Choose an Escape Room for your Corporate Event!

Corporate events are an essential aspect of any business as they allow employees to connect, build relationships, and foster a positive work environment. However, planning a corporate event that is both engaging and interactive can be challenging. One activity that has gained popularity in recent years is escape rooms. Escape rooms offer a unique and exciting experience for corporate events, which can benefit businesses in many ways. In our newest Lock Chicago blog post we’ll explore why escape rooms are great for corporate events and those participating.

This phrase gets used most commonly as reasoning for any event but we certainly have to start with Team Building. One of the primary reasons why escape rooms are great for corporate events is that they promote team building. Escape rooms require players to work together and communicate effectively to solve puzzles and escape the room. This teamwork can improve relationships among coworkers and build trust. It also allows employees to develop their problem-solving and critical thinking skills, which are valuable in the workplace.

Stress relief: Corporate events can be stressful for employees as they may feel pressure to socialize and network with colleagues. Escape rooms offer a fun and immersive experience that can help alleviate this stress. It provides an opportunity for employees to unwind and have fun while still building relationships and engaging in team-building activities.

Improves communication: Communication is a vital skill in any workplace. Escape rooms require participants to communicate effectively to solve puzzles and escape the room. By participating in an escape room, employees can develop their communication skills, which can improve their overall performance at work. It also allows coworkers to get to know each other better and learn how to communicate effectively with each other.

Boosts morale: A positive work environment is crucial for employee satisfaction and productivity. Escape rooms provide a fun and exciting experience that can boost morale and create a positive work environment. By participating in an escape room, employees can feel valued and appreciated by their employer, which can lead to increased job satisfaction.

Encourages creativity: Escape rooms require participants to think creatively and outside the box to solve puzzles and escape the room. This type of thinking can be beneficial in the workplace, where creativity and innovation are highly valued. By participating in an escape room, employees can develop their creativity skills and apply them to their work.

Promotes healthy competition: Escape rooms can also promote healthy competition among employees. By working together to solve puzzles and escape the room, employees can feel a sense of accomplishment and healthy competition. This competition can motivate employees to work harder and achieve their goals in the workplace.

In conclusion, escape rooms are an excellent activity for corporate events. They promote team building, communication, creativity, and healthy competition, while also providing stress relief and boosting morale.

At Lock Chicago we offer unique team building experiences not just with Escape Rooms but with Scavenger Hunts and on-site events as well! Whether you want us to visit a location of your choice or set up an interactive Scavenger Hunt through our partner, Roamli we’ve got plenty of options. Overall Escape Rooms are a fun and exciting experience that your employees will surely appreciate and we look forward to hopefully hosting you in the future!

Roamli, Scavenger Hunts, and Hidden Gems! Things to Discover in Chicago!

For this blog post we thought we’d take some time away from the pure Escape Room talk and chat about some of our favorite things in Chicago. We’ve been in Evanston for the past 8 years and being close proximity to Chicago we’ve been able to discover some amazing sights and places to explore. We’ve taken our love of escape room discovery and tied it into the travel app, Roamli.

Roamli helps companies build interactive walking tours and scavenger hunts so we thought they would be a perfect partner in finding amazing things to discover around Chicago! Redfin also reached out to us to get our thoughts on some of our favorite sights in Chicago and you can view that article here including some great contributions by other local Chicagoans.

We created two unique Scavenger Hunts, the “Chicago Scavenger Hunt”, and “Evanston Scavenger Hunt” that highlight some of the most unique and hidden gems around the city. Participants can download the event and play through the Roamli App along with discovering amazing sights throughout the world. We’ve included murals, architectural gems, statues, monuments, and more!

Roamli is a unique travel and scavenger hunt app that combines the thrill of exploring new places with the excitement of solving puzzles and riddles. The app is designed to help users discover new locations and landmarks in their own city or while traveling to a new destination.

