Seminar in Marrakech: how to include a team activity

A successful seminar alternates work sessions, meals and moments when teams get to know each other in a different way. In Marrakech, the city lends itself naturally to this alternation: you change scenery and pace, and participants step out of the roles they play in the office. But the group activity still needs to fit properly into the programme, without last-minute improvisation.

This article is aimed at HR managers, office managers, event agencies and DMCs. It goes through the questions to ask before adding a team activity: which format to choose, what to scope in advance, how to run the game while it is under way, and how to get something out of it afterwards. We draw on how TeamLab by QuestRides works, which was designed in Marrakech and is available in the city today.

Giving the activity a real place in the programme

The classic trap is to treat the activity as a "filler" between two workshops. Yet a collective session works better when it serves a clear purpose: bringing together departments that rarely cross paths, setting a dynamic at the start of the seminar, or closing with a light, shared moment.

Ask yourself three simple questions:

  • What is the objective? Cohesion, getting to know colleagues, a reward, the launch of a project: the format will not be the same.
  • Who is taking part? A close-knit team, several sites meeting for the first time, or a group mixing clients and employees.
  • Where does it fit in the day? Before a dinner, it sets the mood; at the opening, it breaks the ice; at the close, it leaves a shared memory.

Choosing the right format: treasure hunt, trail game or orienteering

TeamLab is built on a single engine that turns a treasure hunt, a trail game or an orienteering race into a managed collective experience. The route, meanwhile, is designed for each format and together with the client. So you are not buying a fixed scenario: you are building an experience around your seminar.

What changes from one format to another

  • The treasure hunt: a narrative thread, steps to solve and a spirit of investigation that appeals to mixed groups.
  • The trail game: more open to discovering places, suited to when you want to showcase a particular setting.
  • Orienteering: more sporting in spirit, useful for teams that enjoy a challenge and strategy.

For participants, everything happens on a mobile phone, with no paper map, in French, English, Arabic and Darija. This is a useful point for international groups: everyone follows the game in the language that suits them.

What to scope before booking

A successful team activity often comes down to logistical details settled in advance. TeamLab's scoping is done online and covers the points that matter for a seminar: objectives, participants, format, transfers, meals, ceremony, full stay and budget. It leads to a tailored proposal, in the form of a bespoke quote.

To prepare for this scoping, gather the following internally:

  1. The main objective and, if possible, a secondary one.
  2. The make-up of the group: departments, levels, languages spoken.
  3. The constraints of the programme: workshop times, meals, transfers from the place of accommodation.
  4. The venue where you would like to hold the final ceremony.
  5. The budget you have in mind, even if only approximate.

You can fill in these details directly on the Scoping a team building page. Having these answers to hand avoids back-and-forth and speeds up the proposal.

Running the game in real time: the role of the control room

A collective outdoor game, with several teams playing in parallel, calls for visibility. That is the role of the TeamLab control room: the organiser can see team progress, how long a team's position has been static, and which teams are paused or offline. Each team transmits a single position, from its team lead phone. There is never any individual tracking.

Six interventions, all controlled

If the schedule requires it, the organiser can act from the control room. Six interventions are possible: reserve step, timed surprise mission, freeze, slowdown, pause and resume. Before each one, the control room announces its target, its effect and its duration. And no intervention is applied while a team is on the move: the game does not disrupt participants mid-walk.

As an option, talismans between teams (Frost, Hourglass, Mirage, Aegis) add a strategic dimension for groups who enjoy a competitive spirit.

Who does what on the organisation side

TeamLab provides for five staff roles, including safety and observer. The organiser can also run the game themselves, without a technician. For an office manager or an HR manager without a technical background, this is reassuring: the control room is designed to be picked up directly.

Teams, validation and ceremony: seeing the experience through to the end

Before the big day, the make-up of the teams, the team names, the captain and the roles suited to the headcount are prepared. Registration is done remotely, with a briefing and a roadbook. Participants therefore arrive knowing what to expect.

During the game, photo validation of the steps is automatic. At the end, an event log and a timeline serve as support for the debrief: you can go back over what happened with the group, without having to reconstruct it from memory.

The presentation of trophies, awards and the jury prize takes place at a final ceremony, always in a dedicated venue, never at the finish point of the hunt. This allows everyone to be brought together in good conditions, to take the time to celebrate, and to fit in with the closing dinner or cocktail.

A framework that respects participants

For an HR department, the question of confidentiality is central. With TeamLab, participants register with a first name, with no email address or phone number. There are no individual scores, no psychological profiles and no ranking of individuals. It is the collective game that is assessed, not individuals: the activity remains a moment of cohesion, not a disguised assessment tool.

For agencies and DMCs

If you design seminars for your clients, TeamLab fits into your programmes. Depending on the access you give them, the client can even be autonomous on their quest. You will find the details on the TeamLab for agencies page. The tool is available in Marrakech today; Agadir is in preparation. Elsewhere, expansion involves adaptation, a local partner, a reconnaissance visit and validation of the terrain.

In summary

Including a team activity in a seminar in Marrakech calls for less improvisation than method: a clear objective, a suitable format, careful scoping, clear control and a ceremony in a dedicated venue. With these elements, the collective session becomes a real part of the programme and not just an interlude.

To move forward, head to the online scoping to describe your seminar, or first discover the TeamLab page to see how the experience works.