How to open a quest room?

Table of contents:

• Where to begin?
• Investment size
• Step-by-step instruction

Where to begin?

So where to start? In general, given the current economic situation and highly competitive environment, opening a quest on your own and from scratch, according to the expert, is a very risky undertaking. It is best to purchase a franchise of a large, established network and already develop, avoiding many risks associated with the specifics of a business niche (one person comes to one quest once). In every major city there are already serious players who control the local market. The sphere is highly competitive, but the main competitors are not so much other quest companies, but other representatives of the leisure and entertainment sector: cinemas, attractions, water parks, various sections, clubs, and so on. Success is determined by the ability to compete at this level.

Investment size

According to the expert, a lot depends on how developed the quest market is in a particular city. Under development is meant the degree of "watchfulness" of the townspeople, this determines the level of their exactingness: the more the viewer has seen, the more difficult it is to surprise him.

Now, many who open in a big city can have a budget of up to $50,000. This difference is explained by the fact that simple and cheap methods of achieving a “wow effect” have already been used by “pioneers” during this time, and “newcomers” are forced to resort to more expensive solutions. Each subsequent step on this path becomes more expensive! For comparison, in New York, opening a quest costs approximately 30 thousand dollars (approximately 2 million rubles).

As for the issue of initial costs, in the case of a franchisee, the first major investment is the purchase of a franchise (including a script). The other half of the costs will be:

• elements of entourage and props;
• rental of premises;
• escape room props for sale;
• repair;
• technical equipment: audio, video devices, etc.

How to find funding? Since this is not our first business line, we have developed the following scheme: before the start of each new project, we determine the estimate and total cash flows, and then we go to the bank and take the necessary amount on credit. Because there is a conviction that every project should pay for itself. It should be noted that this approach is very risky if there is no necessary experience and understanding of how to get out of a situation where the loan cannot be repaid.

Step-by-step instruction

According to the expert, if there is a desire to invest in an escape room, then the most correct solution would be to find a team of people who have already been involved in opening escape rooms or work with a large franchise. Such a business scheme is the most stable and sustainable. There are 6-7 teams in Russia that are in a state of readiness to go abroad and open there if there is investment.

What staff is needed? During the construction phase, specialist technicians and electronics engineers will be needed. After the launch, the main employee and, as they say, the face of the company becomes the "keeper of the keys". Meeting and seeing off guests, giving instructions, and taking the final photo is their main task. The contingent of workers in this position is represented, as a rule, by students and young people. The main attraction factor for them is fascination and distant career prospects.

A feature of this business line is that neither discounts nor any bonuses will encourage the client to come to the quest if the scenario and its implementation do not attract him.

A person either comes to you or does not come. Will not come to a bad quest, even if it is free, and will easily give a good amount for a good quest. This is how the entertainment industry works: everything is bad that does not entertain.

In this regard, classical marketing may not give proper results if the quality of the product does not correspond to the proper level of requests. The main competitive advantage of the quest is its entertainment.