One of the main features of Roamli is its scavenger hunt game mode. In this mode, users are presented with a series of clues and riddles that lead them to different locations in their chosen city. Users must solve each clue in order to unlock the next one, and ultimately complete the scavenger hunt. This game mode is perfect for users who want to explore new areas of a city, or who want to add a fun and challenging activity to their travel itinerary.

Roamli also offers a more relaxed "tour" mode, which allows users to explore a city at their own pace. In this mode, users can choose from a variety of tours created by Roamli, or they can create their own custom tour. Each tour includes information about different locations and landmarks, as well as suggestions for places to eat and drink along the way.

One of the most unique aspects of Roamli is its focus on community. Users can connect with other Roamli users in their city or in a destination they're traveling to. This allows users to share tips and recommendations with each other, as well as compete in scavenger hunt challenges.

So all-in-all whether you’re looking to get your thrills at an escape room or try your hand with an outdoor Scavenger Hunt we’ve got you covered with Lock Chicago or Roamli. Go discover something amazing today!

Why you should book an Escape Room this Valentine's Day!

Looking for a new experience to celebrate with your partner? With Valentine's Day just around the corner, escape rooms offer a unique and fun way to celebrate the holiday with your significant other. Here's why:

Strengthening relationships: Escape rooms require teamwork and communication to solve puzzles and escape the room within a set time limit. This makes it a great opportunity for couples to work together and strengthen their relationship. It's a fun and exciting way to bond and see how well they work as a team. By overcoming challenges together, couples can build trust, mutual respect, and a sense of accomplishment.

A change of pace: Valentine's Day can sometimes feel like just another day, with the usual dinner and movie date options. An escape room offers something different, something exciting, and a change of pace from the usual routine. It's a great way to make the holiday feel special and memorable.

Encourages creativity and critical thinking: Escape rooms are designed to challenge the participants' problem-solving and critical thinking skills. This can be a great opportunity for couples to let their creative juices flow and come up with innovative solutions to the puzzles. By working together, couples can think outside the box and approach problems in a new way.

Builds excitement and anticipation: Escape rooms are full of surprises, twists, and turns. They are designed to build excitement and anticipation, making it an ideal choice for a Valentine's Day date. The rush of adrenaline that comes with solving puzzles and escaping the room is a great way to add an extra layer of excitement to the holiday.

A unique bonding experience: An escape room is a unique bonding experience that can't be replicated. It's an opportunity to create memories that will last a lifetime. The experience is exclusive and exclusive, making it an ideal way to celebrate Valentine's Day with your significant other. We offer private escape room experiences that are great for two or if you’re looking to double date!

Increases intimacy: Escape rooms are a great way to increase intimacy. They provide an opportunity for couples to interact and get to know each other in a new way. By working together to solve puzzles, couples can deepen their understanding of each other's strengths, weaknesses, and communication styles. This can lead to increased intimacy and a stronger relationship. Make sure you save some patience up however as escape rooms will certainly test these skills!

In conclusion, escape rooms are a great way to celebrate Valentine's Day and make it a holiday to remember. They offer a unique and exciting experience that brings couples closer together and challenges their problem-solving skills. With its immersive and interactive nature, an escape room is the perfect way to create memories that will last a lifetime. So why not try something different this Valentine's Day and visit us at Lock Chicago!

Escape Rooms & Team Building

Happy 2023 friends! It’s been a great year and with Escape rooms continuing to grow in popularity especially in team building we wanted to highlight some of the best benefits for your organization. Escape rooms are a fun and immersive activity that has become increasingly popular in the past decade throughout the United States. These interactive puzzles & challenges require participants to solve riddles and clues in order to "escape" a themed room within a certain amount of time. While they are often thought of as just a fun way to spend an afternoon or evening, escape rooms can also have significant benefits for team building and personal development. Our experiences at Lock Chicago are all “Mission-Based” meaning you’re not physically locked in the room, rather you’re trying to work together and accomplish a common goal such as saving the world or recovering the stolen artifact.

