How to Create Your First Escape Room

Opening your own escape room in Calgary can confidently be called a wonderful opportunity to build a modern, profitable business that also gives visitors positive emotions. However, this process requires meticulous planning and careful implementation of certain guidelines.

Choosing a Theme/Concept

The first step for anyone aiming to create an escape room is picking its future theme. Naturally, your theme must be interesting to visitors of various backgrounds and distinctive enough to stand out among competitors, capturing customers’ attention. The chosen theme will determine the room’s atmosphere, decorations, puzzles, and even the overall story of the game. Detective stories, fantasy, science fiction, and horror are currently popular. Remember, it’s crucial that the theme be understandable to the player and be logically tied to every element of the game.

Developing the Tasks

Undoubtedly, puzzles are the core of any escape room. Designing them requires creativity and a great deal of attention. The puzzles need to be varied so players remain engaged throughout the entire session. They may be logical, visual, physical, or interactive, but in any case, the level of difficulty should be well balanced. Puzzles that are too easy probably won’t intrigue the player, while those that are too hard will disappoint them. We also recommend planning for a series of hints so participants don’t feel stuck and can finish the room and recommend it to others.

Setting Up the Space

Decorating the room is essential for creating atmosphere and interactive gameplay. Note that every element of the interior should align as closely as possible with the chosen theme and serve a purpose in the game. Think through the use of various objects in detail. For instance, you might include antique books, gadgets, maps, mechanisms, and plenty of other items. And it almost goes without saying that everything must be perfectly safe for the participants.

Testing the Escape Room

Before opening your first escape room, we advise testing it with different teams. This allows you to see if all the puzzles are as clear as possible, if the difficulty level is appropriate, and whether any technical issues arise. During testing, you should pay attention to feedback and make any necessary adjustments.

Marketing and Promotion

If you want your escape room to become popular, it’s not enough merely to make it interesting—you must also promote it effectively. We suggest starting by creating a website and social media profiles where you’ll post updates, announce special deals, and encourage visitors to leave reviews. Use high-quality photos of the room, videos of players, and write interesting articles—all of it helps pique potential guests’ interest.

Building a Team

Your choice of staff will, in large part, determine your room’s overall popularity. The team must be ready to assist players, carefully oversee the game’s progress, and provide expert hints if needed. Put in maximum effort to ensure the staff are friendly, sociable, and highly knowledgeable about every aspect of the escape room.

So, launching an escape room is a challenging but very exciting process that can become a lucrative business. With thorough planning, creativity, and a well-coordinated marketing strategy, your escape room will become a genuine sensation among fans of this type of entertainment.