Escape the Office: 5 Benefits of Team Building for Small Businesses

Team building at Krakit Vancouver Escape Game!

When someone brings up team building, the first thing that pops up in many people’s minds is of 200 employees who barely know each other doing trust falls in a forest somewhere. But that’s not what team building means in 2017! And it’s not just for large companies where employees might not know each other’s names.

Team building activities are just as important and beneficial for small companies. Maybe you all work in the same room, just inches from one another, but there’s always room to improve communication, teamwork, and comradery.

Escape games are a perfect team building choice, especially for small businesses. Why? Because escape rooms usually fit maximum 7 people, which means you can get your whole team in on one game! Plus, they’re super fun (duh!).

Here are five of the best outcomes we see for small businesses who do their team building at Krakit Vancouver Escape Game:

1. Increased communication

When you have only 45 minutes to solve several puzzles and make your bid for freedom, everyone needs to step up their communication levels. In small teams, it can be easy to assume everyone knows what’s going on at all times when that’s not really the case.

2. A chance to bond

There’s a good chance everyone in a start-up knows everyone else’s name, but does everyone really know everyone? Especially if you have a recent addition to your team, a fun team-building challenge allows everyone to get to know one another on another level—and one that’s email free!

3. Testing relationships and skills

In small companies, relationships between staff members can become rigid out of necessity. A teambuilding activity like an escape game lets you see what skills your staff may not be getting a chance to use.

4. Oiling the teamwork machine

Small businesses don’t work if everyone’s commitment to teamwork isn’t in tip-top shape. A fun tune-up is a great way to make sure all is in working order for all team members.

5. Good vibes for all

The high of outwitting the puzzle master and solving an escape game puts everyone in a good mood for weeks!

Book one of Krakit’s four themed escape rooms for your team building day here.

Escape This: 6 Zombie Apocalypse Survival Skills That Apply to Real Life

When it comes to surviving the end times, we normally think of things like machete-wielding skills or the ability to hotwire a semi-truck. But it’s not just practical skills you’ll need out there. Humans’ main advantage in the natural world is our big brains, and that’s what’ll get you through the zombie apocalypse in one piece. (Maybe that’s why the undead want to eat them so bad …). 

Not coincidentally, they’re also the same sorts of skills you’ll use to lead yourself to victory in Krakit’s Zombie Apocalypse escape room.

1. Ingenuity

Rather than stocking up on tinned foods and honing your knife skills, you know what’s really going to help you in the Zombie Apocalypse? Being creative and insightful. If you don’t know how to jerry-rig a tank, then at least your ability for inventive thinking will help you think up a plan and help you learn new skills along the way.

2. Flexibility

Along with ingenuity, flexible thinking is key. You can only use what you have at hand. How are you going to MacGyver your way out of this situation? Unfortunately, your original plan has gone out the window—better think of something else quick. When one thing doesn’t work, immediately switching to a new gear will help you get through the Zombie Apocalypse, escape games, and life in general.

3. Quick thinking

When you’re living on the run, often you don’t have a lot of time to come up with the perfect plan. Developing quick thinking by challenging yourself with rapid-fire puzzles and logic problems is a surefire way to make sure you stay one step ahead of the undead and also your coworkers.

4. Long-term thinking

At the same time as quick thinking is an essential skill, so is long-term thinking. Being able to do both means you’ll be able to escape immediate danger but also figure out how you’re going to secure safety for you and your crew in the long run. In an escape room, this comes into play when you solve the smaller puzzles that lead to the bigger victory—winning the entire escape game.

5. Reading people

If you want to survive in the cut-throat world of the Zombie Apocalypse, you’ll have to keep a close eye on the people you’re with. As much as we want to trust everyone, you must stay vigilant. Being able to read people accurately is key to figuring out if what they’re saying matches what they’re thinking. This skill applies everywhere, from zombie survival to the dating scene to the workplace.

6. Teamwork

Though you need to stay on your toes, you wouldn’t survive any sort of apocalypse without the help of your friends or even strangers. Learning how to meld your strengths with someone else’s is the only way to forge ahead, when it comes to zombies and when it comes to life.

Band together with a group of up to seven of your friends to defeat Krakit’s horde of zombies in our Zombie Apocalypse escape room. Book now.

5 Steps to Your Ultimate Vancouver Escape Game Experience

Lucky for you, our Vancouver Escape Games don't include oubliettes

1. Assemble your team

Pretty simple: get the gang together. You want to make sure you’ve got a nice mix of people, so see our guide on putting together the perfect escape game team here.

Remember: most people are pretty curious to try escape rooms, so be sure to ask around. You could be surprised who wants in—maybe even Steve from HR who never wants to go to anything!

2. Do a teensy bit of research

Right, we get it—research isn’t typically fun. But this kind is! Make sure you read over the game options available. Like it super scary? Like it more mysterious? Looking for an easier game or one that will drive your brain to its limits? Make sure you read about all your options—Krakit Vancouver Escape Game has four rotating themes—and figure out what will be most fun for you and your pals.

3. Do some cerebral jumping jacks

Before you find yourself behind lock and key, take time to prime your mind for the impressive leaps of logic and untangling of riddles that await. It’s basically like doing stretches before you go on a run—except you don’t have to wear any spandex.

Check out BrainDen.com for a treasure trove of excellent brainteasers.

4. Dive in and let go

A major part of having an amazing escape room experience is letting yourself become immersed in the situation. Yes, some rooms at Krakit Vancouver Escape Game can be a little scary—but go ahead and let yourself get spooked. It’s half the fun! And definitely don’t forget to laugh. A lot.

