Genval Waterworld brings wild adventures, inspired by the "Waterworld" film and with a real "Mad Max" feel, to the Genval Lake.

Fuel is being stockpiled on our planet, which has been devastated by a nuclear disaster. After this disaster, a team of scientists from the nearby University of Louvain has managed to perfect a new fuel, made from hydrogen and deuterium, which they have called "hydrogenax".

Nonetheless, this product is extremely rare because the resources needed to produce it are still very difficult to find.
Waterworld's challenge is to win the greatest possible quantity of this precious fuel!

On the programme: 6 tests in order to fill a flask … with hydrogenax!

The journey of exploration
Each team receives a map of the Genval Lake and its surroundings. Their mission is to get to key points by kayak, on foot or by mountain bike. Illustrations at each point help them to work out key words in order to solve a riddle ... and win some hydrogenax.

The evil crossing
Each team has to follow a treetop pathway, set 8 metres up in the trees, ending with a death-ride descent. This journey is interspersed with clues to help the competitors win a few drops of hydrogenax.

Catapulting
Each team has three kayaks.Two kayaks have to stretch a giant catapult on the Lake. The people in the third kayak, which is filled with balls, must catapult them into baskets positioned on the banks of the Lake. Each " successful shot" wins hydrogenax.

The raft
Each team builds a raft, using oil drums, beams and ropes provided. The aim is to reach a buoy where they will find a small flask of hydrogenax. They must pour this hydrogenax into the participants' goblets, who must bring back as much as possible without spilling it!

Semaphore
Each team is divided into two groups. Group 1, carrying flags, a semaphore instruction guide and a sealed envelope containing key words, takes a small boat to get to a buoy on the Lake. Group 2 remains on the banks and has to decode the messages that Group 1 sends. Each key word that they decode wins them a cork - and they need as many corks as possible to plug the holes in a pierced barrel containing ... hydrogenax! The final The team to have collected the most hydrogenax in its flask will use it as fuel ... to cross the Lake in a motorboat! Once they reach the other side, they will fire a celebratory rocket, telling all their competitors that they're about to bring back and share a well-deserved treasure with them!

Practical information

• The activity lasts two and a half hours.
• Each team is supervised by a professional organiser.
• We do everything we can to ensure that participants do not fall into the water and stay as dry as possible.
• Sports wear is recommended: sports or walking shoes and jeans or shorts, depending on the weather.
• We supply all participants with life-jackets and wind-cheaters./li>
• In case of rain or bad weather, some tests will be changed and will take place on terra firma, on foot or mountain bike, at a specially arranged circuit not far from the Lake.

Who can solve the mystery of the secret Stele?

“In the year 1229, the monks of Villers who were gathered for Vespers, were attacked and murdered by a band of pillagers and black monks of the Order of Beelzebub, who came and destroyed the secret inscription in the crypt. It was said that this Stele bore a chant which called up magic powers when chanted by a company of at least thirteen monks...
In the morning, when the local peasants finally dared to enter the ransacked Abbey, they were greeted by a spectacle of horror and destruction. In the heavy silence, rent only by the harsh calls of carrion crows going about their grisly business, a cry went up from the neighbouring leper house. It was the novice, Gobert, who had escaped death by posing as a corpse in the dispensary. What he told them was very revealing: at the moment of the attack, the Stele wasn't in the crypt..."

Thrills and mad grins guaranteed!
You will have to motivate your troops* in the heart of the sumptuous Abbey of Villers-la-Ville! Your mission: to find the famous Stele and decode the chant inscribed upon it. No easy task: the only people to succeed are those who overcome a number of challenges to reconstruct the text of a mysterious parchment which will guide them to the Stele and its secret.

A small preview of the great challenges…

• Archery with flaming arrows.
• Archaeology: by reading a mysterious map, the participants have to find various stones and statues on which precious information is engraved.
• Imprisonment in a dungeon: the first one to escape must then, following the instructions of their team, look for a key. Once they have found it, they can free one of their partners. Both partners then search for a second key along the same lines... this continues until everyone is freed.
• Death Ride in the darkness: this involves throwing a bag of sand at an invisible target by following the instructions of your team mates.
• The creeper: tackling an obstacle while tied together. The team is given two candles... if they go out, the entire team has to return to the beginning and start again!
• Discovering the Magic Word, by identifying the contents of mysterious boxes.

