29 June 2016 – Press conference to kick-off the Association of Escape Room Activities of Slovenia GIZ ER.SI
Escape Room Games are a Worldwide Hit
Slovenian companies are among the best providers of escape room games in the world
“Have you ever played an escape room adventure? If you haven’t, you’re missing out!”, say the members of the newly established Association of Escape Room Activities of Slovenia GIZ ER.SI, who are combining their strengths into the Association GIZ ER.SI towards the objective of developing the market, quality service, combined representation and promoting good business practices and ethics. In games that they run and oversee every day, they’ve experienced firsthand the importance of cooperation!
“Together we can only be better,” they say, because we have common goals: “to create an unforgettable experiences and to install Slovenia on the game map as the capital of the best escape games!”
Escape Room Games have become the fastest growing segment in tourism, exploding all over the world just like a fire. Tourists are tired of being passive observers – they want to play an active role. And this is precisely what an escape game is – in this game you play the main role – YOU!
That’s the reason why, in the United States, since 2014, when they opened the first rooms (22), to today (more than 900) there has been a growth of nearly 4,000 percent! Meaning that in just two years in the USA alone, more than one new room has opened every day. The game has completely mesmerized all the other continents as well – among the first were also Europeans, known as the creators of the best games. In Slovenia, the trend started in summer 2014 and by the end of the year there were 6 rooms, today there are already close to 30 different forms of the game – an increase of almost 400 percent in the game – and over 60,000 Slovenians have played them.
Unfortunately, it’s not as rosy as it sounds. The market is already oversaturated with escape room games and some rooms have already been forced to close their doors, while others will be able to survive only by constant innovation, excellent games, developing their own original high-tech props and large investments in marketing. It is no longer a “hobby project”, but one requiring large investments and risks. Therefore, (instead of letting that be a stumbling block) the members of the Association GIZ ER.SI have decided that we will help one another to increase the quality of the gaming experience through the exchange of knowledge and experience, establishing best practices and mutual promotion.
The founding members of the Association GIZ ER.SI are (in alphabetical order): Enigmarium, represented by Nataša Potočnik; MindMaze, represented by Marko Maučec; The Dragon Temple, represented by Žiga Novak; The Key, represented by Taiji Tokuhisa. They invite other providers of escape room services, who also share the same mission and vision, to join them on their quest.
MORE>> ZDRUŽENJE ER SI -PRESS RELEASE (in Slovenian language)
On the photo (from left to right): Nataša Potočnik (Enigmarium), Žiga Novak (The Dragon Temple) Marko Maučec (MindMaze) and Taiji Tokuhisa (The Key)
More informations about the members>>
ENIGMARIUM® ESCAPE ROOM
In September 2014, Enigmarium® Escape Room first presented this original concept of escape games in Ljubljana. In February 2015, it was ranked as the no. 1 tourist activity on the portal TripAdvisor. Today, with ten completely original rooms in three EU countries, Enigmarium® has become a trendsetter in the field of GAMIFICATION and one of the most popular tourist attractions in the region. The rooms of Enigmarium® are distinguished by great “game flow” and unique challenges, which cannot be seen anywhere else, designed so that each team member comes into their own. The dramaturgical arc keeps you in tension up to the final seconds, but the friendliest gamemasters and their visual hint system always come to your assistance if you need it and provide a truly unforgettable experience.
That the team knows how to think “out of the room” was confirmed by their innovative Escape Igloo®, built from real snow and situated at the base of a ski slope, winner of the SNOVALEC 2015 award, thus making it literally the COOLEST ROOM IN THE WORLD. The Ljubljana Enigmarium proudly carries TripAdvisor’s “Certificate of Excellence 2016”. But the team doesn’t rest on their heels. In Maribor and Zagreb they have created what they call “next generation” rooms, where the history, ambience, experience and breathtaking high-tech gadgets are infused with each city’s history.
In the summer of 2016, Enigmarium ventured to new and outdoors spaces. Players can now try the new outdoor city adventure “UNLOCK LJUBLJANA”; or head to Mojstrana, where they can “Rescue the Bivouac” at the Slovenian Alpine Museum or to Istria’s Svetvinčenat, where they can try to solve all 7 knight’s challenges and escape from the fortress. In the fall of 2016, they opened two new rooms at their Trdinova ulica location in Ljubljana, thus making an escape room center with five rooms in one place, offering a first-rate choice for an entertaining and productive gathering for larger companies and groups. Fun is 100% guaranteed, come and play!
