A treasure hunt competition registered in the Guinness World Records!? | Realworld Blog

The world's largest treasure hunt festival has been officially registered in the Guinness World Records!

Gyeonggi-do Treasure Hunt Festival registered in the Guinness World Records!

The world's largest treasure hunt festival, jointly planned by UniqueGood Company and Gyeonggi Province, has been officially registered in the Guinness World Records! The Guinness World Records Association notified UniqueGood on January 24th that the treasure hunt festival held at the former Gyeonggi Provincial Government building was confirmed for Guinness Book registration under 'The Largest scavenger hunt' category with the most participants worldwide, and this was also posted on their official website.

Governor Kim Dong-yeon: "We will develop it into a festival that the world comes to visit"

Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon evaluated this treasure hunt festival as an 'innovative case' through his YouTube channel and expressed his commitment to nurture it into a world-class festival. This is not only the first world record registration news for a festival directly planned by a local government in Korea, but also a true innovation case that brought people back to spaces that were previously unvisited, making them bustling again. (It's an open secret that most officials who worked on this project with us got promoted...?!!)

Unique value, the meaning of Guinness World Records

The Guinness World Records, first published in 1955, has been inspiring people worldwide by recording the most outstanding achievements of people and objects in various fields. Registration in the Guinness World Records thus shines on the world stage, spreading emotion and inspiration. Moreover, it becomes a point that attracts people's attention and choices by securing representativeness in the category of being the world's best and unique existence.
Value of uniqueness: Original and special records that stand out among countless challengers capture the world's attention, and innovative attempts that surpass existing records enhance the recognition of individuals and brands, opening new possibilities.

Honor of the chosen: World-class records recognized through strict standards and meticulous review gain high prestige and trust. This exclusive honor that only a very few can enjoy further elevates the value of individuals and organizations.

Spread of positive influence: Amazing achievements that overcome the impossible inspire others to challenge their dreams and goals. Additionally, the positive image gained through excellent performance enhances the reputation of individuals and brands and creates new opportunities.

Glorious achievement of making history: Guinness Book registration, recorded as a historic moment, is a brilliant achievement that will be remembered forever. Records that show human wonder remain as part of cultural heritage, inspiring the world.

How to get registered in the Guinness Book?

Guinness Book registration conditions are clearer than you think! (Actually, that's why it's also difficult)

Measurability - It must be objectively measurable. Abstract forms like beauty or kindness are not covered.

Breakable - Guinness records only deal with 'breakable' things. Someone should be able to see the Guinness record and think 'Oh, I should challenge this too!' and participate to update it.

Standardization (reproducibility) - Parameters and conditions must be established that others can follow in the same way as the record holder did

Verifiability - Claims must be provable. In other words, there must be accurate and verifiable 'evidence' that can prove the event occurred (this part is more difficult than expected)

Representative variable setting - Like the world's largest treasure hunt competition, it should be distinguishable by one supreme standard and measurable by measurement units

Establishing the highest standard - Instead of dealing with firsts, Guinness should be able to recognize that the challenge is the best in the world. If the record is a first, you must consult with the Guinness committee so that it can be evaluated as 'world's best'

Can registration be possible if only the above conditions are met? No. There are really many reasons for Guinness Book registration rejection, but to put it simply, things that make you think 'Oh, this is a bit...' are generally not acceptable.

Korean Guinness records are not world records!

The Guinness recognition process is demanding and difficult (and expensive too). Until the early 2000s, various individuals and local governments in Korea competitively pursued Guinness Book registration, but unfortunately, those records were often not recognized by the World Guinness Committee. The reason was the difficulty of data verification.

There was once a Korea Guinness Association in South Korea, but it was effectively dissolved in July 2001 when the World Guinness Association terminated its certification and publication contract due to excessive certification. Therefore, even those who were greatly covered by major media for Guinness Book registration and still have fame that everyone knows by name, most of them were actually not treated as world records.

UniqueGood Company also spent nearly 6 months communicating with the World Guinness Committee, and there were many times when we thought we should give up.

