Just 6 years ago, no one would have dreamed that quest projects in real space would conquer the entertainment market and would be such a success in our time. Escape rooms are relative the new kind conducting leisure activities, the essence of which is placing people (usually a team of 2-4 people) in a confined space. The team's goal is to escape the room within a certain amount of time (usually 60 minutes) using logic, clues, and items placed in the room.

According to the Guild of Quests (an independent rating agency involved in the popularization of this area), at the end of 2015, about 950 quest rooms were opened in Russia. Every year more and more of them open, but there are free niches in this market; success depends on the creativity of your ideas and marketing policy. This type of business is attractive due to its relatively low investment, as well as the fact that the payback period is only 5 months, and the break-even point will be reached in the second month of operation.

The advantage of quest rooms is that there is no need for expensive premises, luxurious decorations, or highly specialized employees. Success directly depends on the sharpness and twist of the plot.

The initial investment amount is 538 700 rubles

Break-even point is reached in the second month of work.

The payback period is from 5 months.

2. Description of the business, product or service

The ideas for creating quest rooms came from computer games, in which main character must solve all possible logic problems and puzzles with the goal of breaking out of captivity. The thirst for a range of emotions and adrenaline in real life gave rise to the idea of ​​transference virtual game into reality. Thus, the main audience of the quest room is people aged 18-35 who want to experience new sensations and diversify their leisure time. Corporate clients who want to spend time with colleagues cannot be ruled out.

The location of the quest room does not play the most key role. This is precisely the type of business that does not require high foot traffic, because usually visiting a quest is a pre-planned event where clients arrive at the reserved time, having planned a route. The requirement for room for a quest is at least 40 sq.m., at least 15 sq.m. m is allocated to the administrative premises, the rest - to the room itself. Of course, the square footage depends on the concept and scale of your quest room. Typically, quest rooms are located in offices, rented rooms, and garages.

To make it easier to view the quest description, customer reviews, and booking, you need a website, a group on the social network “VKontakte,” and an Instagram profile. Ideally, if you promote three sites at once - this will give the greatest effect. To minimize your investments, you can limit yourself to social networks only - if you methodically maintain a group and profile, you can receive up to 7 applications a day.

Typically, the client views the description of the quest, reads reviews, books a convenient time and arrives at the specified address.

Before the team arrives, the quest room administrator cleans and prepares the room for the task, meets clients, introduces safety precautions and voices the necessary conditions. Next, the team is allowed into a closed space, where, in fact, the quest begins. The price of participation may vary depending on the region, complexity (for example, quests with live actors are more expensive), and the duration of the quest.

This business is seasonal: in winter, with a successful combination of circumstances, one location can receive up to 15 teams per day, which corresponds to revenue of up to 52,500 rubles. IN summer time attendance is falling, approximately 2-3 teams per day allow you to receive revenue of up to 10,500 rubles.

Location opening hours: daily from 10:00 to 01:00. Entrance ticket price per team is 1500 rubles - 4000 rubles. in the regions, 2500 rub. −5000 rub. in Moscow.

The specificity of this business is that after a certain amount of time (usually 1-1.5 years) it is necessary to introduce new script and the plot, since after completing the quest the client will not be able to complete it a second time.

3. Description of the sales market

The target audience of quest rooms is people aged 18-35 with average and above average income. The target audience can be segmented even more narrowly:

• Students aged 18-23 years. Main time for visiting locations

this group falls on the morning and daytime hours, since the price of visiting is lower than in evening time;

• Working people visiting quest rooms in the evening, at night and on weekends;
• Corporate clients using quest projects as one of the ways of informal team building;
• Parents and their children participating in family quests.

