 2009 there have
been 369 Mystery & Scavenger Hunt events. That's
over 1,500 teams and about 12,000 players! Local as well as visiting groups have enjoyed
the competition (multiple times for many groups).
They are corporate groups as well as private special occasion groups.
Group sizes typically range from about 15 to 90 but the record sizes are
4 (one team playing against previous team scores) and 300+. Players ages typically range from 20 something
to seniors. Occasionally, children accompanied by adults are players and
a few have been 80 something. Everyone simply plays at their own energy
level and has a good time doing it! Players with limited mobility
typically hunt near the meeting place. |
Corporate
Clients |
Accenture, Acision,
Adeneo Corp Adetel Group, Adobe, Air Touch Cellular, Amazon, American Federation of Teachers, Amgen, AMS Services, Andrews Space, ANZUS-Rosetta, Apple Computer, aQuantive, AT&T Wireless,
Avalon Bay Communities, Bank of
America, BDO Seidman, Benson & McLaughlin P.S., Bensussen Deutsch & Associates,
Blom Consultancy, Boeing, Cascade Tech Sales, Children's Hospital & Regional Medical
Center, City of Kent, Coffee Talk, Coinstar, Cole Weber/Red Cell,
Cole & Weber united, Commercial Office Interiors, Compaq
of France, Concur Technologies, Dermik Labs, Discover U, DMX Music,
DRIVEpm, The Effectiveness Institute, Eli Lilly, Ernst & Young, Esurg, Events and Adventures,
Expedia, Expeditors International, Eye Bank Association of America, F5 Networks, Federal Express, Fairview University
Medical Center, Fairwood Golf & Country Club, First American Credco,
Fluke Networks, FM Global, General Electric, Grand Hyatt, Gray Cary LLP, Greythorn,
Group Health Permanente,
Heartland, Hills Pet Nutrition, InterCall, Ivar's, Kelly Hume Design, Kennedy Associates Real
Estate Counsel, LexisNexis, McKinstry, Medtronic, Meetings En Route, Metro Information Services,
Microsoft, Milliman USA, MIT Club of Puget Sound, National Hispanic
Corporate Council, Northwest Smile Design, Oki Golf, Option One Mortgage, Owens Corning, Paccar, Perkins Coie LLP, Pfizer, Pharmacia &
Upjohn, Philips Medical Systems, Pine Lake Covenant Church, Point B
Solutions, Premera Blue Cross, Precision Countertops, Presentation Services, Preston Gates & Ellis LLP, Qpass,
Real Networks, Regents Blue Shield,
Residence Inn & Courtyard by Marriott, Riddell Williams LLP, Savage
Companies,
Schwabe,
Williamson & Wyatt, Sears Driving School, Seattle Genetics, Seattle Times,
Sheraton Seattle, Ski's Painting, Smile Power, Sound Community Bank, Spacelabs Healthcare, Starbucks,
State Farm Insurance, Sunshine Management Services, Swedish Medical
Center Foundation, Target, Text100, The
VIP Factor, T-Mobile, University of Washington School of Business, UNUM, UpSellUSA,
US Bank, US West, UW Medicine Neighborhood Clinics, Wall Data, Washington Mutual, WatchGuard
Technologies, Watermark Estate Management Services, LLC, West Monroe Partners |
| Who
can play? |
These contests are designed so that Seattle buffs
have little, if any, advantage over Seattle newbies. They test not one's
prior knowledge of Seattle but a team's
ability to formulate a strategy (as in "teamwork") to find out more about the city than
their opponents. To get answers, players must "go there." |
| Where
do we go? |
Each team is given a
Search Areas Map of downtown Seattle outlined
with 16 landmark search areas: Westlake Park,
Great Fire,
Waterfront Park, Bell Street Pier, Seattle Central Library, Shopping,
Financial Center, Klondike Gold Rush, Rainier Square,
Waterfront, The Arch, Seattle Art Museum, Freeway Park & Convention Center, Pioneer Square, Pike Place Market and International
District.
It should be noted that even the most energetic
teams rarely get to more than half of the Search Areas during the 2
hour Hunt. This is deliberate in the contest design. Some Search
Areas have more points than others and some, of course, are closer
than others. It is left as a matter of team strategy as to which ones
they will go to.
A quick way for teams to get to distant Search Areas is to ride the free
busses through the Metro Transit Tunnel. These busses run frequently and
all busses stop at all stations. The five tunnel stations are marked
M
on the Search Areas Map. |
What
do
we do? |
There are 9 or 10 ways for teams to get points to win the contest. During
the Hunt they can: solve mysteries, scavenge items, unravel the
Viewpoints and Mugshots Puzzles, do the Rub 'n Run, try to win the Lock Race and find the ClueMaster.
Limo events may include the Stadiums Art Chase. After the Hunt they can
attempt to figure out the Mystery Pix Puzzle and win the Best Story contest. |
| Rules.... |
....we don't need no stinking rules! Oh, yes you do, Bucko. The
ClueMaster will set you straight from the get-go with the contest
instructions. Teams will receive some tips on how to win the contest.