Contact: +386 (0)31 33 44 88, info@escape-room.si; www.escape-room.si,
MINDMAZE ESCAPE ROOM
MindMaze opened its doors in December 2014 in the centre of Ljubljana on the well-tred pedestrian street Trubarjeva ulica that links the central square known as Prešernov trg and the famous bridge with the dragons, Zmajski most.
Upon entering The Alchemist’s Chamber visitors leave the modern world and find themselves in the 16th century, where for a successful escape they have to find the golden egg of the Ljubljana dragon.
In the second room, the story starts many years later, more precisely in 1943, when Ljubljana was surrounded by a barbed-wire fence. Visitors take the lead role in rescuing the city when they must find the path from the prison and the map of Occupied Ljubljana, from which the game takes its name.
The unforgettable experience offered by MindMaze has been confirmed by the consistent feedback from their visitors, who enthusiastically leave reviews on TripAdvisor, thus gaining the rooms the “Certificate of Excellence 2016”. In just 60 minutes, visitors to the rooms have an unforgettable adventure with family, friends and co-workers. The common element is that everyone has a chance to leave the every day and enter into a film in which they are the main heroes.
The success story continues, as the makers of MindMaze will soon reveal a new chapter in which they will combine elements of escape rooms and treasure hunts in the new game Play Ljubljana, to take place in the city center. Everyone is invited to come and discover Slovenia’s capital city in a completely new way, whether in one of MindMaze’s rooms or on the streets of Ljubljana.
Contact: +386 (0)41 991 771, www.mindmaze.si, info@mindmaze.si
THE KEY ESCAPE ROOM LJUBLJANA
The Key opened its doors in December 2014, with its first “two” rooms inspired by one of the greatest inventors Leonardo Da Vinci and the most famous “consulting detective” Sherlock Holmes as their role models. What is unique about The Key is that the two rooms are connected to one another and because of that, players have 70 minutes to escape.
These two rooms are also extremely popular for Team building activities, since they make it possible to have a sort of “battle” in which up to 10 players can compete – 5 in each room – thus making it an even greater high-adrenaline experience.
The makers of The Key saw that children also enjoyed themselves immensely in their first two rooms when solving the challenges. This was the impetus for their latest room known as Wonderland. Despite its somewhat playful name, the adult version of the room is one of the hardest escape rooms of all. All three rooms were made with the intention to be something special, unique and unforgettable, something that has proven very successful. Because of their diversity and adaptability, the rooms are suitable for the young and young at heart, for celebrating children’s birthdays and even team building activities. A gift certificate will also make anyone on your list a happy recipient.
You are welcome to come and take part in an unforgettable adventure.
Contact: +386 (0)30 23 23 23, www.thekey.si, info@thekey.si
THE DRAGON TEMPLE ESCAPE ROOM
The Dragon Temple is an escape room of the new generation, in which its makers have invested ten years of knowledge and experience on the field of integrating stories and methods of play into a comprehensive, dramaturgically well-thought out experience. The distinguishing factors are the somewhat more physical experience that they offer visitors and especially the in-depth story about the Brotherhood of the Ljubljana Dragon, a theme continued in other programs (the geo-location adventure through Ljubljana called The Quest for Dragon Nest and the mobile escape Wizard School). And how does it take place? During the game, visitors to the Dragon Temple became participations in the Brotherhood’s initiation ritual.
The height of the event is repelling down a rope into Ljubljana’s underground to a real waterful behind which hide the biggest treasures of Ljubljana’s history. The Dragon Temple is an adrenaline-releasing live adventure game inspired by Indiana Jones films that addresses all the senses and realizes childhood dreams.
The Dragon Temple is just one of the projects by the company MICE d.o.o., engaged in the design and organization of experiences especially for corporate clients. They use the escape room method (solving puzzles in a limited space and time) for cooperative games that are an introduction to team building activities, professional workshops or for evaluating staff.
In the last two years, the team has created 3 escape programs at a fixed location and 3 mobile programs for groups between 15 and 70 people. The team of MICE d.o.o. also manages the event space Orehov gaj in Ljubljana, the team building agency TeamBuildingLab and the company for adventure engineering Martin Krpan Institute.
Contact: +386 (0)40 532 525, www.dragontemple.si, apolonij@dragontemple.si