Escape Live expands into new Midlands office
A successful escape experience company, which was established by two Coventry entrepreneurs less than five years ago, is expanding into new offices in the region to continue its growth.
John Dalziel and Jas Sodhi set up Escape Live in 2014 with its first venue in Birmingham made up of two rooms and three staff.
Now, with more than 40 staff and more experiences in Birmingham, Coventry, Stratford-upon-Avon and Southend-on-Sea, the company has taken an office at the Venture Centre at the University of Warwick Science Park.
A team of five office-based staff will work out of the Science Park and where it will carry out research and development for the the company’s future escape experiences, as well as providing office support to the venues.
It marks another milestone in the company’s growth and will provide the perfect base for further expansion.
Jas, who recently joined the business full-time as managing director, said Escape Live was constantly evolving to meet the demands of the growing market.
He said: “When we launched Escape Live, we were one of the few British businesses operating in this field outside of London.
“We quickly grew in Birmingham and were ranked on sites such as TripAdvisor as the most fun activity in the region.
“That has led to expansion across the region and the country and we’ve also seen a growth in the sector generally too. So we have to ensure that we stay fresh with new experiences and new attractions to keep visitors coming back to us.
“The vast amount of tech and IT based companies based at the University of Warwick Science Park was a big draw for us. The Escape Live team based here will be heading up our research and development so being around like minded creative people was a must for us.”
Escape Live’s experiences see teams of between two and six people locked in a room which they must escape from within an hour by solving a series of clues.
They have proved popular with family and friends but also businesses too which have used the experiences for team bonding and team building.
The company has also recently launched a corporate game that can be taken into offices and meeting room settings to offer a great ice-breaker for a business meeting or away day.
Jane Talbot, of the University of Warwick Science Park, said: “We are delighted to welcome Escape Live to the Venture Centre.
“They have moved into the centre because of the great location and the flexibility of the space as that gives them a great starting point from which to expand further.
“But there is also lots of business support available here at the Science Park too, which is something we recommend that all of our tenants look into.”