Participants of a three-day immersive training arrive to their rooms and find a small booklet on their bed containing a QR code and a small card with the silhouette of an old key printed on it. The QR code takes them to an audio bedtime story, explaining the Red Thread of Fate, an ancient Asian legend that people who are fated to meet are connected by an invisible red thread that can never be broken. They are asked to keep their key card on them all times, as they will need it at some point.

On the last day, while the participants are engaged in an activity, two facilitators come into the room and whisper into the ears of a few individuals. They are told when they hear the sound of the gong in the hallway, to gather everyone around them and follow the sound. The whispering builds curiosity and uncertainty. The other participants notice that something is going on but don’t know what.

When the gong sounds, the participants file out into the hallway where they see a sign on a door to the hallway that says: Find Your Key. When they open the door there are real vintage keys on the floor, tied to red strings that disappear behind a door. Another sign tells them to follow the string.

They each find their keys that match the cards they had received two days earlier, following the string into the room where they encounter a dense web of red thread filling the room. The room is small and they have to climb over each other as they follow their threads, creating an atmosphere of playfulness and collaboration. As they climb over each other their is audio playing, the voice from the bedtime story asking questions about fate. Eventually, their thread connects them to another person, meeting in the middle. The audio inquires: “Why do you think you were fated to meet?”

As they are chatting with each other they hear the gong ringing from outside the window. They look outside and a woman in a red cloak is standing in a circle of candles. She beckons them to come outside. They all go outside and naturally form a circle around her. At their feet are small red notecards and envelopes and pens. The facilitator invites them to write a note to the person the string connected them to about why they believe fate brought them together in this experience. They were asked not to read their notes until they were on their way home, giving them a moment of reflection later to reminisce about the experience.

This event embodies the pillars of Play, Connection, Heart, and Surprise.