Further, equally formidable challenges are added, namely those of the Masters of the Abbey, the Confession or the Herald... right up to the spectacular Stele final, revealed at last, illuminated by fabulous pyrotechnic effects.

In the wings, the show pros.
Villers Mystery® is exclusive to the Martin’s Hotels Group, developed and implemented by Action Team Training in association with Villers-la-Ville. Specifically, it involves a night time team building activity, designed to animate the end of a day's seminar or a business dinner or banquet, for groups of at least 25 people. All the accessories are provided in situ, comprising a black boiler suit for each participant, a hurricane lamp and a walkie-talkie for each team.

* All team building activities managed under our auspices must be linked to a seminar or business dinner at the Château du Lac.

All the participants gather at the Villa du Lac at Genval to solve a mystery. They will investigate the death of Mr. Lee, a famous Chinese billionaire who was visiting Belgium to do the deal of the century with … well, find out!

This criminal investigation leads you, team by team, into the mastering of data and information provided by an evil spirit in the cellars of the villa. Armed with an underground plan as well as a forensic case (it contains such things as ultra-violet lamps and codes to be used), you enter the cellar through a long corridor that has a sinister atmosphere.

At the end of wandering in this labyrinth, which involves six obstacles, each team will reveal to the inspector and the rest of the group the name of the killer and his mobile number. Machination, cogitation, interaction and co-operation are the key words in this newly devised program.

Practical details:

It takes 3 hours to complete all the events. “CSI” can be organised in an afternoon or an evening after a seminar or before a dinner.

The equipment required is provided by the organisers, i.e. overalls, gloves, helmet and head torches.

The “CSI” programme is covered by the organiser’s insurance. It is, however, a requirement that each participant is additionally covered by an extension of your “accidents in the workplace” insurance.

“CSI” is packaged with the organization of a seminar, dinner or an event in one of Martin’s Hotels of your choice (non-optional). Inspired by the television film, “CSI” is an exclusive Martin’s Hotels Team-Building activity, organized by Action Team Training for Martin’s Hotels.

A minimum of 10 people up to 60 people must take part in the activities at “CSI”. The teams are made up of between 5 and a maximum of 10 people.

Price:

< 15 pers.   : 85 € pp. excl. VAT
16-74 pers. : 80 € pp. excl. VAT
> 75 pers.   : 75 € pp. excl. VAT
On request for more than 60 people!

Options:

“CSI” can be personalised on the basis of a theme specific to the company.

The events can be modified, adapted or even created especially for you.

Separate estimates are provided for all options.

Information : +32 2 655 74 35 - sales@martinshotels.com

Delicious Belgian beers and old-fashioned bar games, to give your seminars a convivial and relaxed atmosphere..

To allow your teams to unwind and have fun after a full working day's seminar, Martin's Hotels suggest an exceptional trip to the Timmermans Brewery. Founded in 1781 in Itterbeek, in the "Pajottenland" region, this is one of the last traditional breweries still in operation, full of charm, scents and authenticity. It's where Lambic is brewed, following a jealously guarded secret recipe. However, you'll be able to enjoy the delicious results once the tour is over, when you taste the house beers!

The atmosphere will be even more entertaining if you decide to take part in an inter-team competition of ancient bar games! What a fascinating and enjoyable way to spend some time, while following the guidance of the specialist instructors for maximum points.

Another option is to escape into mediaeval times, with a surprise gift and, of course, an appetising buffet du terroir, or a light meal with traditional dishes such as 'tartines au fromage blanc' or "tête pressée". These are all served in a reproduction of a typical "Pajottenland" bar, which has been re-created right down to the very last detail, including waiters in turn of the century dress!

