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Have you ever felt that a night out with your colleagues could be something more than just a couple of pints at the pub?
That’s what we though, so we looked for an exciting team activity in Cork. That’s how we found WeEscape, an Escape room right in the city centre.
We choose the Da Vinci Room and worked our way out of it. We had so much fun that we decided to learn more about WeEscape. We interviewed our game master Andrew, who explained us what, how, and why he decided to open an escape room in Cork.
Can you tell us something about yourself? Where do you come from, how did you start to work here, what did you do before…?
I am Andras Kelemen from Hungary.
I first came here to this wonderful emerald island 7 years ago. Before Ireland, I spent several years in France. I had the opportunity to work for the Special Forces and I also tried myself in other lines of professions including one of the biggest Tech Companies in the world as a supervisor.
The idea to open this fantastic team building adventure here in Cork came in 2014. We opened our first room in January. Up until today, we’ve had more than 5000 players trying their luck in the escape games. It’s a great success throughout Cork.
Could you explain us what WeEscape is? Who can participate?
We escaped
WeEscape organises Live Escape Games in the heart of Cork City.
The idea is that you’re locked in a room with other participants and need to use the elements of the room to solve a series of puzzles. You have to follow a chain of logical clues and have to escape the room within 60 minutes.
There is no age limit, nor is there a heavy physical component involved in the game so anyone can make the escape. Actually, no one got stuck in the tricky rooms so far.
Where does this idea come from?
The main idea comes from Hungary. The first game was organised there a few years ago. There are more than 150 rooms in Budapest by now in the buzzing capital of Hungary.
Is this company in other countries? Why did you decide to open in Cork?
We opened our first room in Cork City to provide a new adventure to those who love fun and challenging indoor activities.
How many rooms do you have? Could you explain to us the thematic of each room?
At present, we have three rooms in total. We started with two rooms in 2015 and then due to demand opened a third room just a few weeks ago.
In each room, there are CCTV systems and TV’s on the walls which provide a smooth game. These provide the Games Master the ability to hear and see everything in the room and help the players out at any time when necessary. When people are stuck with one of the puzzles, they can get some help. In this case, we send some hints from outside directly to the screen in the room.
Do you have any future projects to create new rooms?
Definitely! Due to high interest, we aim to open our fourth room next month. We are also going to open a second WeEscape soon, in Dublin!
In the near future, we would like to organise educational games for children with disabilities.
We also offer special events for corporates, birthdays and hen/stag parties!
How many people are currently working at WeEscape?
I am really glad because within just a year we managed to build an excellent team. We have an interior designer, web designer, social media expert, PR agent, tech and video specialist and a script writer
How long have you been working in that company? Can you describe your typical working day?
I started work on this project in 2014 and WeEscape was eventually opened in January 2015.
In the mornings I check and respond to all business emails and messages and check the schedule for the upcoming days and make business calls. I set time aside in the early afternoon for all official meetings. Around 4 pm I check the office and rooms. Once a week my colleagues and I have a meeting where new ideas and opinions are discussed and Game Master experiences can be exchanged. Days can feel long since games are rolling till 10 pm and I am always contactable for my employees in case they need me.
Are you enjoying working here?
I love my job! I simply love everything about WeEscape.
The escape game requires a lot of background work, organisation, public interaction, advertising and other concepts.
I never stop. Once a room is finished, I’m already thinking of the next story. This is all about inspiration and
creativity.
Could you tell us some advice to escape the room quickly?
To be a successful escaper you don’t need any special skill.
However, teamwork & communication and good problem solving skills come in handy.
My best advice is usually: Think Simple !
What is the best score ever done by a group?
The best time ever was only 21 minutes and they didn’t even asked for any hint.
I was really impressed.
Do you have any anecdotes about a group doing the activity?
There was a team who after completing their escape didn’t want to finish the game! All of our rooms were busy so they couldn’t play any other room. As they missed some clues in the room they just finished they really wanted to play the same room again! After successfully finishing the room for the second time, they played the two other rooms as well. They were in the game for 4 hours!
Would you like to try your luck at the Escape room? Here is their website and the Facebook page