One of the primary benefits of escape rooms is that they encourage teamwork and communication. Since the puzzles require collaboration and problem-solving, participants must work together and communicate effectively in order to succeed. This can be especially beneficial for work teams, as it helps to improve communication and build trust within the group.

Escape rooms also require participants to think creatively and outside of the box. In order to solve the puzzles, players must come up with unique and innovative solutions, which can be a great way to stimulate the mind and promote creative thinking. This can be particularly useful in a work setting, where employees may be expected to come up with creative solutions to problems on a regular basis.

In addition to promoting teamwork and creativity, escape rooms can also help to improve leadership skills. Since the puzzles require strategy and planning, participants must often take on leadership roles in order to guide the group to success. This can be a great way to develop leadership skills and learn how to effectively delegate tasks.

Escape rooms can also be a great way to bond with coworkers or friends. The immersive nature of the activity allows participants to fully engage and connect with one another, which can lead to stronger relationships and a sense of community. This can be especially beneficial for work teams, as it can help to improve morale and increase productivity.

Finally, escape rooms can be a great way to relieve stress and have fun. The immersive nature of the activity allows participants to fully engage and forget about their daily stresses for a while, which can be a great way to relax and recharge. This can be particularly beneficial for work teams, as it can help to improve mental health and prevent burnout.

All in all - escape rooms are a fun and immersive activity that can have significant benefits for team building and personal development. They encourage teamwork and communication, promote creative thinking, improve leadership skills, bond individuals, and provide a fun and stress-relieving activity. If you are looking for a unique and engaging team building activity, an escape room may be the perfect fit. We’ve seen sports team including the Chicago Bears, Northwestern Wildcats, and many other visiting programs leverage this with new and veteran players so come join in on the fun!

Lock Chicago & Roamli's Evanston Summer Scavenger Hunt!

Chicago summer’s are something special, and other than the 90-100+ degree days we know most people are outside enjoying the beaches and other outdoor recreational activities. So what better way to have some escape room-like outdoor fun than with our first Evanston Summer Scavenger Hunt?

We partnered with the company Roamli, which builds customizable Scavenger Hunts anywhere in the world that you can play on your phone or mobile device. So we decided to highlight some of the hidden gems and most unique sights around Evanston including murals, architectural gems, statues, and more!

Last Saturday we were lucky enough to have some cooler weather for the 2 hour event and our teams were off to the races! We had a total of 40 “Challenges” for teams to uncover and our 1st place team ended up finding 35/40 for our top spot and grand prize! 2nd and 3rd place were close behind with over 30+ each of their own.

The most enjoyable part of hosting these events is seeing teams spot each other around the city. There’s no set starting point so even in a town as large as Evanston it’s great to see groups out and about exploring their neighborhoods.

If you’re looking for more unique outdoor team building experiences look no further!

Lock Chicago Room Updates & New Puzzles

We’re excited to announce we’ve updated our escape rooms with new puzzles and theming! It’s been nearly two years since we’ve moved from our previous 820 Davis location and we’ve been gradually making changes to our rooms in order to create the best possible experience for you all. We recently hired a theater design student from Northwestern to help us take the themes to the next level and we’re excited to share it with the community.

The most important thing for us is that kept the same level of challenge difficulty and room completion rate while adding new thematic decorations to enhance the experience. Matsuri is currently at a 48% success rate, Icarus is 52%, and Malfunction is 39%. We hope you all get a chance to experience our updated rooms and look forward to any feedback!

Valentine's Day 2021

Hey everyone! It’s been a crazy year to say the least and we hope everyone is staying healthy and warm with the crazy snow that’s been in Chicago these past few months.

It’s interesting to think how different this Valentine’s Day feels versus 2020 and years past and Escape Rooms are no different. With all Private Room experiences it definitely helps create a more intimate setting and a good double date night option for friends. All of our puzzles and props are sanitized with a CDC approved disinfectant between groups in addition to an abundance of hand sanitizer available at your disposal!

