Learn What You Need to Know About Escape Rooms! - Jim Niehoff & Casey Keene Escape Reality
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Learn What You Need to Know About Escape Rooms! Jim Niehoff & Casey Keene Escape Reality
What is an Escape Room? • A live action immersive experience in which you and your team are locked in a room and must solve a series of riddles and clues, interact with props and puzzles, and ultimately figure out how to escape in a specific time, typically 60 minutes or less. • Escape rooms started in Asia over 10 years ago, emerged in the EU about 7 years ago and came to the US/Canada 5 years ago.
Escape Room Terminology
• Gen 1 - Basic, locks only, paper laminated clues, minimal to no theming
• Gen 2 - Interactive props, magnetic locks, keypads, some lock & key
• Gen 3- Highly electronic, RFIDs, magnetic sensors, rarely lock & key
• Gen 4 - Fully integrated, all electronic controlled by a central system
Gen 1
Gen 2
Gen 3
Gen 4
US Escape Room Growth
• As of Q2 2018, there are
2350+ escape room
facilities
• Estimate about a 3% to
5% closure rate, some
higher depending on the
market
Data from https://roomescapeartist.com/
Escape Room Popularity
• There are a lot of escape rooms, have we reached
saturation?
– Some major cities – possibly
– Many are still new to escape rooms
Over 5 games
played
Four
Three
Two
First
Experience Based on a survey of guests conducted in our
facilities over a 2 month period in Q2 2017
How Do You Compete? - Story Line
• Story line sets the scene, builds anticipation
and connects everything in the experience
• Linear rooms - puzzles/interactions follow
a logical process and are solved in
sequence
• Non-linear rooms - the
puzzles/interactions can be solved with
little sequence or dependencies
Designing for 6 to 8 players vs 10 to 12 provides a chance
for an experienced group of 2 players to escape
How Do You Compete? - Theming
• Immersion is what it is all about
• Costs can get high, look to lighting and
alternate materials/finishes
• Multi-chamber – plan for 2 to 3 rooms
within the experience.
Visit your competition first to see their rooms and theming.
How Do You Compete? - Props • You need cool props with a “wow” moment in each room • Props need to be reliable and battle tested in real world operation • Do not overuse useless fillers and red herrings
How Do You Compete? - Marketing
• If you have a solid marketing plan now, this should fit right in as
another attraction
• Leverage your existing email lists and social media accounts
• Invite local news/radio/press to a VIP event – because escape rooms
are still relatively new, they like covering them
• Google AdWords and Facebook/Instagram work best for those
searching for escape rooms
• Use AdWords Auction Insight tool to see what AdWords your
competition uses
• Post photos of your theming
Building Your Experience – First Steps • Determine your space availability • Modern rooms consist of 2 to 3 rooms, using 350 to 600 sq. ft • Designed to accommodate 6 to 12 people, but most target 6-8 • Control room to monitor the game and provide hints • Photo spot is a must have for social media sharing • Visit your city building and fire safety departments • Check on local requirements for locking doors and exiting • Please get permits and inspections!
Building Your Experience - DIY or Hire a Pro?
• DIY
• Allow for lots of time
• Prop builds require some experience and tech knowledge doesn’t hurt
• Look to local sources for help with theming/painting
• Likely the lowest cost option
• Hire a Pro
• Online options for basic storylines and prop designs
• Franchises are out there, but are expensive
• Several vendors offer turn key rooms
• Ask the following questions:
• How many rooms are in their portfolio
• Do they offer territory protection
• Are they operators who can offer a full spectrum of trainingBuilding Your Experience - Construction
• Raw build out
• Theming and Props
• Durability is key
• Immersion and remember the “WOW” moments
• Used furniture is a good option, but no IKEA rooms
• Electronic props give your guests something to talk about
• Audio/Visual Install
• Surveillance Cameras
• Speakers for effect and communication
• Hint system considerations
• Staging and final setup
• Decorative items, loose prop staging and puzzle placement
• Use wall anchors and NO glassBuilding Your Experience - Time & Cost
• Time varies
• DIY - Experienced room owners can take 2 to 6 months, start to
finish
• Pro - 2 to 3 weeks of raw build and 3 to 10 days per room to
theme and install props/puzzles
• Cost varies wildly
• DIY - a gen 1 room in existing space, as low as $1000
• A professional brand new room - $25K-$100K+How Much Money Will You Make? • Revenue is highly dependent on the following success factors • Room quality – Design, Story, Theme, Props • Your location and foot traffic • Marketing • Competition • Guest Service and operations • Expect annual gross revenue of $30K to $85K per room, per year based on occupancy rates and price
The Game Play Process •Arrival to Exit • The check-in process • Briefing • Assistance in game • Retrieval • Photos • Bounceback Coupon/Reviews
Operations
• Hint Systems
• Have a backup in case main system fails
• A good reset leads to a great game
• If you see an error, fix it ASAP!
• Always have Back-Ups
• Be prepared for things to break/walk away
• Maintenance
• Train management on common fixes
• Minor electrical work, tool knowledge, etc.
• CleaningGuest Service
• The Ideal Candidate
• High energy
• Quick thinking
• Good memory
• Comfortable with change
• Their Role
• Ambassador
• Educator
• Jack of all tradesHiring
• Personality First
• The process can be trained, personality can’t be
• Make your staff audition!
• See how well they think on their feet
• How well do they follow direction?
• Training
• Play the rooms!
• Cheat sheets
• Repetition, repetition, repetition
• Guest RecoveryFuture of Escape Rooms
• Gen 1 and small standalone facilities won’t survive
• Premium and multi attraction venues will survive
• Growth will continue as awareness increases with mainstream
media mentions and more people enjoying their first experience
• As with any attraction, budget to upgrade every 18-24
months
• Prop designs will keep getting better and more advanced
• Electronic control systems will improveKey Takeaways • Immersion, story line and props with an impact • Check the competition and demographics in your area • If you take the leap, build a great room • Personal/budget decision on the DIY or Hire a Pro • Guest service is key –hire and train the right people
Questions? Contact us: Jim Niehoff – jim.niehoff@escapereality.com Casey Keene - casey.k@escapereality.com
Thank You!
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