Bucking the traditional concept of attempting to escape from a locked room, the quest for ever-more unusual locations is leading a growing number of Escape Room owners to take their games to the great outdoors.
This summer saw tourist hotspot Cheddar Gorge and Caves open a new attraction in the form of two Escape Rooms, Caved In and The Vault, based on the gorge and caves’ history.
Leon Troake, operations manager, said: “We have been working with our designer for a few months using the history of Cheddar to establish ourselves with some themed activities which are true to the area and help us bring to life some of the characters which used to live here.”
Wearing hard hats and jackets, contestants enter a lost cave in an attempt to locate a treasure chest. The rooms make use of the natural cave setting both in storyline and ambience.
Meanwhile, on a smallholding of Hockwold, Norfolk, Dave and Sharon Southwell run Rustic Riddles. An entirely outdoor escape game, Pan’s Problems is populated with real animals including ponies and goats.
Dave said: “Some people may feel being locked into a room quite claustrophobic but here we have the huge West Norfolk skies.
“People can be as competitive or not as they wish, some want to be top of the leaderboard while others just want to enjoy some outdoor fun.”
So what should you consider?
Safety
With environmental factors somewhat less predictable than under the shelter of a building, running an outdoor event requires a full risk assessment. If you will be utilising any natural structures, make like Cheddar Gorge and provide teams with hard hats, ropes and other safety equipment, and ensure you give a full safety briefing.
Weather
Could your game continue if it started to drizzle? Or do your props and puzzles require fair weather? It is important to consider the effects of daily fluctuations in weather, as well as the likelihood of your site to flood.
Insurance
From the likelihood of experiencing business interruption to an entirely different set of physical dangers, your insurance needs will be very different when you venture outside. Offering specialist insurance advice to Escape Room owners, speak to The Insurance Centre today for a full assessment.
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