The 6 Stages to Planning Your Perfect Treasure Hunt.

Black Cat Treasure Hunts place a lot of emphasis on the planning process for  truly epic treasure hunts or scavenger hunts. Some people like to make a booking a year in advance whilst others like to surprise a partner, for example, with a spur of the moment or last minute treasure hunt. Either way, I use a six stage format to achieve the aim of a smooth event. These stages need to be passed through however little time you have. 

Sadly, the planning stages sometimes have to be passed through more than once. This is very much true of the incredibly unfortunate wedding couples who have had to delay their weddings two years in a row due to the timing of Co-Vid 19 and the pathway out of lockdown. At one stage everything was in hand for an excellent hen party treasure hunt or wedding party treasure hunt, but the next moment as soon as the first postponement came along it became clear that re-checking of routes and clues would need to be re-done the following year.The #whataboutweddings movement has charted the difficulties of repeat planning on wedding couples and the weding industry as a whole.

Without further ado though what should you be doing to make sure you have contributed where you can to assisting in the planning process? The first three stages are down to you!

Stage 1: What`s it For? 
Answering this question will clarify from the start what needs to be done from here on. A personalised treasure hunt is ideal for a birthday or an anniversary.A hen party treasure hunt is perfect for discovering and exploring a new place and getting to know new people as well, which is often the case when different friendship groups come together on these occasions. A teambuilding/teambonding treasure hunt can be different again and an excellent way to get people together in a fun or relaxed way or often in teams in a competitive setting.
Stage 2: Who`s It For?
This stage is obviously linked to stage 1, but it is more a case of deciding who to invite or let know about the treasure hunt. Are there any travel or accommodation arrangements to be made resulting from this stage?A hen party treasure hunt is a classic example of a group very likely travelling away from their home town(s). Black Cat Treasure Hunts specialise in Sussex treasure hunts with Brighton treasure hunts being the most popular within the county.
Stage 3: When is it for? 
I mentioned the issues connected to hen party treasure hunts in 2019 and 2020. A number have delayed their treasure hunt until after June 21 (when, fingers crossed, Lockdown/social distancing measures will be officially lifted) whilst others who have not been able to get the date or other arangements in place have either postponed or delayed until 2022.
A teambuilding treasure hunt is ideally planned as a Summer event or maybe early Autumn when there are fewer entertainment alternatives. A birthday or anniversary treasure hunt can of course be at any time of the year and will impact potentially on the style of hunt chosen. A winter birthday treasure hunt could be planned for an indoor venue. Black Cat Treasure Hunts  have organised several in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London for example.
Stage 4: Research.
This stage is a combination of the person (company) booking the treasure hunt and Black Cat Treasure Hunts. A personalised treasure hunt, which can apply to hen parties,birthday and teambuilding treasure hunts, may require the provision of photos and info about the person it is for or the people taking part. This is looked at and discussed in relation to setting a route in our previous blog - 5 steps to a birthday treasure hunt.
Sometimes a theme is requested for a treasure hunt. One of the most recent ones was for the theme to be Peter James novels featuring DS Roy Grace. Although I have read a couple of these books it did mean I needed to have a look at all the other books (17 of them!) and work out around the county (and Brighton in particular) where the references to specific places were and how to connect them.I will not be writing any part of this treasure hunt until the research is completed.
Stage 5: Extras.
I like to be available to try and give other advice or help relating to a treasure hunt venue or, for teambuilding treasure hunts, the option of attending to lead the event and do the marking/judging at the end.
Extras can be little things like suggestions for places to park or eat or stay. I have some contacts for discounted drinks/food and karaoke in Brighton! Where is the best place for a cream tea and will it be possible to ensure the treasure hunt finishes there? These things need to be thought about and planned in advance. Can a space be reserved in the pub or hotel bar for the whole group to get back together at the end? I am here to help office managers/hen party organisers/friends/family tasked with arranging the event.
Stage 6: From at least a week before to the day itself.
A first draft should have been sent and discussed and passed or amended where required at least a week in advance. Many of the treasure hunts are self managed so this final part of the planning process is to ensure that you have received guidelines as to how best to complete the hunt and mark it afterwards. The answers/marking guidelines must have been received in a separate document to the hunt itself. A scavenger hunt is a little different in that scavenger hunt ideas can either be extremely specific or involve an element of subjectivity. This needs to be made clear and prepared for in advance.
Does everyone know their responsibilities on the day. If Black Cat himself is attending he will have given you 2 contact telephone numbers in case of delays or difficulties.

If you are ready to answer stage 1 then you are also ready to get in touch with me (Tim) on :
info@blackcattreasurehunts.co.uk to start discussing your booking.