How Can Escape Rooms Survive The Covid Crisis?
It makes no doubt that the pandemic has been a challenge for every industry. However, entertainment venues that rely on physical visits have found this period more difficult than others. The Escape room sector took a hit in 2020. As of February 2021, there are 2,080 room facilities in the U.S. It is a 7.5 decrease compared to 2020. The closure rate has, however, remained steady throughout the years. There has not been any alarming increase during the pandemic, which is good news for small businesses. Franchises and chains have benefitted from more generous support than the smaller guys. However, the challenges dont end just now. Escape room companies that survived the pandemic need to get ready to develop covid-strategies. Indeed, many business experts believe that entertainment companies such as escape rooms will play a significant role in community revival. Players also visit restaurants and shops before and after a game and thus helping local businesses grow. #1. Sanitizing between every game  Reopening your games to visitors doesnt eliminate covid risks. Most venues recommend players keep a mask at all times during the game and through the reception area. But you also want to introduce new sanitizing strategies to keep risks to a minimum. Ideally, you need to deep clean the rooms between teams. Fogging is by far the quickest and most effective method. A typical fogging machine will need approximately 20 to 30 minutes, including diffusion and drying. Its also a good idea to provide hand sanitizers in the reception area and at the entrance of every room. #2. Avoiding manual puzzles  If you can design a room that doesnt require a huge amount of physical involvement for the players, you can keep the risks of contagion low. As such, it can be helpful to replace physically involved puzzles with smart, generation 2 designs. These tend to include custom electronics rather than padlocks. As such, you will need to reach out to a professional electronics manufacturer for circuit board design. A custom cc can be controlled with a DIY raspberry pi program with impressive results. #3. Changing game schedule  Reducing crowding risks inside your venues will avoid accidental spreading and contagion. Escape room owners can cancel public games where strangers play inside the same room. Instead, using private group bookings will ensure players are not exposed to further risks. Additionally, it can be helpful to change your schedule so that every game starts at a different time. Indeed, this will reduce crowd passage in the reception area. Its important to remember that it takes only one person who is covid positive to expose your business to potential temporary closure risks. Therefore, you dont want to reduce spreading opportunities on-premises. #4. Changing cancellation policy  Its a tough call, but sometimes making it easy to cancel can keep your business afloat. The last thing you want is for a player who has developed potential covid symptoms to attend the game. Covid cancellations need to be introduced to protect players and game operators. You can offer a full refund or an easy rescheduling option for players who wish to cancel for health reasons. Making escape rooms safer for players can help revive city businesses. Escape rooms encourage teams to travel to city centers and spend quality time in town. The retail and hospitality sectors can hugely benefit from the safe reopening of escape rooms.