Also, how they might get penalty points - there is a hefty late
penalty! Teams may not spend
any money, borrow or steal. They cannot make any phone calls or use any high
tech devices including copiers. |
|
Article |
Read what a reporter from Downtown Source said about this event in his
article "See the City on a Scavenger Hunt." |
| Brochure |
Find a See Seattle Events
brochure at a computer near you! |
|
Planning Your Event |
Your event may start
whenever. Here are some popular timelines:
|
10:00 |
1:00 |
4:00 |
Instructions |
|
10:30 |
1:30 |
4:30 |
Hunt begins |
|
12:30 |
3:30 |
6:30 |
Hunt
ends
Lunch / Refreshments / Dinner
Score scavenger sacks
Mystery Pix puzzle
Prepare for Best Story contest |
|
1:45 |
4:45 |
7:45 |
Best Story Contest |
|
2:00 |
5:00 |
8:00 |
Awards Ceremony |
|
2:15 |
5:15 |
8:15 |
End of event |
|
2:30 |
5:30 |
8:30 |
Finish (as in we ran over) |
This event typically takes 4 - 5
hours. The number of teams rather than the number of people in the group
normally determines how long your event would take. Accordingly, the
larger the group the larger the team sizes to keep the event from
running too long. |
Team
Sizes |
7/8-player teams are
typical but may be smaller or larger depending on the size of the group.
Teams should be formed by the host organization before the event. |
| Balanced Teams |
Mystery & Scavenger Hunts are designed to give those folks who may "really
know" downtown Seattle little, if any, advantage. However, there may be a perception that a
team loaded with Seattle buffs has an unfair advantage. Therefore, it is recommend that
the host organization balance those folks as evenly as possible across the teams. |
Team
Leaders |
When the contest instructions are
given each team will be asked to "elect" one member of their
team to be their Team Leader. This individual will have the awesome
responsibility of harnessing the sleuthing talents of each team member
into a highly coordinated winning team strategy. Yikes! For corporate
groups managers are normally not allowed to be Team Leaders. To date
this rule has resulted in no complaints from managers! :) |
Team
Names |
Teams will be assigned detective names such as Dirty Harrys,
Inspector Clouseaus
or Mission Impossibles unless the host organization provides See Seattle with other team names several days before the day of the event. |
Contest
Materials |
Each team is provided one set of contest materials to use during
the Hunt. After the Hunt they are given some additional contest
materials.
- Search Areas Map.
- Mysteries To Solve.
- Items To Scavenge.
- Viewpoints Puzzle @
BELL.
- Mugshots Puzzle.
-
Rub 'n Run.
-
Lock Race.
-
Stadiums Art Chase (limo events only).
- Find The
ClueMaster and say ....
During Hunt
- Mystery Pix Puzzle.
After Hunt
- Best Story
Contest.
|
| Awards |
The ClueMaster awards the following whimsical certificates
(8½" X 11") at the end of the event for all of the
following categories:
- "B S Certification"
- Best Story contest team winners.
- "Team
Leadership Affidavit" - Presented to the courageous Team Leader of
each team and signed by all teammates.
- "Seattle's Best
Sleuthers" - All players on all teams, given in the spirit of "you are all
winners."
- "Wipeout"
- Last place team, given in the spirit of "being good sports."
- "Seattle's Right Stuffers!" -
Winning
team, given with much fan fare.
- "True
Confessions" - Presented to the winning Team Leader in
a humbling manner.
|
| Prizes Option |
Although optional, See Seattle encourages Host
Organizations to award prizes to each team member for some or all of the categories listed
in "Awards" above. Prizes
often range from items of value (gift certificates are popular) to
novelty store gag items. |
Event
Meeting
Facilities |
The event may start
and end in the same or different places such as a restaurant / pub,
hotel meeting room or company or private group facility.
The event meeting facility should have:
- a
private room or area both before and after the Hunt to avoid
being intrusive of others and vise-versa.
-
tables large enough to accommodate the team sizes for your
group (i.e. "team tables").
-
separate team tables
that team players can sit around - not just seating for the whole
group at a number of tables sitting side-by-side or chairs without
tables.
Event meeting facility locations:
-
Groups in chauffeured limousines may
choose meeting places downtown or within "commute distance" which may
add time to the event.
-
Groups on foot may choose meeting places
downtown or within "commute distance" which may add time to the event.
In this case, transportation and parking must be planned just for the
commute. Use of the transporting vehicles would
not be permitted during the
Hunt.
- Small groups with no meeting
place may meet in an improvised public area of the Convention Center.
See Maps
& More .... for advice on parking near the Convention Center.
-
If you have no preferred event meeting facility, See Seattle can
recommend downtown event meeting facilities.
|
|
PowerPoint |
The Contest Instructions and / or
the Awards Ceremony can be conducted with PowerPoint presentations
when the required equipment is made available for See Seattle to use. The minimum requirement is a PC (e.g. a laptop running
Windows) with a CD drive, a projector and a projection screen or
suitable wall surface. A mouse is optional but would be used if
available. Also, a microphone (preferably wireless) would be desirable
for large groups. These presentations can add quality to events for
groups of any size but are especially effective for large groups.
|
How
Much? |
The fee for See Seattle to emcee this event with limos or on
foot and provide contest materials is $20.00 per person, $400.00 minimum plus Washington
State sales tax of 9.5% The host organization would be directly responsible for all
expenses and arrangements relating to limousines, transportation, event meeting facilities, food and
refreshments, prizes, team shirts, costumes, etc.
Payment:
30 day
invoice or check
at the end of the event - sorry, no credit cards.
|
Limousines,
Shuttle Vans &
Buses |
Chauffeured limousine service
or shuttle vans (if you choose this option) would be needed only for
the 2 hour Hunt part of the Mystery & Scavenger Hunt event. Of
course, limos and vans could provide transport to/from downtown Seattle
as well. And if you need just transport for a large group doing the hunt
on foot buses may be a good alternative to car pooling.
The use of private vehicles
during the hunt or drivers who are not licensed
chauffeurs is not permitted for reasons of safety and liability.
Upon request, See Seattle
will recommend limousine, shuttle van and bus
companies.
|
| How to Make a
Private Group Reservation or Request Additional Information |
- An easy way to make a private group reservation or
request additional information is by completing our online Group Form.
|
|
