South Florida Social Geeks

Ever since I started the South Florida Social Geeks, I’ve been wanting to do some form of a photo scavenger hunt, but on a scale larger than a single location.  Thankfully, after hearing about the #chevypizzacrawl and #chevycupcakecrawl, I was glad to get Chevy on board to do just that.  With over 2 months of planning, and lots of emails back-and-forth, the first ever #chevygeekhunt took place on Saturday, October 2nd.

The day started with 8 local social geeks assembling at Ed Morse Chevy in Sunrise by Sawgrass Mills.  Like the good geeks that we are, @midtownchica and I laid out how the day would work:

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We would have 4 cars, each with a team of 2 geeks driving around to different locations.  Inspired by the CBS show, the Amazing race, I created Route Info clues to tell the participants where to go, Road Blocks which gave the participants tasks to complete, and there was even a Detour where they had to choose between 2 different tasks.

In order to help the secret of the day’s events, I made sure that we did not list the locations or tasks on the web or on the shirts that we gave out.

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The first stop was LaserQuest in Sunrise, FL.

For those of us who grew up in the late-80s, Laser Tag was a tradition that we all grew up on.  Thanks in no small part to the part that it plays in today’s hit TV show “How I Met Your Mother”, I thought that this would be a great opportunity for everyone to have some fun while venting out any frustrations they might have had from the week coming in.  It’s great exercise, great way to reduce stress, and show your competitive side.  Unfortunately, our timing to get there was slightly off, and we found ourselves face-to-face with a birthday party of young children.  Essentially, it quickly turned into an “us vs. them” with “us” clearly dominating.

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Coming in at first place was @bcirce.

In second place, @krow272.

And in third place, @mikemcdnet.

As the top scorers, they all won the opportunity to come back for another free game; as did @bcirce’s teammate @aguyonclemantis who discovered that he really dislikes ninjas:

After beating each other up, the participants were given their next clue, which took them to the Geek Mecca of Broward County, Tate’s Comics and Games:

Route Information for Stop #2

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Their mission, if they chose to accept it:

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Of course, if that’s all there was to this stop, then it’d be too easy.  After all, what would this race be without a “DETOUR”

Turns out there were was only team fortunate enough to claim the hammer of Thor:

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Not so long ago, right here in the South Florida Tri-county area, a small group of local social media professionals came up with an idea. It was such a simple idea that many wondered why no one thought of before. The plan was drive cars, eat free pizza, meet new people, take pictures, and tweet about the whole thing in real time. Worstpizza.com’s #chevypizzacrawl was born:

• #chevypizzacrawl details
• #chevypizzacrawl recap
• #chevypizzacrawl2 details
• #chevypizzacrawl2 recap
• #chevypizzacrawl3 details
• #chevypizzacrawl3 recap

Little did they realize: <yoda>Begun the #chevycrawl wars have…</yoda>

After 3 successful #chevypizzacrawls, Chevy teamed up with another popular local blogger, @TheTinyJEWELBox, to enjoy the sweet tastes of South Florida.  Instead of eating greasy pizza, participants would go to some of the best local Cupcake locations on their own #chevycupcakecrawl.

Now, far be it from me to pass up some free free pizza or cupcakes, and getting to test drive an awesome Chevy around town; But we’re “Geeks with Social Skills”. So, without further adieu, I present our entry into the #chevycrawl wars – the #chevygeekhunt.

On Saturday afternoon, October 2nd, 16 Lucky Social Geeks will get to go on a Geo-caching scavenger hunt unlike anything they’ve ever experienced.

If selected, you will be given clues to our base-camp, where we will set out in 4 different Chevys, and the time that you are supposed to be there.

Yes, you read that right.

- No name

- No directions.

- No address.

- No phone # (except for mine if you really get lost)

After everyone arrives, you’ll be given your #chevygeekhunt briefing and uniform.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, will be to get yourself to various predetermined destinations based solely on clues and the Chevy you are driving. You will only get the next set of coordinates after completing your assigned task at each location.

In order to be selected to be part of the #chevygeekhunt::

* You must be available Saturday, October 2nd from approximately 11am to 5pm

* You must be at least 21-years-old

* You must have a valid driver’s license

* You must be alright with having your pictures taken

If you meet the above criteria, you have until 10pm Sunday, September 26th to leave a comment below telling me why you think you should be chosen to participate in the #chevygeekhunt.

Participants will be announced on Monday, September 27th either during or after the #pizzatweetup.

[UPDATED] Please make sure your comments are left by logging in through either Facebook or Twitter so you can be reached if selected.

[UPDATE #2] We’ve decided to extend the deadline by another 24 hours to Monday night, September 27th at 10pm.