"The Announced Hack," held at an event exclusively for CTOs
[Cover photo: CTOs seated around a round table in the Paraspara Convention Hall, starting a mission (cover photo of the results report)]
On October 22nd, the AWS Startup CTO Night & Day, hosted by the AWS Startup team, was held at the Paraspara Convention Hall in Uidong. It was an event that gathered CTOs of domestic tech startups in one place, and Unique Good Company's RealWorld took on the interactive workshop session "The Announced Hack" at this event.
Every participant was someone responsible for their company's technology. Since they face service outages and security issues every day, a mission to stop a hacker's attack was quite a familiar scene for them. For us, presenting a technology-based mission before an audience well-versed in technology was also a meaningful occasion.
In this article, we summarize what happened in the convention hall that day in order, and also introduce how corporate training managers and event planners can use this program.
Before business cards, we solved the same problem
At events where people meet for the first time, networking is always a difficult assignment. Conversations that start with self-introductions and business card exchanges tend to stall at company introductions, and even when people sit at the same table, it takes quite a while to truly get to know one another.
The networking that the AWS Startup team envisioned for this event was one where people naturally grew closer while solving problems together. We embedded that intent into the mission structure of "The Announced Hack." Because clues were distributed among team members, participants had to start talking to the person sitting next to them, whom they had just met, in order to solve the mission.
As the session progressed, participants stood up, gathered in front of the walls, and sat on the floor with their heads together. Without anyone telling them to, each table became a team, and we were proud to be able to complete the purpose of the event that AWS had envisioned together on site.
What kind of program is "The Announced Hack"?
"The Announced Hack" begins with the setting that a hacker's attack aiming at the organization's confidential documents has been announced. Teams gather scattered clues, solve a code, and must protect a TOP SECRET file within a set time. It is a collaborative problem-solving workshop that can only be solved when teams connect clues, divide roles, and communicate.
The program uses the RealWorld app together with physical clues on site. At this event, the envelopes on the table, the periodic table posted on the hall wall, and the RealWorld app on participants' smartphones came together as one story. As the on-screen story and the clues in hand intertwined, the entire convention hall became one game board.
Another feature is that it can use a banquet hall with round tables as-is, without building large sets. This is why it fits well as a networking session between conference or forum schedules. "The Announced Hack" is also the RealWorld interactive workshop with the most accumulated reviews. Just on the RealWorld app, there are 1,009 reviews left directly by participants.
Here is how the on-site session flowed
The session proceeded in five stages: opening up, solving together, and connecting through leadership.
Check-in: Through an image check-in, participants directly experience, as a fundamental human need centered on the "self," why they do networking programs through experience today. By bringing out their current state before company names and job titles, the tension among CTOs who had just met quickly eased.
Role assignment: Each person chose a role within the team that matched their strengths, such as team leader or brain. There were also scenes of people who usually lead organizations joining their teams in new roles for the day.
Mission play: The entire convention hall became the game board. Moving between the envelopes on the table, the periodic table on the wall, and the RealWorld app, participants searched for and decoded clues. Participants stood up from their seats, gathered in front of the walls, and left their tables to sit on the carpet and match clues.
Final mission: Defending the TOP SECRET file. The last gate was structured so that it could only be solved by combining the clues of all teams. At the moment when teams exchanged information and found the master key, cheers rang out across the entire hall.
Wrap-up: Turning experience into the language of leadership. So that the fun of the game would not end with the game, we summarized the experience just gone through in three keywords: observation and curiosity, problem-solving and creativity, and collective impact. Next, we explained the conditions under which immersion leads to results through two factors, motivation and cognitive capacity, and took time for each person to apply them to their own organization.
Changes that came from solving together, and participant reviews
After the session, four noticeable changes were seen on site.
Camaraderie: CTOs who had just met became teammates and quickly grew close.
Open mind: By bringing out themselves before their titles, they naturally accepted other people's opinions.
Teamwork: Within a structure that could not be solved alone, they divided roles and connected answers.
Communication: Conversations that shared information and made judgments within a limited time closely resembled real incident response situations.
And all of these experiences led to leadership. For those who usually sit in positions leading teams, the experience of participating as one person solving problems together became a new perspective for viewing their teams when they returned to their organizations. Having physically experienced a technology-based mission, the CTOs found it more persuasive.
All reviews left by participants directly on the RealWorld app on the day of the event were five stars.
Mission clear! Glad we did it together (★★★★★)
It was fun. (★★★★★)
I really liked it (★★★★★)
If you are a training manager or event planner, try using it this way
The fact that CTOs, who are familiar with technology and problem-solving, stayed immersed until the end is a good benchmark for those preparing training and events. "The Announced Hack" is especially well suited to such occasions.
New leader and promotee courses and leadership training: Participants divide roles and move a team, and the experience is organized into the language of leadership in the wrap-up.
Onboarding training for new and experienced hires: It works well as a team-building session where colleagues who have just met quickly become one team.
Networking sessions for conferences, forums, and meetups: The round table layout of a hotel banquet hall or convention hall can be used as-is.
Invitation events for partner and client companies, and community events: It fits well when you need a device that naturally opens conversations among participants.
You can also design a branded workshop by weaving the messages or technology keywords a company wants to convey into the story and puzzles. For example, if topics such as cloud, security, or AI are included in the mission, participants solve the company's message themselves and remember it for a long time.
"The Announced Hack" has already been proven in the training settings of many companies and institutions.
Leadership training: Lotte Rental (job-based leadership), Hyundai Glovis (leadership communication), Amorepacific
Collaboration and organizational culture training: Hyundai Motor Group (participatory collaboration training), Simos (retention and organizational culture)
Networking programs: Shinhan Financial Group, Mirae Asset (scholarship student networking), Lotte Ventures (technology-based participatory networking), Korea Startup Promotion Agency
We have run organizational workshops ranging in size from 10 to 400 people. It is also possible to combine them with other workshops such as the "Word Challenge" that deals with core values, "Find the Boss" that deals with DEI, "Mars Escape," and "Genius Challenge" to structure a one-day course or a one-night, two-day training.
Frequently asked questions
Q. How many people can participate?
We run sessions by dividing participants into teams at tables, and we have operated everything from small workshops of about 10 people to large events of about 400 people.
Q. How long does it take?
The standard format runs 90 minutes (up to about 120 minutes), and we coordinate according to the event or training schedule. It can also be extended by combining with other programs, or shortened to 60 minutes.
Q. Where can it be held?
Any indoor space where team tables can be set up is sufficient, such as a hotel convention hall or banquet hall like this event, or an in-house training room. Since it is not affected by weather, it can be run at any time of year.
Q. Do participants need to prepare anything separately?
All you need is a personal smartphone. Checking clues and entering answers are done in the RealWorld app.
Q. Can non-developer members participate too?
Although the theme is hacking, the mission is solved through observation, deduction, and communication between teams. Anyone can take part regardless of their job function, and various organizations have already experienced it, including Simos, Amorepacific, and Mirae Asset scholarship students.
Q. Can it be customized for our company?
We design the composition to match the training goals and scale. We can fully incorporate your company's message in the wrap-up, and customization such as puzzles can also be discussed.
Training and event inquiries
Unique Good Company operates RealWorld, a physical AI platform played by more than 4 million people in total, and designs and runs interactive workshops tailored to the training goals of companies and institutions. If you are preparing team building, networking, leadership training, or event sessions, please feel free to contact us.
Training program inquiries and brochure requests: business.realworld.to/edu/inquiry
Email: create@realworld.to
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