Rigorous data verification process, the point where most give up

The most difficult thing is evidence setting and verification. We had to deploy dozens of filming equipment at the site and capture everything from start to finish, and we needed to measure and visualize all participants' movements by GPS every 30 seconds. Above all, we had to satisfy the conditions set by the Canadian record holder, and satisfying those rules without bothering participants required really sophisticated planning. Given the vast amount of data, Guinness's review was inevitably demanding and time-consuming.

1. Application and Review:
Application: Complete and submit application form on Guinness Book website

Review: Guinness review committee examines the validity of the applied record

Result: Notification of record recognition status

2. Evidence Submission and Verification:
Evidence submission: Applicant submits evidence that can prove the record (photos, videos, certificates, etc.)

Evidence verification: Review committee verifies the authenticity and accuracy of evidence

Expert consultation: Expert consultation as needed

3. On-site Verification:
Necessity: Site visit and direct measurement for specific records

Measurement method: Use appropriate measurement methods according to record type

Witness participation: Witness participation as needed

There are really many other items to consider regarding Guinness Book registration, and it would be too long to introduce them in writing. If you're considering pursuing registration, asking UniqueGood would be the surest way!

Treasure hunt establishes itself as a world-class festival

You probably played treasure hunt games at least once in school or church when you were young. It was just a competitive game of who finds the hidden note first, but I vividly remember running until I was out of breath. But this treasure hunt is changing festival culture around the world.

Amazingly, treasure hunt is now changing festival culture around the world. Treasure hunt has evolved beyond just enjoying it in schools, parks, or neighborhoods to become a new leisure activity that turns entire cities into giant playgrounds. Globally, as many as 100 treasure hunt events unfold in a single day, and over 35,000 events take place in a year, growing into a new festival play culture. Particularly, instead of conventional analog methods like note treasure hunts that disappear once found, it has evolved to be sustainably enjoyable in digital and hybrid forms by incorporating smart immersive technology.

In the US and Western countries, festivals using geocaching are popular. There are over 5 million treasures registered in geocaching. Treasures are hidden all around the world, and 20 million people currently enjoy it as a truly global treasure hunt game. Singapore used the Squirrly service in 2023 for a treasure hunt throughout Singapore that drew huge crowds, with over 1.8 million TikTok SNS postings proving its popularity. The oldest game has been completely repositioned as a completely new medium with the addition of technology.

Why treasure hunt is the future of festivals

The Gyeonggi Provincial Government former building treasure hunt competition using Realworld's Real Treasure solution had over 5,000 people apply within just 3 days of advance registration, leading to early registration closure. And on November 12th, despite the severe cold wave, over 3,000 people participated and successfully achieved Guinness Book registration. The former government building and the entire Paldal Mountain trail, which had been vast and empty, became bustling and lively with so many people that you'd wonder if they had always been this narrow.

Hunters from all over the country gathered to enjoy the treasure hunt game. People from various regions visited, from distant Jeju to Gangwon Province, and everyone from children to seniors was busy enjoying the treasure hunt game without exception. While festivals often tend to flow in a biased way toward young or older generations, the treasure hunt competition was evaluated as perfect for all generations to return to their childhood innocence.

The Gyeonggi-do treasure hunt competition particularly contributed directly to regional commercial districts and economic revitalization. People who visited from far away used nearby accommodation facilities the night before, and especially on the festival day, they contributed to commercial district revitalization by completely using up the local commercial district discount vouchers provided. This is clearly shown in Real Treasure's actual movement flow graphs, demonstrating that treasure hunt solutions are very effective in getting people to visit desired places and promoting desired behaviors. The merchant association president said, 'This was the most visited event among all the events we've had' and earnestly asked us to continue creating such event plans.

The secret of things that cause people to choose

If you want to gather people, make them visit desired places, create strong viral feedback, you need to be unique and good. Because people choose what stands out and has representativeness among countless options. Sounds obvious? But we repeatedly reject being chosen by borrowing what others have already done or similar things.

From that perspective, Guinness records should be viewed not from the perspective of simple registration, but from the perspective of 'factors that cause choice.' Create category representativeness so that your plans and projects can be chosen! UniqueGood will be a partner to help such plans!

If you have any questions, please contact us immediately!