Businesses from across the Bay put their sleuthing skills to the test for the Paignton Zoo treasure hunt – the first fixture in the inaugural Torbay Business Games. 

Participants combined Cheetah-like speed with dolphin-esque brain power to solve the cryptic clues within the two-hour timeslot.

In the end, chartered accountants, Francis Clark, proved the ultimate victors, scoring an impressive 40 out of a possible 42 correct answers. Special credit also goes to the Training Partnership, who completed the treasure hunt in the fastest time – a noteworthy 1 hour 16 minutes.

Gratefully, the torrential rain let up for the evening, and the teams were able to go about their fact-finding mission in glorious sunshine.

A big success

The treasure hunt was the first event to kick off in the Torbay Bigwave Business Games series. Held in association with the Torbay Business Forum, the games are comprised of several events designed to test the physical and mental prowess of business employees.

Paignton Zoo were particularly instrumental in making the evening a success, kickstarting the day with a briefing on the event and keeping the café open throughout the hunt for drinks and snacks.

Apprehensively, participants were told to keep their ears peeled for the sound of the klaxon, which, if sounded, would signal an animal escape. Thankfully, it was past bedtime for a lot of the animals, and they stayed well within their habitats (disclaimer: in its near 100 years of being open, Paignton Zoo has never had to use this klaxon!).

Businesses have expressed their delight at the treasure hunt, describing it as ‘really great fun’. Four teams chose to play their joker – a bonus enabling businesses to double their points on an event of their choosing.

Debbi Moore, Head of Client Experience at Bigwave media and principal organiser of the Bigwave Business Games, said:

“We’re delighted with the first event of the games and so happy to see the sun shone for the teams as they hunted around the Zoo. Great fun was had by all and we are so grateful to Pippa, Hayley and the team at the Zoo for allowing us to use the Zoo after hours for this event.”