Techies for Temple Street
Techies for temple street, a charity treasure hunt took place last Friday afternoon on July 5TH. 165 teams and 1000 tech-savvy, treasure hunt enthusiasts participated in an action-packed day full of secret missions, detective work, and minor displays of public humiliation. The event raised over €250,000 for the Temple Street Foundation, which will provide care for over 150,000 children. This is the 5th year of the event, and this year’s donations put them over €1 million in donations since inception in 2014. Spirits were high, the cause was noble, the sun was shining, and the energy in the room was palpable.
The gist of the event was this — Each team had 6 members and one iPad. The goal was to solve the murder mystery by gathering clues. Clues were given after each team correctly answered one of the trivia questions. The questions were located at hotspots around the city of Dublin, and could only be answered on the teams iPad. So, we had a map, 6 players, 15 hotspots around the city, an iPad, and 2.5 hours to solve the mystery.
The trivia questions covered a broad range of topics — geography, pop-culture, politics, mixology — and the questions varied in difficulty levels. The stakes were high, and my skills added little to no value to the team. At each hotspot, there were opportunities to earn bonus points for completing a video challenge. Each video challenge tested the teams' creativity and display their talents through acting, singing, athletic ability, and interpretive dance. I’ve got the rhythm of a seagull and the emotional range of a sloth, so again, my skills added little value.
I was the adopted member of the Beachhut PR team. Creativity was in a strong supply with our team. Where we lacked in trivia knowledge and know-how, we made up for with enthusiasm and sarcasm. Our fearless leader, Jen, quickly shifted her focus to team organizer and logistics manager. Stacy manned the helm and took control of the iPad, displaying grace under pressure, and a few cases of selective hearing. The rest of us were the supporting cast — the glue to the team if you will. By glue I mean, we didn’t contribute often enough to earn a title. We started off with a quick wrong turn, giving us the chance to take a warm-up lap around the RDS. Once we got our bearings, we started clearing checkpoints at a blistering pace. We made our way across the map to the hotspots of Sandymount. There, a slew of bonus challenges and hidden prizes allowed us to put our creative abilities on display. From a rendition of Charlies Angels to an acapella performance in the park, Beachhut PR put fear in the hearts of all who stood in their path.
With 15 minutes left in the competition, we had passed 10 of the 15 checkpoints, hit two of the bonus areas, and accumulated a strong bed of evidence. We had narrowed down the killer to three possibilities through some strong detective work. Years of Hardy Boy novels and a healthy addiction to Stephen King novels had finally paid off. Was it agent Jones? Was it the late-night parking attendant? Was it the wife? All had a motive, all had evidence at the crime scene, and all fit within the time window. With just minutes remaining, we submitted our answer and cracked the case.
Techies for Temple Street was an incredible event, and the lighthearted affair brought joy to many and helped over 150,000 children in need. Regardless of your, age, technical ability, or affinity for detective work, Techies for Temple Street is fun for all. Even if you can't field a team of six, you can help support the kids of Temple Street through volunteer work, support, and donations. We’ll be back next year, hopefully with a team of our own, and we hope to see you there!
