Game On 2025
ESCAPE ROOM CONFERENCE
April 29-30 // Canterbury
The escape room industry is evolving, and staying ahead of the game has never been more crucial. Game On’s talks and interactive workshops will focus on how you can stay ahead of the curve and remain relevant in today’s competitive market.
GAME ON TOPICS
FUTURE PROOFING
Setting up and maintaining escape room companies that are future proof and sustainable in the long run.
DIVERSIFICATION
Diversifying game portfolios and product offerings so you stay relevant on a saturated immersive market.
INSPIRATION
Current and future developments on the market that will inspire the escape room businesses of the future.
HOW IT WORKS
INTERACTIVE WORKSHOPS
All the workshops at Game On will be led by industry experts who mastered their field. Sessions will be tailored to address your unique business needs, helping you develop a personalised, actionable plan to enhance and grow your escape room.
ENGAGING PRESENTATIONS
The talks at Game On set the stage for the conference, providing a big-picture overview of the current escape room market. They offer valuable insights and practical strategies to help you navigate your challenges with confidence.
MEET THE SPEAKERS
Game On brings together industry innovators and experts to share proven strategies and insights. From business growth to immersive trends, our speakers will deliver presentations and interactive workshops to equip you with the tools to thrive in today’s market.
Stephen Davies
SPEAKER
Stephen is SVP of Global Licensing at BBC Studios, overseeing licensing for iconic brands like Bluey, Doctor Who, and BBC Earth across entertainment, publishing, gaming, and live events. With a finance and strategy background, Stephen has held leadership roles at the BBC since 1998, following earlier work in business development and supply chain strategy for Sainsbury’s and TJX.
David Goodman
SPEAKER
Dubbed the UK’s “Master of Immersive Experiences,” David is the Owner/Creative Director of Hounds, Sussex. David is committed to constantly evolving out-dated entertainment formats, looking to diversify the immersive entertainment sector and carve out a position for small-medium scale attractions in the future. He writes, designs, builds and directs all-manner of Immersive productions
Alex Field
WORKSHOP LEADER
Alex has been the Operations Manager at clueQuest, the UK’s longest-running escape room, since 2022. He started as a host in 2018 and transitioned through various back-office and operations roles, gaining extensive experience in operations and logistics. Alex now oversees a team of 40+ people, including Games Hosts, Assistant Managers, and members of the Sales and Customer Service teams.
Mairi Nolan
PANELIST
Mairi Nolan is a puzzle game designer and journalist. When not trying to escape from every escape room in the world, she writes about them as the editor in chief of the Escape Industry Newsletter - a global newsletter about escape rooms, and The Escape Roomer - a news and reviews site covering the UK. Additionally, she is the UK Ambassador for the Escape Room Championships, and TERPECA.
Brent Girhalva
WORKSHOP LEADER
Brent has over a decade of experience in youth empowerment, immersive entertainment, and applied theatre. At clueQuest, he combines creative sales outreach with a deep understanding of immersive experiences, focusing on corporate client retention and new customer engagement. He is also completing a Master’s in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy.
Zoli Papp
SPEAKER
Zoli is the founder of Zolitopia, the organizer of Game On, and co-founder of clueQuest. With over a decade of experience in the escape room industry, he has consulted numerous business owners on organizational structure, marketing strategies, and business development. Zoli has also been a featured speaker at major industry events, including Transworld, ERIC, and Up the Game.
Chi Yun Wai (Sam)
WORKSHOP LEADER
Chi, founder of Immersif, has over a decade of experience in the escape room industry, designing, building, and successfully selling multiple escape rooms. Drawing on his deep industry knowledge, he now specializes in providing tailored financial services, including bookkeeping, payroll, tax compliance, and data-driven insights. Chi is passionate about helping escape room businesses to achieve stability and growth in a competitive market.
Phil Harris
SPEAKER
Phil is co-owner of Pier Pressure escape rooms in Brighton and MD of Escape Workshop – the UK’s top dedicated puzzle and prop builders. Pier Pressure are currently the only UK company with a game that has spent three years at the top of the UK TERPECA rankings and Escape Workshop have designed games and built props for some big companies both inside and outside of the escape room industry.
More To Come
WATCH THIS SPACE
We have even more exciting speakers lined up to join the event—stay tuned as the list continues to grow!
While the agenda is nearly complete, a few spots are still available. Interested in speaking? Sign up here!
GAME ON ‘25 TICKETS
EARLY BIRD TICKET - £290
Save £70 on the regular price with an early bird ticket. With only 30 available, be sure to secure yours before they’re all gone.
What’s included
2 days of insightful talks and interactive workshops
Networking nights on both days
Access to the exhibitor arena
2x immersive experiences
Food and drinks
Goodie bag
📍 University of Kent, Canterbury (UK)
🗓️ 29-30 April 2025
EXHIBITORS
Are you interested in exhibiting or becoming a sponsor for Game On 2025? Get in touch here.
STAY IN THE LOOP
If you’re still deciding, subscribe now to stay in the loop and get the latest updates about the conference.
FAQ
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Canterbury was picked because there is an exciting new experience opening in town called Canterbury Tales. It is created by the Escapement team who brought top rated TERPECA games to the community.
The University of Kent, where the event is hosted, is also a great venue for Game On with its modern buildings and beautiful campus.
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You can book accommodation on location so you roll out of bed and you are at the conference in 5 minutes.
Prices for B&B are:
£60 for en-suite single room
£90 for en-suite double room
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Game On is for escape room owners and top managers. The talks and interactive workshops will focus on advanced level business challenges.
If you are just starting out or brushing up on the idea of becoming an escape room owner the conference will still be very valuable for you but please note that the agenda was built for seasoned escape room owners.
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Canterbury is very well connected to London with a couple of trains every hour.
If you are flying you can pick any of the five London airports, take a train to the city centre then switch to another train to Canterbury. From the airport to Canterbury it will take you about two hours.
If you are arriving by train you should simply catch another train to Canterbury.
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There will be two experiences included with your tickets:
Murder mystery at the brand new Canterbury Tales venue
Outdoor game in the historic city of Canterbury specifically made for the event by Questy.
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If you are traveling with a group of 3 or more people please send me an email and we can figure something out.
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The Game On conference aims to address the current market and the challenges that come with it. All the talks and interactive workshops will revolve around practical steps and ideas to future proof your escape room company.
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I built an agenda that is addressing the current market climate and the speakers I’ve selected are either working on projects that keeps their businesses relevant or mastered a particular puzzle of keeping their business successful.
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You are welcome to join but this is an event for industry professionals with a focus on business. You might still enjoy these talks and networking but you should be aware of this.
If you are brushing up to the idea to open an escape room this is not a conference for beginners. On the other hand you’ll make very valuable connections in the industry with people who can help you to succeed.
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I am expecting around 100 people to attend Game On.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM GAME ON 2024
“The first Game On conference was invaluable for me as an escape room owner. I found the speakers to be informative and inspiring, but my favorite part of the conference was the networking.”
Read My Blog
