HOW well do you know St Albans? Do you know who the founder of St Michael’s Church was? The first landlord of The White Swan? Or indeed which year Romeland Gardens opened to the public?

Well in the style of Challenge Anneka 40 business delegates raced around the city centre against the clock for the Wildgoose GPRS Treasure Hunt, a joint event between the Chamber and the Hertfordshire Business Independent.

Simon George from HBI said: “We were delighted to be working with the St Albans Chamber, it was a great mixture of fun and activity combined with a fantastic opportunity for members to get to know each other better.”

I can honestly say this was such a fun experience and a very amusing and challenging way to test your knowledge, team work and competitive edge! Needless to say the winners were my team – which included Catherine Morris from Christopher Place Shopping Centre, Richard Cohen from Eternity Jewellers, Ginny Cooper from STANTA and Richard Marrett from St Michael’s Manor.

The evening began at Mokoko on Verulam Road and following a briefing from Wildgoose Events each team were given a Samsung tablet for use during the designated time with interactive maps, instant feedback and live score board. Then you all head off around the centre answering cryptic questions or completing photo challenges at certain locations prompted by the software.

Much to our amusement we ended up passing on several tasks including one that beat us in St Michael’s Church yard! Sadly we did not find out the answer to the question for that particular location – despite my desperate phone call to the vicar’s voicemail for answers.

Our last team challenge of the evening was cramming our team into a phone box for a photo request before returning to Mokoko for the results and a delicious buffet provided by Jass Patel and the team.

Wildgoose Treasure Hunts have taken the popular treasure hunt concept and added cutting edge technology to create their GPS Challenge range of team games that can be played in either an urban or rural setting. There are a number of team activities to choose from to improve teamwork, motivate teams, reward staff, have fun and all our games can be tailored to meet your exact objectives. I would strongly recommend this for a company away day or even stag/hen do.

For more information see www.huntthegoose.co.uk/treasure-hunts or contact Ryan Galloway by emailing Ryan@huntthegoose.com

The St Albans Chamber is looking forward to visiting St Albans Cathedral on Monday, August 19. St Albans council has arranged an exclusive viewing for Chamber members to see the once-in-a-lifetime exhibition featuring the Lincoln 1215 version of the Magna Carta. If you are a Chamber member and would like to join us please call the office to confirm your attendance on 01727 863054.

You can see the Magna Carta and a supporting exhibition at St Albans Cathedral until August 29. Tickets can be booked at www.enjoystalbans.com. For more information call 01727 864511.

Our speed networking event is now completely sold out and takes place next Wednesday with nearly 50 business representatives taking part.

Attendees will be keen to widen their network of pro-active and interested business contacts. This really is a fun and informal way to develop your confidence, understanding of the local business community and build trusting professional relationships all in a nice friendly environment. We look forward to another energetic event at Westminster Lodge, St Albans.

A gentle reminder that the Chamber has two very big events planned for the autumn which can both be booked online at www.stalbans-chamber.co.uk/buy-online/events.

A networking lunch on Friday, October 11, with guest speaker Michael Gove MP. Are you in the education/training/skills sector? If you would like to attend let us know. The venue is Sopwell House Hotel at 12.30pm and tickets and tables are available.

The Slaves are back by popular demand for the Annual Chamber Ball, also at Sopwell House, on Saturday, November 16. So get your dancing shoes on and come and along with your colleagues or clients. Multiple tables can be booked as well as individual tickets, there are several sponsorship opportunities available. A great Christmas party alternative for your staff!