Five ways to increase your escape room’s revenue

I’m sure you have asked yourself the question: “How can I increase my revenue without a massive investment?” I think we’ve all been there so I brought you five ideas to help you maximise your escape room business’ revenue.

Some of these will require a small investment but mostly they will need your time and dedication. 

1. Offer meeting rooms to team buildings

You might say that you don’t have a meeting room but I beg to differ. You have a lobby/briefing area that can easily double as a meeting space. Even your escape games can double as meeting rooms once you add a few chairs. They make a pretty unique and quirky meeting room if you ask me.

This option is great for slower days like the midweek when things are quieter. You can charge a whole room’s worth at least for the use of that space with little to no effort.

💡Pro tip: Find a good catering company so you can round up the offer with food on site.

All you have to do to get going with this is:

🌐 Add a section to your team building page that your lobby can double as a meeting space
📈 Offer it to team building groups who are already coming to play
🪑 Get a few foldable chairs and maybe a projector and you’re all set

2. Printed team photos

Every escape rooms takes their team’s photo so why not make a bit of cash off of it. And no, I don’t mean to sell them the digital copy, I think that should always remain a free option for people. 

All you need to do to get going with this is:

✅ Get a photo printer that connects to smartphones
🖼️ Get blank fridge magnets and theme park style photo frames that you can insert their photo in
📸 Train your team to take awesome team photos that’s worth buying

💡Pro tip: Use software like Buzzshot to add branded overlays on your photos before you print them.

You won’t break the bank with this but every small amount counts and this can add up to 1-2% additional revenue. But the best part is that you make your way into people’s home and the next time someone asks them about that photo your escape room will be the centre of the conversation.

3. Commission from local businesses

How many times have you heard this: “Can you recommend a good place for a drink nearby?” I bet you have been asked this question thousands of times and I’m also 100% sure that you have a list of places you usually recommend.

You are driving a lot of business to all these restaurants and bars around you so why not get something in return? You can easily strike up a deal to get a small 5-10% commission for at least the large groups you are sending their way.

💡 Pro tip: Offer a discount to the local businesses in exchange for a discount for your own staff.

All you have to do to get started:

🤝 Reach out to your local pubs and restaurants
🎫 Work out a way to track the teams who go there like a trackable discount code
📨 Advertise those places in your booking confirmation email

4. Sell ad space in your automated emails

Were you ever approached by companies to advertise your business in their newsletter? I bet you were so why not do the same?

An average escape room with 4 games at their location sees about 300 groups come through their doors each month. This also means at least 300 emails are sent to these groups and that around 1,200 people visit the area because of you. And these customers are hungry and thirsty after their visit.

You can offer ad space in your booking confirmation email, reminder email and on location for the pubs and restaurants around you. How much you can charge will largely depend on your negotiation skills and the actual group count per month but you can expect anywhere between a hundred to few hundred dollars.

💡 Pro tip: You can even sell ad space in your newsletters. You probably have a list of 10,000+ people and that holds huge value.

All you have to do to get started:

📈 Work out the exact numbers for your visitor count per month
🍽️ Reach out to local pubs and restaurants (Only the ones you would actually recommend)
📅 Give them a discount if they lock this in for a longer period of time

5. Design an outdoor game

Last but not least you can create an outdoor escape room using public spaces. This is a seasonal revenue stream but during the warmer months it can make a decent addition to your business. 

Outdoor games will not only save massively on initial investment but you can expand your business without the physical expansion and all the headache that comes with that.

Why this is a great revenue stream:

⚙️ No props or repairs needed
🗽 You can reach a new audience especially if you are in a touristy city
🛋️ Little to no hassle if you build this game to be self service

💡 Pro tip: When you are fully booked but have someone calling to book a game, you can always send them towards your outdoor game

+1 Start working on your Christmas Campaign now!

Corporate teams have already started enquiring and you’ll be busy during the holiday season. Don’t let marketing take the backseat when you’re supposed to make the most in your year.

Get your ducks in a row:

✅ Update your team building page or even create a specific holiday season page
✅ Write your newsletters and social posts ahead of time
✅ Put up a poster about your offer in the lobby

Check out my blog about how and why you should start planning your escape room’ Christmas marketing for more on the topic and so you stay ahead of the curve.

I hope you’ve found this list useful and you can grab at least one idea from it to maximise your escape room business’ revenue.

Check out my other articles below or reach out if you need help exectuing any of these ideas.