Not your usual team-building day

A treasure hunt did more for team bonding than any offsite they’d tried before

Holly had organised her fair share of team offsites. Corporate planning. A decent lunch. Polite bonding. Job done.

But after a year of new starts and an organisational transformation, she was looking for something to positively bond and reward the team after a year of hard work. They needed something to get to know each other more away from the day-to-day delivery.

What she found was easy to organise, unexpectedly engaging — and turned out to be the best team planning day she’d ever run.

The usual stuff wasn’t going to cut it

With the offsite approaching, Holly — Director of the Communications and External Affairs team — decided the standard routine wasn’t enough after this transformative year.. “I thought it would be more valuable to do a bit of a challenge,” she said. “Something that was fun, but still professional enough to give it a corporate benefit.”

So she swapped the usual sit-down meal for something different.

Strategy in the morning. Treasure hunt in the afternoon.

The day was split in two: a productive planning session in the morning, and something very different in the afternoon — ​​a city-based treasure hunt through Glasgow’s streets.

There were reservations having never done a self-led treasure hunt before. Would it work? Would people be up for it? Would the tech behave? “I was a bit worried people might be disengaged and not want to finish it… but that wasn’t the case at all.”

Everyone had it on their phones. Everyone was involved. And they were into it. “I deliberately put people together who wouldn’t usually work with each other — just to help them get that opportunity.”

Clues, chaos, and the leaderboard

The game wasn’t all smooth sailing. One clue near Glasgow Green had one team wandering too far. Another early puzzle had the other team stumped. “It was quite funny when we were stuck — just to see where people’s minds went. Off on a complete tangent sometimes.”

Around halfway, Holly checked the leaderboard. Her team had stopped for a break. The other group had cracked on. “That’s when the friendly competition kicked in.”

Suddenly, the pace picked up. People weren’t just along for the ride — they were showing up. Fully showing up.

Everyone had a moment

The hunt brought out different strengths from different people. The economist breezed through a number clue. Some of the newer team members surprised everyone with how quick they were. “You saw moments of genius from everyone,” Holly said. “Each clue was another person’s moment to shine.”

They finished with a drink and big smiles all round. “That’s when I thought — yeah, that’s gone quite well.”

In fact, Holly enjoyed it so much that the following week, she and her husband played the Edinburgh game, just for fun.

So, what actually happened here?

From the outside, it looked like a team solving clues around Glasgow.

But beneath the surface, they’d reconnected. Had fun without checking out. Seen each other differently.

No cringey trust exercises. No awkward icebreakers. No post-it notes. Just a cleverly designed challenge, a bit of light competition, and a chance to switch gears together — on what turned out to be the hottest day of the year.

Holly’s verdict? “Go for it. It’s great value for money, and I loved how self-led it was. You’re completely in control of your own experience.”

Fancy something similar for your team?

We run treasure hunts like this across the UK — including right here in Edinburgh. It’s self-led, easy to organise, and gives your team something more memorable than another pub lunch or PowerPoint session.

In Edinburgh, expect some head-scratching on the Royal Mile, a cryptic clue or two near the castle, and someone insisting they’ve definitely seen that carving before — they just can’t remember where. Every route is different, but the effects are the same: people loosen up, laugh a bit, and actually connect — without anyone having to force it.