We’re just as ready as you all to get back to a new normal and are doing everything we can in accordance with local health guidelines to ensure all our games and experiences are completely safe and comfortable for our players. Have a great Valentine’s Day and hopefully we’ll see you soon with the warmer weather!

Happy Halloween!

Hey Again!

We know it’s been a while so we figured Halloween would be a great time to get another post going. We’ve seen some great costumes from escape room guests over the past week and will be holding our annual “Best Dressed” contest this season. Whoever has the best costume will be rewarded with a free 10-person Private Escape Room experience to any of our rooms! Details are sent out in the confirmation email when reserving but please feel free to also reach out with any questions.

We’re also excited about the upcoming holiday season. We’re running a 10% corporate/group special for the months of December and January. Just give us a call at 312-646-0051 or email us at info@lockedchicago.com and we’ll help your group celebrate some stellar wins in 2018!

Until next time - we hope to see you soon!

Thanks,

Lock Chicago Escape Rooms

Brand New Virtual Reality Arcade at Lock Chicago

Hello!

We missed you all and figured it was time to catch up since the last post back in September when we opened our 3rd escape room, "Matsuri". We're excited to announce that since then we've recently opened our state of the art Virtual Reality Arcade at Lock Chicago in Evanston. 

Equipped with 2 HTC Vive headsets and a spacious play area, guests can compete in head to head challenges or fight cooperatively against hordes of robotic aliens or zombies! We have dozens of unique games and experiences including hits such as Beat Saber, Rick and Morty's VR Experience, Arizona Sunshine, and more.

Pricing is $20/person for the hour and you can bring up to 8 total guests. With multiple 50'' flat screen televisions see what they see and immerse yourselves in the experience. Come check us out and see what all the hype is about! 

Cheers,

Brian, Bane, and Alex - Lock Chicago

Finally Moved! Lock Chicago's New Escape Room Facilities

Hello Again!

We know it's been a few months since our last post and it's been a crazy 60 days as we've fully transitioned out of our original location and onto our new facilities at 820 Davis Street, Suite 151 in Evanston. Have no fear as we're still literally one block away from our prior location just with some new upgrades.

We have an additional 2,400 square feet to work with for a total of 4,000 with 2 new escape rooms coming by the end of 2017! We have added some new features to our existing "Sunburn" and "Malfunction" escape rooms and increased the capacity to 10 players each for "Private Rooms". They will still remain 8 players each for the "Public Room" function.

Feel free to stop by at our new spot to chat or take a sneak peek at our upcoming escape room concepts as we look to build on our new Lock Chicago location!

Best Regards,

Brian, Bane, and Alex - Lock Chicago

Lock Chicago's New Escape Room Location!

Hello Again!

Our team at Lock Chicago is excited to announce we're moving to a brand new location (still in Evanston don't worry!) to 820 Davis Street. This facility will be close to 4,000 square feet and triple the size of our existing space.

This will allow us to add 3 additional escape rooms and enhance our existing rooms even further to provide the best possible experience for our guests. We're delighted to be able to leverage our new innovative technology in our 3rd upcoming room which will launch in July! More details to come in a following post :)

Stay tuned as we will be passing out some hot new deals and promotions on our new room!

Cheers,

Lock Chicago

Lock Chicago and the Escape Room Festival Season!

Hello Again!

Today we're going to talk about Escape Rooms and the unique opportunity they bring to different street festivals, concerts, and outdoor events throughout the community and city. While escape rooms initially started out as designs built specifically for in-house locations the industry and experience has grown so much beyond that point. Larger companies and brands such as Zelda, Resident Evil, Ford, and more are crafting unique mobile experiences that they can take from city to city that not only promote an upcoming event but drive awareness for the unique experiences of an escape room.