SWOT analysis of an quest room

Strengths project	Weak sides project
Friendly and helpful staff; Availability of website, pages in in social networks, which ensures the convenience of viewing and booking a location; Original scenarios and quest ideas; Possibility of settlement using various forms of payments; Opportunity to read reviews from previous clients; Convenient work schedule; High-quality maintenance of the client base; The ability to offer passage to other locations immediately after completing the quest.	Difficulty in generating an original script idea The presence of negative reviews can spoil the impression of the location; The risk of the client not showing up at the booked time in the absence of prepayment; There is a need to change the scenario and concept of the quest in one location, since after the client completes the quest it becomes irrelevant.
Project capabilities	Project threats
Possibility of expanding sales markets throughout the country and abroad; Possibility to distribute the business through franchising; Interaction with entertainment projects (cafes, cinemas, etc.) in order to attract a client base.	Increase in the number of competitors in the market; Price dumping from competitors; The threat of plagiarism of ideas by competitors.

4. Sales and marketing

5. Production plan

The step-by-step plan for opening an quest room is as follows:

1. Script development

First of all, you need to develop an idea and script for an quest room. This is what your business will be built on. It is desirable that the idea be original: for example, a couple of years ago quests with live actors appeared, which created even more excitement in this area. Such projects are very popular, because in addition to solving logical riddles, the team needs to interact with a specially trained person (as a rule, actors scare the team and create the appropriate atmosphere, give tips, etc.). Often ideas for quest rooms are drawn from famous books, films, stories - Freddy Krueger, Harry Potter, Treasure Island, James Bond. To make the task exciting, it is desirable that it is based on a mystery that the participants need to solve. It is also necessary to conduct an analysis of competitors in your city in order to offer potential clients something new and original.

If you do not have experience in creating scripts, it is better to hire a specialist, because the success of your business project directly depends on the originality of the idea. To minimize costs, you can invite students from the desired faculty. Before the script is implemented, it is necessary to test it on friends, eliminate shortcomings, remove or add interior details and any characters. If there is a franchisee, the script can be provided to you free of charge or for an additional fee.

2. Search for premises and repairs

The minimum size of the room for the quest is 40 sq.m. It is necessary that the premises have the necessary communications - electricity, water. You need to be prepared for the fact that you will have to renovate the room, because for the atmosphere of the location, the design of the room must correspond to the history and scenario of your quest. It is advisable that there is parking near your location, because the fact that there is no parking for a car can lead to an outflow of customers who are not ready to get to you on foot. The rental price varies depending on the city, distance from the center and many other factors. The average rental price is 400-700 rubles/sq.m. m., cosmetic repairs will cost approximately 70,000 rubles.

3. Purchase of necessary equipment

Equipment plays an important role. This includes a reception desk, a sofa for visitors, a wardrobe, chairs and armchairs, and the necessary decorations. It is not always necessary to purchase and create new decorations, if this does not contradict the idea of ​​the quest, you can bring old props from home or ask your friends. Audio and video surveillance systems are also required. Audio accompaniment is an integral element of the location, since clients will not receive the desired effect without the necessary music accompanying them during the quest. Through a video surveillance system, the room administrator monitors the actions of the participants and controls the process. It is mandatory to install an audio communication system through which the administrator gives tips to the team. It is desirable to have a sign to attract additional traffic and orientate arriving clients, but not all quest rooms use them. The total cost of the equipment will be 190,000 rubles.

4. Search for frames

Escape rooms are a type of business that does not require big team qualified specialists. You can start this business with two administrative employees per location. The easiest way to find staff is to search through friends. You can also use groups specialized in this on social networks. The basic requirements for quest room administrators are integrity, communication skills, and responsibility.

5. Marketing policy

6. Organizational structure

The staff consists of you as a project manager, room administrators, and an accountant. If the volume of your locations is small, it is not advisable to include a screenwriter on the staff, since his work is more of a project nature than permanent.

Since the location operates 7 days a week for 15 hours, two administrators are needed. An administrator is an employee whose responsibilities include meeting clients, monitoring their actions during the quest, maintaining cleanliness in the location, accepting funds, upselling quest room services (if there are several locations, the administrator, after completing the quest, invites the team to visit the next one), Monitors the serviceability of equipment and props. Wage fixed and amounts to 20,000 rubles per person. Usually 1,300 rubles per day is included, including a taxi for an employee, since there are often late bookings.

