In 2019, Marjorie had the brilliant idea to create La Chasse au TrésOrléans, a treasure hunt and outdoor escape games company. Édouard, her companion, joined her in her project, to the delight of the players.
Since the creation of the company, I have been able to test each of the treasure hunts offered for adults: “In Aurélien's footsteps”, “O Mary, if you knew”, as well as the escape game “The legend of St-Aignan”.
Why do I go back every time? First, the concept is original: you discover Orléans in a fun way while racking your brain. Then, and on an equal footing with the concept, it is the team that leads the hunt that makes the experience unique.
If you walk around Orléans on weekends, it is not impossible that you have met them aboard their bike – recognizable among all by the banner attached to the back of the machine.
On June 23rd, I went and met them in the premises behind the Charpenterie gardens to understand how this small company had conquered the hearts of Orléans' residents and visitors.
LNO: You know every nook and every detail of downtown Orléans. Are you a local boy and girl?
Edward: Not at all! For my part, I come from the Basque Country.
Marjorie: And me from Nord-Pas-de-Calais! When we met in 2014 during our chemistry studies in Montpellier, neither of us knew Orléans.
LNO: Could you explain what, on the one hand, led you to come and live here and, on the other hand, what led you to create a company with no obvious connection to your studies?
Marjorie: It's a long story! At the end of 2014, I went to Australia to live the au pair experience – I like adventure. Édouard decided to join me... Together, we went on a road trip before looking for work in France. I then found a position as project manager in Orléans, and Édouard a sales position in sanitation.
Édouard: Once here, we integrated well. Marjorie and I are great players; we play all kinds of games: board games, video games, escape games... We are members of the association Le Coffre à jeux, located in Saint-Jean-de-Braye; we are also volunteers of the “Orléans Joue" festival.
Marjorie: After a few years, I wanted to embark on a new project. I then created the website of La Chasse au TrésOrléans at the end of 2018, and the first treasure hunt "In the footsteps of Aurélien" was operational in March 2019.
Édouard: As for me, I continued my sales career before becoming her collaborator at the end of 2021. I have had the status of partner since the company became an LLC in 2022.
LNO: Despite all this time spent in Orléans, where does all your knowledge of the city come from?
Marjorie: I read a lot of books at the library, especially at the Archives d'Orléans. I also turned to the website: Orléans, Hier et Aujourd'hui for the printing of old photos of Orléans. Sometimes, it is also the participants themselves who give us anecdotes!
Édouard: Our main goal is to make people discover Orléans differently, to appreciate the globality of the city through details.
LNO: Who are the treasure hunts for?
Édouard: We have courses adapted to everyone! Children, families, adults, companies... Recently, we translated the game “Sur les traces d'Aurélien”(“In Aurélien's footsteps”) into English so that foreigners, individuals or companies, can enjoy the experience.
With Édouard, Place de Loire (picture 1); with a group of friends for the game: "O Mary, if you knew" in the gardens of the Hôtel-Groslot (picture 2); a view from the balcony of the Hôtel de l'Abeille (picture 3).
LNO: What makes your business successful is also your collaborations.
Marjorie: Indeed, we have started to have good visibility from 2020. It started with the creation of the game "On d'Artagnan's track" for the city of Meung-sur-Loire. As a result, we developed our own game: "The legend of St-Aignan", through which we got our great sponsor: La Biscuiterie de Sologne. Finally, we can mention the event that we fabricated entirely: "In the footsteps of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named” and that we co-hosted with Les Frangins.
Édouard: I can add that, from the beginning, we have forged close ties with the Hôtel de l'Abeille who are great partners and where we recharge our batteries between two games. We put the human aspect first. Our partners are always local and human structures.
LNO: Are you planning to expand the business?
Marjorie: We have just rented the space to make it a workspace. Until then, we worked from home! It will accommodate our wonderful seasonal workers: Matéo and Lauryne. We hope that others will join us!
La Nouvelle-Orléanaise
Find more on the website of La Chasse au TrésOrléans and on the social networks: Instagram, Facebook and Tripadvisor.Reservations are also available on the website of the tourist office.
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