Us at Lock Chicago are no different as we initially began our foray into mobile games with our partnership with Northwestern University's "Dillo Day" student-run music festival. We set up a 30 minute mobile escape room on the festival grounds back in 2016 and we look to ramp that up even further in 2017. 

The nice thing about being able to create an experience on the go is that you can take it virtually anywhere. As Spring and Summer inches closer keep an eye out for all the local community festivals in the area. Evanston has an abundant amount in their downtown area which makes a perfect opportunity for you to contribute and drive awareness of your own escape rooms brand in a fun and innovative way.

Just make sure you're prepared for any weather situation as that can put a damper on the outdoor escape room experience as well as durable props (us at Lock Chicago learned that the hard way).

In any case best of luck as we get through this seemingly mild winter and onwards towards warmer weather!

Cheers,

Lock Chicago

Lock Chicago Data and Escape Room Statistics

Escape Rooms have been around for over a decade across the world but within the past 3 years have recently begun to gain mainstream popularity across the United States. But are they just a fad or will they follow the same path as Laser Tag or other similar games? We spoke with guests and other escape rooms to pull together some interesting key data pieces about the state of the industry in the United States. Special thanks to King's Escape Room for information from their infographic! 

  • From a survey of 1,000 33.9% of respondents said they had never heard of an Escape Room before!
  • 100% of respondents ages 18-24 loved their Escape Room experience.
  • 50/50 there was no correlation between male/female on opinions of escape rooms.
  • 84.9% of those who had visited an Escape Room in the past year "loved" their experience.
  • There are over 2,300 escape rooms in the United States compared to 2,200 in Russia where the industry has been thriving.

There is no doubt that this industry will continue to grow at a staggering rate but all things must eventually slow down especially as others look to play in the same space and join the market. It is up to the customer to decide on what makes the most special experience and escape rooms to keep up and continue to provide that experience. 

If you haven't tried an escape room yet what are you waiting for?? 

Cheers,

Lock Chicago

Who Would You Do An Escape Room With?

Hello Again! 

We've seen hundreds of amazing groups come through our Lock Chicago escape rooms over the years and we love seeing the different compositions whether it's coworkers, friends, family, college/high school students, and more. As escape rooms continue to grow in popularity it's nice seeing celebrities and public figures making headlines as they bring their own friends to take up the cause.

Most recently actress Kristen Bell brought fellow coworker Ted Danson and his wife along to do an escape room which went interesting to say the least! Patton Oswald, Chris Evans, and others have used Escape Rooms to donate money to charities and other organizations while having fun at the same time.

Who's your ideal person to do an Escape Room with? Sound off! 

http://www.contactmusic.net/kristen-bell/news/escape-room-game-was-a-big-challenge-for-kristen-bell-ted-danson_5523967

Escape Room Gift Cards and Lock Chicago Donations

Hello Again! 

We're only 4 days away from Christmas and hopefully if you're reading this you've gotten most of your holiday shopping done. Lucky for you Escape Rooms offer a great gifting opportunity for family and friends who are looking to take on new experiences!

Gift cards are also a great way to contribute to the community and your favorite charities. Whether it's a silent auction, raffle, or giveaway it's a great way to contribute to a relate able cause and introduce people to escape rooms.

What are some of your favorite Christmas gifts you've given or received? What could be better than spending time with family trying to uncover buried treasure or escape a zombie?

We hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season and finds everything they are looking for!

Cheers,

Lock Chicago

Happy Holidays From Lock Chicago, Our Escape Room to Yours

With only two weeks away from Christmas and New Years we wanted to wish everyone a Happy Holidays! It's been nearly a year since we opened and been an amazing experience meeting other owners and sharing our love of escape rooms with the community.

When we initially opened Lock Chicago we wanted to create the ultimate experience leveraging puzzles and games no other escape room was utilizing. While it's impossible to know what's being offered throughout the world we have had an amazing time connecting and networking with other owners who share a passion for the industry. 