The project manager makes decisions about the appropriateness of certain decorations and the filling of the location. It is the responsibility of the manager to approve the script and interact with the screenwriter. He also makes decisions on increasing or reducing staff and on staff salaries. In addition, it is the manager who distributes the company’s profits, draws up a cash flow budget, and makes decisions regarding certain costs. Marketing policy also depends on the decisions of the manager: he organizes promotions, participates in events, interacts with the media and SMM and CEO specialists, and develops the brand. The manager's salary is 30,000 rubles, it is reduced if the project is not working efficiently.

An accountant records transactions in registers accounting, reporting, interacts with tax and extra-budgetary funds. It is advisable to search for an accountant on a remote basis without hiring him on the staff of the organization.

General payroll
Staff	The number of employees	Salary per 1 employee (RUB)	Total salary (RUB)
Supervisor
Administrator
Accountant
General salary fund

7. Financial plan

Investments in opening an quest room look like this:

Name	Amount	Cost of 1 piece, rub.	Total amount, rub.
Redecorating
Storage compartments
Adaptation of the design of the common area
Decoration (paintings, games and other paraphernalia)
Computer + additional monitor
Video surveillance system (recorder + camera in the common area)

* The calculations use average data for Russia

1. PROJECT SUMMARY

The goal of the project is to organize a quest room in Rostov-on-Don. Price segment – ​​average. The target audience is children from 12 years old, as well as men and women under the age of 35 with an average income.

A quest room is a new format of entertainment that combines the advantages of a computer game and shared leisure time with friends. The essence of the game is for a team of 2 to 6 people to escape from a closed room by solving riddles selected in accordance with the scenario. Participation in quests allows participants to have fun with friends, lifts their spirits, tickles their nerves, and strengthens team spirit (which is useful for corporate clients during team building); Participation in quests for children allows them to develop communication skills, logical thinking, attentiveness and a number of other useful skills.

Quest rooms are a fairly new type of entertainment, both for Russia and for the world as a whole. Today, there are players on the market of both regional and federal scale (franchise). The competition is not yet very strong, but it is growing every year.

The basis of the project’s competitiveness is unique author’s programs developed together with an experienced theater and film scriptwriter, high-quality decorations, and the special atmosphere of all rooms.

The project is investment attractive and cost-effective, as evidenced by simple and integral performance indicators (Table 1).

Table 1. Key project performance indicators

2. DESCRIPTION OF THE COMPANY AND INDUSTRY

Quest in reality is a relatively new type of team entertainment (games), which involves solving riddles in accordance with a set scenario in order to get out of a closed room. As a rule, a team of 2 to 6-8 people takes part in the game. The first quest rooms appeared in Japan and the USA around 2011-2012, then they began to spread throughout other countries of the world. This area gained the greatest development in Budapest, where a large number of quest rooms were created, and where those who wanted to play a new type of team games began to gather.

Since the industry is new and, at the same time, quite specific, regular statistics and market analysis are not carried out. However, according to experts, at the end of 2015 there were about 200 companies in Russia, of which 170 were Moscow-based, owning 400 rooms. About 450 more rooms were being built outside Moscow at that time. The revenue of Moscow rooms alone was estimated at 1.5 billion rubles per year. Today, according to expert estimates, we can talk about an increase of no less than 30%, which is about 2.0 billion rubles in Moscow alone. Together with the regions, total revenue can reach 4.0 – 4.5 billion rubles.

Due to the emergence of new players and the saturation of the market, customers’ demands for quest rooms are increasing: the complexity of puzzles, technical execution, design, and so on. Such an increase in demands inevitably leads to an increase in investment costs, however, it also increases public interest, attracting more and more new clients. A distinctive feature of this type of game is that one person, having completed the quest, does not return to it, but looks for more and more games and puzzles.

