Gems of Drogheda: 14 Teams, 15 Businesses, €4,000 in Prizes
14 Teams. 15 Businesses. One City-Wide Quest.
In May 2026, Drogheda City Now ran the first ever Gems of Drogheda Quest, part of the Shop Local Festival — a city-wide treasure hunt where 14 teams spent two days exploring the town, visiting 15 local businesses to find clues, solve puzzles, and race toward a finish line worth over €4,000 in prizes.
Every business that took part became part of the story — a physical stop on the map, a clue in the puzzle, and a destination that hundreds of people in Drogheda heard about for weeks afterwards. "Two days, 14 teams, and over €4,000 worth of prizes — Drogheda's first city-wide treasure hunt brought people into shops and streets they'd never visited before." — Drogheda City Now,
Campaign Recap:THE NUMBERS
This was Drogheda City Now's biggest campaign to date — and the results reflect that. From paid social promotion to organic content, TikTok, local press and in-store visibility, Gems of Drogheda put Drogheda's independent businesses in front of a huge audience. • 14 competing teams • 15 business partners • €4,000+ in prizes & vouchers • ~73,000 estimated total reach • 2,191 TikTok views • 3 local press features
WHAT IT MEANT FOR THE BUSINESSES INVOLVED
For the 15 businesses that took part, Gems of Drogheda meant real people walking through their doors — competitors hunting for clues, solving puzzles on-site, and discovering shops and venues they'd never been to before. Every business was named across social posts, Reels, TikTok content, press coverage, and posters — putting their brand in front of tens of thousands of people across Drogheda. And because winners claimed their prizes as vouchers redeemable at the partner businesses, every prize handed out meant a guaranteed return visit — and a second chance to turn a quest-goer into a regular customer.
All of this was made possible through a one-off €100 corporate support contribution — which also gave every partner business:
• A listing on the Drogheda City Now Business Directory
• A full year of Drogheda City Now membership benefits
• A dedicated video feature promoting their business, shared across DCN's social channels
These video features have performed exceptionally well — one partner's video reached 5,240 views with 3,052 unique viewers organically, giving that business a level of visibility that would typically require a paid campaign of its own.
THE REAL COST — AND WHAT IT BOUGHT
Gems of Drogheda was a bigger production than our previous campaigns — two full days of city-wide activity, 15 business partners, and a prize pool worth thousands. Even so, the actual cash spend was modest, and most of the work came from a small, dedicated team giving their time.
For roughly the same investment as a single billboard for two weeks, Gems of Drogheda reached an estimated 73,000 people, sent 14 teams into 15 different businesses across the city, generated three pieces of press coverage, and gave every partner business a directory listing, a year of membership benefits, and a video feature — all for a €100 annual contribution.
OUR PARTNERS
Special thanks to the team behind the quest itself:
• Escape Rooms Drogheda — Puzzle Design & Quest Management
• Mark Davies, Night Time Economy Officer, Louth County Council
Plus all 15 participating business partners across Drogheda who hosted clues, puzzles and prizes — without whom this quest simply couldn't have happened.
WANT YOUR BUSINESS ON THE MAP NEXT TIME?
Gems of Drogheda is the kind of campaign that's only possible with local businesses on board. For €100 a year, your business gets a directory listing, a year of DCN membership benefits, a dedicated video feature, and a place in our next campaign — with the visibility, footfall and press coverage that comes with it.