Popular bar games, traditional and amusing ! Some of these games have been in existence since time immemorial. But one thing's for sure: they all require skill and concentration. Certainly, you need a clear head to win. Here are a few examples that should tempt you into discovering and playing them all! Trou Madame This has been played since the 16th Century! Mainly by women, while their husbands got on with more sporting activities. The players try to roll 5 wooden discs through the 9 arches in the front of an open-topped wooden box. Each arch carries a different score. Not as easy as you'd think! Pudeback Pudeback consists of a board in the centre of which is an open-mouthed frog, surrounded by 6 small holes and two trapdoors. Players have to try and toss copper coins into the frog's mouth for maximum points (glurp!) Mannetjesspel A box with 5 little wooden men is fixed to the table. The figures, mounted on a hinge, can swing backwards. A weight hangs by a thread, attached to a miniature gallows . Using the weight, players have to try and knock over as many men as possible. Let yourself go! Struifvogel The struifvogel is a wooden bird hanging on a cord. Its beak holds a dart tip. Players try to lodge the dart tip in the target by swinging the bird towards it. To re-balance itself, the bird swings back towards the player who then puts another dart tip in its beak. A game of precision for which you'll need your wings. ToptafelThe game consists of a square box, on which there is a maze. A number of small skittles are placed in the maze and players have to try and knock over as many skittles as possible, by releasing a traditional wooden spinning top. In other words, your turn will come! KegelenIn one or several attempts, each player tries to knock over a maximum of number of skittles (9 in all) using a metal clad wooden ball, with one large hole for the fingers and another for the thumb. In fact, a hint of things to come, this is the ancestor of bowling.Hamertjesspel

Using small hammers, 4 players must each defend 2 goals and try to send a little metal marble into another player's goal. When a player lets a goal in, he must take a nail which is placed in the centre of the game. The first with 9 nails loses .... and he cannot even tap them in with his hammer.

Tai chi at Martin’s Hotels
Tai Chi Chuan which is becoming more and more familiar these days is an ancient Chinese non-violent martial art ; Chinese people practising in parks is its best-known representation.

Its founding principles, (physical relaxation, concentration, slow motions, balance, measured use of physical strength,…) make it a very powerful tool for balance and good health particularly well suited to a more and more demanding and rapid way of living both in our private and professional lives. It can be practised by virutally anyone, with no age limits.

Because of its effects on our mental, emotional and physical strands, it enables us to have a beter management of pressures, and also eases our breathing ; it alleviates tensions and provides a better energy flow, a quiet mind, harmony and physical flexibility.

Martin’s Hotels in close cooperation with Eqilibre offer you several possibilities to become familiar with aspects of Tai Chi Chuan during your stay at one of our hotels. Thus, you can be sure to reinforce the benefits of your seminar in the quiet and peaceful atmosphere of Southern Brussels.

Several possibilities are offered :

1 . a short recess during a one-day seminar :

Ideally to be located before the lunch break (although this can also be placed at any other moment during the day) this formula includes a series of Taoist breathing exercises to regain dynamism and to relax in an informal way. This is also a very good way to socialize without even knowing it.
You can now start the afternoon session of your seminar in a quiet mind and with a fresh energy.

Duration: one hour.

2 . learning to make the best of one’s energy and to cope with stress :

This module can be organized in a half-day or in a one-day session. You will learn different techniques to make the most of your energy and to cope with stress. The exercises where the mind focuses on the body are taught in a cheerful and relaxed atmosphere by members of Eqilibre.

The aim is threefold :

- To make participants become aware of their energy blockages so that they can restore and preserve their dynamism and possibly cope with underlying stress.
- To learn basic techniques derived from Tai Chi Chuan, Qi Gong and Taoist breathing exercises.
- To be able – after the workshop – to carry on these basic routines thanks to written information in a folder provided to particpants.

Duration : half a day (3 hours training) or a whole day (6 hours training)

3 . Workshop on positive and creative visualisation

This workshop basically focuses on our mental strains. It is derived from Taoist meditation techniques. According to your objectives, you can be trained to :
· Mentally prepare for a difficult situation.
· Modify your frame of mind or that of a group to improve them.
· Resolve conflicts.
· Soothe the mind, distinguish between essential and minor interests.

Duration : 1.5 hours for one objective – 3 hours for two.

Practical information:

Flexible and loose clothing may prove to be useful, yet not essential. One teacher can take up to 15 persons and will need a min of 45 m2 for a group of that size.