Team Building For 300 People

A recent event for Westminster Kingsway College required team building for 300 people with only one and a half hours available in the day's itinerary.

The brief was to create an event for lecturers on an open day which reflected the day's message of how to make learning more effective. The event therefore needed to be fun and engaging, because this is a very good way of making learning more effective.

The event format was a Murder Mystery with a Treasure Hunt element included. Usually Murder Mysteries take place over dinner in one room and last for a longer period of time. So, we adapted the event by locating the suspects in rooms around the college which suited their character. The photograph shows Lady Margaret in the fashion design studio being interviewed by a team.

The group was split into teams and we held a staggered start briefing in a lecture theatre for three groups of 100, each split into teams of 10 people. The teams had a clue pack which explained the scenario and told them where to find the suspects.

Having pieced together the mystery by looking at clues in each location and interviewing the suspects the teams then returned with their verdict forms, giving their assessment of method, motive and murderer. Six teams solved the mystery completely and were awarded our metal Police badges which give special powers of interrogation and arrest. We hope they use them wisely!

This is an example of how we can adapt our events to meet almost any requirements. Large numbers and short time slots can be dealt with with some flexibility and creativity.

Feedback from the day:

'The feedback from the Murder Mystery session was really positive. Staff really enjoyed engaging in the activity and working together to problem solve. It was a great activity to foster closer working and build relationships. All the actors were fully engaged and made the experience a great one. The police badges were the icing on the cake!'