It is important that all escape room owners help each other out because the last thing we want is for a new room to open and fail causing first time escape room goers to be turned off to the industry. I'm sure it's been a busy year for everyone so take some time during the busy holidays to rest up, relax, (maybe repair your rooms from the holiday madness) and spend time with friends and family.

We know we will!

Cheers,

Lock Chicago

Christmas is Coming to Lock Chicago!

Hello All,

We hope everyone had a Happy Halloween and now that election mania has passed we can focus on the brighter things such as Holiday Parties and the Thanksgiving/Christmas season!

Escape Rooms provide the unique opportunity to be tailored in a wide variety of ways. Many rooms change themes based on the season, holiday, and more with Halloween and Christmas being the focal point of this. Generally escape rooms tend to be busier during the winter months as the weather gets colder and people look for more indoor recreational activities when there is a foot of snow on the ground (at least here in Chicago).

Themed rooms provide a unique experience and us at Lock Chicago are happy to provide that to our customers. Many escape rooms will open a completely new themed room for the holidays where others might opt to adjust the existing theme to make it more festive.

Corporate Christmas/holiday parties are a large factor in this as well as companies look to venture outside the box for their get togethers. What better way to celebrate a successful year than pounding back some egg nog and saving Santa's reindeer?

If anyone's come across a stellar holiday-themed escape room feel free to sound off in the comments or send us a message! As always we love hearing from you and can't wait to get our snow on this season.

Cheers,

Brian, Bane, and Alex - Lock Chicago

Escape Rooms: Where Are They? (Not Just Lock Chicago!)

Hello Again!

We wanted to follow up our last post to highlight a growing trend in the Escape Room Industry. When we began in Evanston back in January we were 1 of 15 companies in Illinois operating some form of an escape room. Just under 10 months later we are now 1 of 40 companies.

Escape Rooms are growing at an extremely rapid rate which is great for the industry as it continues to spread the word and increase exposure for this exciting and fun activity. More mainstream outlets are getting on board as well as we see hit television shows such as "The Big Bang Theory" and more highlighting Escape Rooms on their broadcast.

Disney recently announced a new "Guardians of the Galaxy" themed Escape Room in their park. The success of rooms throughout the country will undoubtedly spur an increase for larger outlets to capitalize on the success. 

To us at Lock Chicago this is great news because it continues to challenge us and other Escape Rooms to create the best possible experience for the most important person, our guests. If you're looking for nearby escape rooms feel free to visit the popular website: http://escaperoomdirectory.com/ which has a large index of rooms across the world!

Until next time take care and happy escaping!

Cheers,

Brian, Bane, and Alex

Lock Chicago and Partnering with Local Escape Rooms

Hello again! It's been a while since we last posted but don't think we took the summer off - today's feature is regarding connecting and partnering with other Escape Rooms in your area. Last night we met with a dozen other escape room owners in the Chicagoland area at another location (thanks to DOA for hosting)!

In an industry that's growing faster every day it's important to understand the dynamics at play and what's working across the business. The worse thing that can happen to the industry is poor quality escape rooms opening and turning potential customers off to the whole idea. This is why escape rooms must continually help and push each other to create the ultimate live experience for their guests.

We are currently working on forming a Chicago Escape Room Association which will give us leverage when working with as many partners as we do. All escape rooms need the same things, insurance, building materials, building space, and if you can work together as a team to reach these common goals you have a lot more power than if you stood alone.

While it can be challenging to unify those in the industry with as many new rooms appearing across the United States and International community, the nice thing is everyone understands what one another has to go through within their own escape rooms and by sharing ideas and fostering a helpful community it will only continue to further grow the business.

That being said please feel free to reach out to us at Lock Chicago if we can provide any advice, tips, or just conversation regarding anything Escape Rooms!

Cheers,

Brian, Bane, and Alex