So What Exactly Is an Escape Room?
If you’ve never heard the term before, you may be left scratching your head. Rest assured– it’s nothing sinister! Simply put, an escape room is a group activity where you and your chosen crew are locked in a uniquely themed room with only 60 minutes to get out, and with any number of puzzles and locks blocking your way.
When you look closer, though, it’s much, much more than that.
An escape room is an experience, fitting for friends, family, and coworkers alike. It can serve as the perfect setting for a birthday, or a challenging test of just how well your team can work together once the pressure is on.
A big focus of our location is team building. Communication, time management, and out-of-the-box thinking are all skills that are not only highly valuable in the workplace but also necessary in an escape room. If you have a team that’s still getting to know each other, or just needs to be reminded of how important teamwork is to keep the workplace functioning, an escape room can be a great way to get that message across.
We’ve worked with groups from all across the Triangle—sports teams, doctors, schools, engineers, theaters, and more. Each time, they leave with a better understanding of their own strengths and weaknesses, and how they work together as a team.
We even have regular visits from the local Air Force branch! The instructors bring new recruits to evaluate their communication, problem-solving, and teamwork skills, setting up with us in our control room to observe and take notes on just how well they can perform.
Escape rooms are good for more than just workplace synergy, however! They are also a great way to have a night out with friends, or spend some much needed quality time with family. If you’re looking for a way to reconnect with your kids, consider taking them out for a night of puzzling.
That’s what one mother and son did one night, taking on one of our hardest rooms with just the two of them, and this is what they had to say about it:
“Me and my son did (T)ERROR IN THE SKY, and I can say, that’s the most bonding we did since he was 10. He’s 16. Not only did we spend a great time together, but we bonded and spent some much-needed time with each other. It was both of our first escape room.”
An escape room can also be a fun and unique way of finding some stress relief from the challenges some face in day-to-day life. We’ve worked with many groups to facilitate this, from school fundraisers to college orientation events. One such event was done in partnership with TROSA, or the Triangle Residential Options for Substance Abusers. This program provides much needed housing, food, and other helpful resources and supplies to individuals traveling the hard road to recovery, and they wanted to organize a fun, safe outing for their residents to enjoy. This is what they had to say:
“I had the wonderful opportunity to work with Salem Jones (the owner) to arrange a recreational outing for the residents of TROSA, a residential substance abuse program located in Durham, NC. Salem generously provided our residents with complimentary passes to enjoy the Escape on Purpose (UnCommon Room). When the residents returned to campus that afternoon, they couldn’t stop sharing how thrilling and enjoyable the experience was for them. They were also deeply impressed by the exceptional customer service from the staff, who were so engaging and welcoming. I am incredibly grateful for everything they have done for our residents at TROSA, giving them the chance to have a fun outing with their peers in a safe and sober environment. A heartfelt thank you once again to Escape on Purpose and especially to Salem for going the extra mile for our residents.”
So, whether you need to find a way to get your marketing team to stop talking over each other, something to make the next holiday visit a bit more interesting, or just to kill a few hours with some friends, consider the age-old sentiment: lock them all in a room together and see what happens! And who knows, you may just learn something about you and your team along the way.
For more information, contact Salem and the team at Escape on Purpose, 7072 Hwy 751, Suite 102, Durham. 919-228-9629. Play@EscapeonPurpose.net, EscapeonPurpose.net
