Case Study: Race Across AHMM

AHMM Summer Party | London | 120 Participants

The Brief

In May, AHMM (Alfred Hall Monaghan Morris) approached us to design a fully bespoke summer party experience for 120 people. The aim was to showcase as many of their landmark London buildings as possible across a single afternoon, bringing together teams from across the UK in a way that celebrated the practice, championed their work, and – most importantly – delivered a genuinely fun, memorable experience.

The Solution

Using our award-winning Scavenger Hunt as a foundation, and drawing inspiration from the hit TV show Race Across the World, Race Across AHMM was born.

We expanded the format into a four-hour, city-wide challenge, complete with a custom scoring system that rewarded teams the further they travelled across London. The more ambitious the route, the higher the points.

Bespoke clues, riddles and anagrams guided teams to a wide range of AHMM buildings, each location unlocking a challenge – with highlights including a particularly impressive human pyramid.

To add an extra strategic layer, we created five bonus challenges, along with a bespoke release video shared with teams ahead of the event, allowing them to plan their routes and maximise their scores. Teams were tracked and scored throughout the afternoon, before regrouping at Tower Hamlets Town Hall for a high-energy finale featuring a highlights video showcasing the day’s best (and funniest) moments.

The Result

The event delivered on every element of the brief – playful, competitive and completely tailored to AHMM. Every team fully embraced the challenge, racing across the capital to complete as many tasks as possible.

The personalisation ensured the experience felt meaningful and relevant to everyone involved, while the final highlight screening brought the entire group together in a shared moment of camaraderie, joy and laughter – the perfect end to a standout summer party.

What AHMM Said

*“The Big Smoke were such a fantastic company to collaborate with on what was a complex and bespoke project for our architectural firm. They created and tailored a four-hour scavenger hunt across London using all of our buildings as part of our summer party.

They were communicative and engaged from the very first meeting, continuing to edit, develop and ultimately deliver on the day. They were incredibly patient as we shared many ideas and requests, and on the day were buoyant and energised everyone taking part.

I would absolutely choose them again and hope to do so in the near future.”* Jess (AHMM)