Talismans between teams: more interaction in team building

A corporate treasure hunt often looks successful on paper: a clear route, balanced teams, varied stages. Yet it sometimes happens that each team plays in its own corner, focused on its own route, without really paying attention to the others. The activity is enjoyable, but it mainly builds cohesion within each team, and much less between them.

This is precisely the question raised by HR managers, office managers, event agencies and DMCs: how do you get energy flowing between teams without making the organisation heavier? In TeamLab by QuestRides, one of the answers on offer is the option of talismans between teams. This article explains what it brings to an activity, how it differs from the control room, and how to decide whether or not to include it.

Why interaction between teams changes the dynamic

In a treasure hunt, trail game or orienteering format, team progress is the driving force of the game. Each team moves forward, completes its stages, and manages with its roles and its captain. That is useful, but it remains a parallel game: teams rarely cross paths, and their choices have no effect on one another.

Introducing interaction between teams shifts the focus. A team is no longer only up against the route; it is also up against the others. For an organiser, this is an interesting lever:

• it gives participants a reason to look beyond their own team lead phone;
• it creates moments of reaction, strategy and discussion within the team;
• it feeds the debrief: you can look back on collective decisions, not just scores.

This is the spirit of TeamLab's talismans.

TeamLab's talismans: what we can tell you

TeamLab offers four talismans between teams: Frost, Hourglass, Mirage and Aegis. They are offered as an option: they are not part of the compulsory core of the experience, and you choose, at the scoping stage, whether or not to include them.

We do not go into how each talisman works here. What matters for your decision lies elsewhere: they are added to the same engine as the rest of the experience (teams, stages, photo validation, control room) and introduce a relationship between teams, where the route alone leaves each one on its own. To find out whether they suit your group and your format, the simplest way is to discuss them during the online scoping.

An option, not an obligation

A talisman is not a gadget to be added on principle. A leadership team discovering the city together does not have the same expectations as a sales seminar or an onboarding day. The option lets you adjust the level of interaction to the real objective of the event.

Talismans and the control room: two distinct levels

It is useful not to confuse talismans with control room interventions. They are two different mechanisms.

The real-time control room is the organiser's tool. From it, they can see each team's progress during the game, how long it has been since its position last changed, and which teams are paused or offline. The position is unique to each team, sent by the team lead phone; there is never any individual tracking of participants.

From this control room, six interventions are possible:

• the reserve stage;
• the timed surprise mission;
• the freeze;
• the slowdown;
• the pause;
• the resume.

Before each intervention, the control room announces its target, its effect and its duration, and no intervention is applied while a team is on the move. Talismans, for their part, follow a logic of interaction between teams. In short: the control room is for steering the event, talismans are for bringing it to life. The two can coexist, but they meet different needs.

When to include talismans, and when to do without

There is no universal rule, but a few common-sense pointers can help you decide.

Situations where the option makes sense

• A group whose members barely know each other: interaction between teams provides opportunities to react together, to comment, and to laugh at twists and turns.
• A seminar with several teams of comparable size: the strategic dimension between teams finds its place more easily.
• An objective of entertainment and energy: if the day is primarily about shared enjoyment and connections between departments, the option is consistent.

Situations where you can do without it

• An objective centred on collaboration within the team: if the aim is to work on roles, communication and the division of tasks, the route alone may be enough.
• An already busy programme: if the seminar includes many other activities, a simple, easy-to-follow format is sometimes preferable.
• A group sensitive to competition: if you are worried about tensions, it is better to discuss this frankly at the scoping stage before deciding.

The right approach is to start from the objective of the day, then choose the mechanisms that serve it, and not the other way round.

Keeping a healthy framework for participants

Adding interaction should never come at the expense of trust. At TeamLab, several principles protect participants, whether or not talismans are activated:

• participants sign up with a first name, with no email address or phone number;
• there is no individual scoring, no psychological profiling, and no ranking of individuals;
• the position is that of the team, never that of an individual.

Recognition happens at the collective level: trophies, awards, jury prizes and a final ceremony. The ceremony takes place in a dedicated venue, never at the finish point of the hunt, which gives teams time to regroup and get ready. The event log and timeline then serve as a basis for the debrief: a good starting point for discussing how the teams experienced the day.

Preparing the option with your agency or DMC

If you work with an agency or a DMC, TeamLab fits into their seminars, and the client can even be autonomous on their quest if access is granted. The organiser can run the event themselves, without a technician, with five staff roles, including safety and observer. Agencies will find more details on the TeamLab page for agencies.

The experience was designed in Marrakech, where it is available today. For other cities, an adaptation is required, with a local partner, a site recce and validation of the terrain. At present, Agadir is in preparation.

To decide on the talismans option, raise it right from the scoping stage, along with the other topics: objectives, participants, format, transfers, meals, ceremony, full stay and budget. It leads to a tailored proposal, in the form of a bespoke quote.

In summary

The Frost, Hourglass, Mirage and Aegis talismans are a TeamLab option designed to create interaction between teams. They replace neither the control room nor the route: they add a layer of entertainment, to be used if it serves the objective of your event. The decision criterion remains simple: what do you want your participants to take away from the day?

To discuss it in concrete terms, you can start the online scoping or browse the TeamLab page dedicated to team building. There you can outline your project, and the talismans option can be considered alongside the rest of your programme.