Thursday

Elevating Business Operations: Work Smarter, Not Harder
Speaker: Javiera Kalback, Portsmouth Escape Room / Tamara Bertrand, NW Escape Experience
Thursday 11:15am-12:15pm
Room: 127
$55/attendee (pre-registration)
$65/attendee (on-site registration)
Description: Coming Soon!

Risk, Agency, and Threat: Helping Your Audience Tell Their Own Stories
Speaker: Jono Naito-Tetro, Intrigue & Co., DVC Games
Thursday 1:45pm-2:45pm
Room: 127
$55/attendee (pre-registration)
$65/attendee (on-site registration)
As experience designers, we specialize in curating distinct emotions and experiences, whether it’s spine-tingling fear, boundless joy, or the triumphant sense of accomplishment. While we boast a repertoire of proven models, our goal is to transcend the ordinary and uncover innovative twists, add-ons, and choices that empower our audiences to take the reins of their adventure in our spaces, ultimately expanding our market share through inventive strategies.

Picture this: It’s not just about delivering an experience; it’s about granting your audience ownership. We’ll delve into the realm of optional content, choose-your-own-path structures, intriguing quests, interactive character engagements, and even pioneering new dimensions of fear and delight. By offering these customizable elements, we empower your patrons to shape their unique narratives within your space.

This isn’t merely about elevating experiences; it’s about revolutionizing them. Our approach aims to widen your market reach by infusing ingenuity and innovation into every facet of your offerings. Join us on this journey to redefine adventure ownership and witness the transformative power of granting your audience unparalleled agency in their immersive encounters at your venue.

Enlivening Experiences: The Art and Importance of Improv In Your Experience
Speaker: Matt Marberry, Odd-O-Ts’ Entertainment
Thursday 3:00pm-4:00pm
Room: 127
$55/attendee (pre-registration)
$65/attendee (on-site registration)
Description: Coming soon!

Unlocking Corporate Business: Strategies, Options and Effective Tactics
Speaker: Chris Burfield & Tina Burfield, Timed Out Escape
Thursday 4:15pm-5:15pm
Room: 127
$55/attendee (pre-registration)
$65/attendee (on-site registration)
Interactive entertainment activities are popular “team building” events for organizations of all sizes. But by thinking differently about “team building”, interactive entertainment venues (especially escape rooms) can transform these events from social outings to personal and team development activities, dramatically increasing both the value added to the client and revenue per participant.

Friday

Boom! Beep! Bang! Tick! Crafting Dynamic Sound & Music Design for Escape Rooms
Speaker: Troy Armstrong, Game Designer at ‘The Escape Game”
Friday 11:15am-12:15pm
Room: 127
$55/attendee (pre-registration)
$65/attendee (on-site registration)
Immerse yourself in the vibrant world of sound design with this seminar, a rallying call for designers to recognize the often neglected significance of sound in their creative process. It’s time to shift the focus and ponder how sound can amplify and complement visual designs right from the start.

Step into actionable territory with valuable tips and resources on how any company can elevate their sound design! Tony will offer practical takeaways without the need for complex technical expertise. The seminar is crafted to empower everyday owners, fostering confidence in pushing boundaries in sound creation without overwhelming complexity.

Led by a seasoned expert with a music composition background and seven years in the escape room industry, this seminar focuses on bridging theory with hands-on application. Each attendee will walk away with techniques to enhance current audio designs or reshape the delivery of audio experiences, with the ultimate goal of fostering a holistic appreciation for sound as a pivotal component in immersive design. Get ready to “up your game” and embrace sounds as an integral part in crafting unforgettable experiences!

Worldbuilding: Creating Worlds That Resonate
Speaker: Nicholas Moran, Phantom Peak
Friday 1:45pm – 2:45pm
Room: 127
$55/attendee (pre-registration)
$65/attendee (on-site registration)
Dive into the realm of worldbuilding with “Worldbuilding: Creating Worlds That Resonate”. This talk will be an encapsulation of everything Phantom Peak, an award-winning open-world experience in London, which becomes our blueprint for captivating audiences.

Here, Nicholas will dissect the how and “how to’s” of engaging an audience, and, more importantly, turning customers and players into passionate fans!

This session will dissect the elements that make Phantom Peak a repeated destination for its visitors. It’s not just about creating a world; it’s about igniting a universe brimming with compelling stories and unforgettable characters. We’ll uncover how to construct narratives that strike a chord and settings that are more than mere backdrops. This session is perfect for storytellers, game designers, or anyone passionate about creative world-building.

Saturday

Memorable Branding: How to Stand Out From the Crowd!
Speaker: Zoli Papp, Zolitopia
Saturday 10:15am-11:15am
Room: 127
$55/attendee (pre-registration)
$65/attendee (on-site registration)
Have you ever struggled to remember a company’s name with that cool experience? Well, so did others! A memorable brand will not only help your bottom line but will also secure a long term future for your company. Branding that stands out from the crowd will help your customers to recommend you first above all to their friends and family. Just imagine this:

Customer: I’ve been to an escape room and it was so much fun!
You: Awesome, which one did you play?
Customer: Ugh, I don’t remember the company, it was something about [insert generic theme].

In the ever growing market of escape rooms and immersive experiences it’s becoming crucial to create a brand that’s easy to recognize and remember. Join me for this talk to learn about branding best practices and the different approaches to it, so next time your customers will have no problem remembering where to send their friends for their next experience.

Unleashing Agency: Bridging the Worlds of Tabletop Gaming and Escape Rooms to Redefine Experiential Design
Speaker: Juliana Moreno, Wild Optimists
Saturday 12:45pm-1:45pm
Room:127
$55/attendee (pre-registration)
$65/attendee (on-site registration)
Let’s get interactive! Designers in the tabletop gaming and escape room industries have always worked using the medium of agency, which is exactly what today’s guests are looking for across the board in their experiential spending. In fact, the term “guest” is outdated. People don’t want to be guests, they want to be inhabitants/participants/heroes. How can you use this innate desire to create memorable and unique experiences? How can you allow people to engage with the space and characters, while still moving them through the experience? Increased interactivity is the future and it has its origins in tabletop gaming and escape rooms. There is so much to be learned from studying how design works and how those design lessons can be translated off-the-board and out of the room!

Let’s Talk About Tech!
Speaker: Michael Goff, Mystery Mansion Escape
Saturday 2:00pm-3:00pm
Room: 127
$55/attendee (pre-registration)
$65/attendee (on-site registration)
Description: Coming Soon!

What’s Next? Exploring Interactive Entertainment Trends and What Makes Them “HOT”
Speaker: Luke Almond, Candid Escapes
Saturday 3:15pm-4:15pm
Room: 127
$55/attendee (pre-registration)
$65/attendee (on-site registration)
Description: Coming Soon!

Community Thrills: Secrets to Seamless Collaborations with Interactive Entertainment and Local Businesses
Speaker: Brian Vinciguerra, Cracked It Escape Games
Friday 3:00pm-4:00pm
Room: 127
$55/attendee (pre-registration)
$65/attendee (on-site registration)