HOW TO CHOOSE AN ESCAPE ROOM SUPPLIER AND AVOID MISTAKES

Make a list of potential escape room suppliers, but where to search?

• The easiest way is to “Google” search. Based on our research, ‘escape room supplier’ is the most frequently used query in the world. I do not recommend you to limit your search to local suppliers, as this is not the same as choosing a grocery store (which is next door). If you want to become a leader in your local market, simply choose the best supplier in the world. You might be surprised, but shipping cost is not a deal-breaker when it comes to choosing among the best in quality and price.

• Social networks. There are Facebook groups dedicated to the escape room industry. You can ask for reviews and recommendations for particular suppliers from other ER owners.One thing you need to remember is that friends often recommend their friends, and competitors give bad reviews to each other. This is how social networks work.

Once you have a list of suppliers, we recommend to examine all possible online resources of the company:

– A website is the face of any company. How long has the company been operating on the market? How many rooms have they already built? Do they sell only a script or a ready-to-play escape room with equipment? Maybe they just resell already used rooms?

– Have a look at the company’s YouTube channel. If you do not see anything interesting there, you should be alerted, because active manufacturers of escape room equipment share as much video of their products as possible.

– Go through their Facebook and Instagram. Check the reviews section on Facebook. Send a message with a question to the company’s page.

Consider these points to make an opinion:
1. Reply speed to your messages. Is it quick enough? — Excellent. Do they not reply for more than 24/12/8/6 hours? – Think how long it may be when you have a question about the purchased room.
2. Do you understand each other? The language is not a barrier now. After all, there is Google Translate. More importantly, does the manufacturer give specific answers to your questions, do they have an idea of what you need?

Most of the time, 30 minutes should be enough to analyze online resources and receive a reply to your initial request (if it takes them too long to reply, you may need to have a second thought).

After you examined above points, you need to focus on other criteria which are crucial to making the right choice. Here are our top-5 criteria, but remember, there are much more depending on your own needs and requirements.
1. PRICE (including delivery, packing etc.)
2. QUALITY (which generation of escape rooms, vandal-resistance, etc.)
3. AFTER-SALES SERVICE and post-guarantee maintenance
4. REPUTATION: reviews from clients, players and recommendations
5. Additional MATERIALS provided

Ask each supplier for a total price of an escape room that you’re interested in. Don’t forget additional costs such as delivery, packing and other services that may not be included. Find out exactly what is included in the price! Some suppliers do not provide a warranty, spare parts or manuals for installation. Don’t rush your decision based solely on price. A cheap price may lead to more unexpected expenses in the future.

Browse the websites of each supplier carefully. Check YouTube channels and pay attention to the details: how a product is made, what materials does the supplier use and have the products pass crush-tests.

It’s more profitable to invest in high-tech products.

Make sure that escape room builders produce latest generation escape rooms, otherwise its easier and cheaper to build a “keys and locks room” yourself. The best way to “feel” the quality yourself is to play games that were built by that supplier. Don’t hesitate to ask for client’s contacts. A good supplier has nothing to hide.

Check reviews from players on Trip advisor. Good quality games often receive a 5-star review. (The exception is a bad game master)

Make sure that your collaboration with a supplier will not finish after shipment. Estimate what kind of post-sales support is included in the price, how long will it last and what will happen after the guarantee period.

Find out what happens in case of malfunction. Will the manufacturer be able to solve the issue remotely (e.g. connect and reprogram the equipment), or will you have to bear the losses and look for the engineer yourself?

Choosing an escape room provider with strong service support will save you time, money and keep you sane.

Check industry-specific groups on Facebook and search for mentions of the companies you’ve picked. Read the comments and reviews of every supplier, and then compare them.

Do not hesitate to ask for recommendations like contacts of previous clients and/or addresses where the manufacturer has his rooms installed. Ask for photos not only from the manufacturer but also from his clients with installed equipment. Try to contact clients from different countries and cities. Check the recommendations. We know many cases when a manufacturer says that his escape room was installed in 20+ locations and everything is great, when in fact there are only 5 locations and many clients are not satisfied with his work. Find the websites of the clients (escape room operators), read the players’ reviews on the installed rooms. You can contact directly with clients of this manufacturer or visit them and see the level of equipment and games overall.

Discover how many years the companies have been in the escape room market and how many rooms they’ve built. Be careful with new or smaller companies. “Old-timers” are often more reliable.

The best way to sum up an escape room supplier is to ask for the documentation they provide. Start from an introductory letter – it may say a lot about the company.

At the stage of making a deal, you get to see beautiful promo pictures and it is quite normal. But what will you really get after you pay a few tens of thousands of dollars?

Request a specific list of equipment and electronics from the manufacturer. Make it clear for yourself, whether you get only electronics that you later need to build in somewhere or ready-made puzzles with furniture. What kind of decorations are included? Do you need to buy something else after you receive the room or simply install everything according to the manual in the preconstructed location?

In addition to equipment, bona fide manufacturers should provide the following (see examples in the photos):
A contract specifying all terms, conditions, and methods of payment and shipping
Walkthrough of an escape room in a language you understand
List of equipment with photos, dimensions, materials used, electronics and operation principles
3D visualization of an escape room in your location
Layout and wiring plan for your location
Installation manual
Examples of this game already installed

Remember, a reliable supplier will gladly show you everything.

The best way to sum up an escape room supplier is to ask for the documentation they provide. Start from an introductory letter – it may say a lot about the company.

Then ask for examples of materials you receive when purchasing an escape room.

What files you can expect:
• A contract specifying all terms, conditions and methods of payment and shipping
• A walkthrough of an escape room in a language you understand
• List of equipment with photos, dimensions, materials used, electronics and operating principles
• 3D visualization of an escape room at your location
• Layout and wiring plan for your location
• Installation manual
• Examples of this game already installed
• A reliable supplier will show you everything.

Once you have a list of manufacturers and a list of criteria, put them all in a table and determine a score for each supplier (from 1-5) after you have examined all of them.

STEP 4. СOMPARE CHARACTERISTICS

Figure out a value of each criterion according to its importance. Here is an example:
Multiply each score to the value rate and sum up the scores of each supplier.

This easy method will help you make the right decision based on the most significant criteria for choosing an escape room producer.

Our industry is undergoing a new round of development. Keep in mind that now more than ever you should be careful in choosing an ER provider. The pandemic has made itself felt, not only to the owners of escape rooms, but also to manufacturers. Sadly, not all ER builders and suppliers were able to cope with the difficulties, so it is important for you to find a company that will become your reliable partner.

We wish you success and prosperity!

		scores
Criteria	value	Supplier 1	Supplier 2	Supplier 3
PRICE (including delivery, packing etc.)	35%	3	4	5
QUALITY of escape rooms	35%	5	4	2
AFTER-SALES SERVICE	15%	4	5	3
REPUTATION: reviews from clients, players	10%	2	5	3
Additional MATERIALS provided	5%	3	5	3
TOTAL	100%	3,75	4,3	3,35