5. Recap for next time

Didn’t make it out? Doesn’t matter! Because it’s not over till you say it’s over. While playing the same escape room over again isn’t recommended, that doesn’t mean you can’t do a post-mortem in preparation for the entirely new escape challenge that awaits you—just down the hall.

Or are you clever clogs who busted the puzzle wide open? Well done! Figure out your top tactics so you can try a harder room next time

Assemble your escape room team, check out Krakit’s four current themes, then book an immersive experience here: http://bookeo.com/krakit.

How to Build the Perfect Escape Room Team

There’s no one right way to put together a team for your experience at Krakit Vancouver Escape Game. But after seeing hundreds of folks pass through our halls—some more successful, others less so—we’ve got a good handle on what makes for a crack escape room team.

Since the game play requires a lot of different skills, a diverse team is where it’s at. A group of people with different knowledge, different experiences, and different areas of expertise will be able to come at a room from all possible angles.

Here are some of the key players you’ll want to consider.

Someone to take the lead

This player has no problem delegating, and knows the best strengths of each member of their team. More than anything, this person gets everyone to put on their “game face” and keeps motivation up.

Someone to think out of the box

Escape games require many different types of knowledge, so having someone on your squad who can see what others might miss is always a bonus.

Someone to calm down and refocus everyone

Hey. Things can get a little hectic when the clock is ticking down, you’re out of hints, and the bad guy is banging on the door. This team member is good at pulling everyone back to the task at hand, while also settling nerves.

Someone who’s really hands-on

Although an escape room is about using your brain, there’s still a physical aspect to it. Every team needs someone who will investigate every nook and cranny, looking for the clues that everyone will then piece together to win freedom.

Someone with an organizational brain

When you’re uncovering clues left, right, and centre, someone who is good of taking stock of everything laid out before them and mentally rearranging it into a logical solution will always be an asset.

Someone to lighten the mood

Every class needs a clown, and an escape room is no exception. When stress levels get a little too high, it’s good to be reminded that is, after all, just a game. Which means it’s supposed to be fun!

At Krakit Escape Game, our rooms have a maximum of between six and eight players. Find a slot for your crack team here: http://bookeo.com/krakit.

Escape Games: Corporate Team-Building with Flair

In today’s workforce, creating a strong and inviting team environment can be not only what makes your employees work better, but what might make them stick around for the long haul. According to Forbes, 88% of millennials prefer a collaborative work culture to a competitive one and definitely don’t want to be an anonymous cog in a faceless machine.

Luckily, escape games can help with that. No, really!

Escape games are only becoming more and more popular, especially among the millennial generation, precisely because of the reasons that also make escape rooms great team-building exercises.

1. Escape games force communication

It’s the rare person who can get through an escape room on their own, so putting your team into an escape game situation means they have no choice but to work collaboratively and—gasp—even speak to each other in person, rather than over email.

2. An escape game will put your team under stress—without any real consequences

Want to see how your employees work when they’re under the gun? Krakit Vancouver Escape Game’s ticking 45-minute clock will definitely give you insight into how your team behaves and works together when the pressure is on.

3. Scary escape room themes put everyone in a giggly mood

Though the 45-minute escape room countdown can put people on high alert, the scary themes of some escape rooms (including three of Krakit’s own) give people just the right dose of adrenaline to put them in a silly and playful mood. Bottom line: at the end of a creepy escape room, everyone is in a good mood—just what you want for a good team-building session.

4. Cracking clues—or the entire escape room—together builds camaraderie

Nothing builds feelings of trust and goodwill like making it through a zombie apocalypse or busting out of an insane asylum together. Solving any clue in an escape room comes with a sense of accomplishment, but if your team manages to solve the entire room—which isn’t easy—then the sky’s the limit for more corporate-minded collaborations.

5. Escape rooms are actually fun, and no awkward trust falls necessary

Corporate team-building events can have employees groaning, but escape rooms are bonafide fun. Most people want to try one if they haven’t already, so team-building at an escape room is sure to be a win in the eyes of even the most unconvinced of employees.

Looking to do some team-building in Vancouver? Why not book some time in Krakit’s four themed escape rooms, located right next to Lougheed Skytrain station. Visit our website or give us a call at (604) 484-6552 for more information.

Three Benefits of Escape Game Play (Besides Fun)

Escape games are skyrocketing in popularity around the world, and there’s good reason for it. Far from a simple form of entertainment, an escape room is an activity that offers a lot to its players. And with hundreds, if not thousands, of escape rooms popping up all over the world—from the first one in Japan (built in 2007) to Brazil, Australia, India, the UK, Singapore, and, of course, Canada—it is clear escape games have wide-ranging appeal.

The most obvious reason escape rooms are so popular is because they’re fun. But it’s not the only one.

Escape rooms are great for team building and bonding

Workplaces looking for a way to get their employees to work together—without the high stakes of a real-world project—are no strangers to pushing their staff into an escape room and throwing away the key. Why? Because there’s no way around teamwork in an escape game. If you don’t work together, you’re not getting out.

Plus, there’s scientific proof that experiences like escape games bond groups of friends and families by creating memories and genuine happiness. 

Escape games spark new neural pathways

Sure it’s fun to pretend you’re saving the world from the Zombie Apocalypse, but as you’re doing it, you’re also strengthening the problem-solving faculties of your brain. More specifically, escape games help to build highly important “fluid intelligence,” which you can learn more about here.

Escape rooms give you a rush of adrenaline—without the danger

Not all of us get our kicks from jumping out of planes. For those looking for a fun challenge and a completely safe way to get their heart rates elevated, an escape game is it. You’ve got limited time to get yourself out of a (fictional) dangerous scenario and the pressure is on—trust us, your fight or flight response will definitely kick in.

Book a genuinely fun, experience-making, brain-building outing at our Coquitlam escape room here.