The average load of quest rooms, according to experts, is 80-85% of the maximum possible. The share of corporate customers who either organize holidays for their employees or invite clients to promote their own services or products is increasing.

A large market share is occupied by franchise companies that are pioneers in this segment. It is estimated that they account for more than 60% of the market. The big disadvantage of such a system is the standardization of programs (games, scripts). Considering the reluctance of customers to play the same games, more favorable conditions are created for non-network players at the expense of city guests. Given the small remoteness of cities in the Southern Federal District, as well as a large number of migrant workers, students, and so on, the uniqueness of the program is a serious advantage for the project.

Ready ideas for your business

To understand the potential level of demand for entertainment services, it is necessary to analyze the general economic situation in the country. Analysis of macroeconomic indicators indicates negative GDP growth starting from the first quarter of 2015, which means a transition from stagnation to crisis.

The prerequisites for this decline were several obvious factors: sanctions from the EU and the United States, the weakening of the national currency, falling oil prices and, as a consequence, a decrease in the well-being and solvency of most of the country's population. There was also a significant increase in the price of imported products – both food and non-food products. According to Rosstat, in 2014 alone, prices for goods and services increased by an average of 11.4% compared to 2013. Prices for food products increased by 15.4%, for non-food products - by 8.1%.

Figure 1. Index consumer prices,% compared to the previous year (forecast until 2018)

The fall in real disposable income of the population, according to the Ministry of Economic Development, amounted to 1% in 2014, and in 2015 – already 7.8%. However, according to some estimates, after summing up the results of 2016, positive dynamics are quite likely. According to RBC.Quote forecasts, growth could reach 1%.

Despite the rather positive forecasts of experts regarding rising oil prices, a decrease in inflation and consumer prices, in the coming years we should expect a continued decline in purchasing activity - consumers will approach purchases carefully and carefully. One of the reasons is the high level of debt among the population and lack of consumer confidence.

Ready ideas for your business

As a result of these processes, many sectors of the economy may suffer. According to the Ministry economic development, turnover retail in Russia in 2015 decreased by 8.2% compared to the previous year.

Based on the data presented, we can say that, with a reduction in expenses, the population will shift their focus from more expensive entertainment, such as tourist trips, towards more economical ones. One of such economical types of entertainment can be considered quest rooms.

As part of the project, a new enterprise is being organized in Rostov-on-Don. Rostov-on-Don is the administrative center of the Southern Federal District and the Rostov region, the largest economic, cultural and industrial center of the South of Russia. The population of the city is 1.1 million people, the population of the urban agglomeration is 2.16 million people. There are 39 higher education institutions in the city educational institutions, which is important for the project, since students are the basis of the target audience. In addition, the city is visited by a large number of residents of other cities of the federal district - Krasnodar and Stavropol Territories.

The quest room is located in the city center, in the basement of a former shoe factory, which creates a special, unique atmosphere. A total of five rooms with different themes are planned. Because the distinctive feature quests in reality is the lack of repeat visitors to the same game; over time, it will be necessary to redesign the gaming space and create new scenarios.

3. DESCRIPTION OF GOODS AND SERVICES

The project involves the provision of entertainment services - so-called reality quests. The essence of the game is for a team to find a way out of a closed room within a limited time, solving puzzles in accordance with a certain plot.

A professional screenwriter with experience in theater and cinema is involved in writing scripts. The scenery is designed and produced by professional decorative artists collaborating with the Drama Theater named after. Gorky (Rostov-on-Don).

Teams from 2 to 6 people can participate in the game. The duration of one game session is 60 minutes. Taking into account the preparation for the game of the next group, sessions are held every hour and a half. The project provides for the creation of five rooms with different themes. Descriptions of the plots are given in Table. 2. The cost of one game is 470 rubles per person.

Table 2. Game plots

	Name	Description
	The Mystery of the Aztec Pyramid	Immersion in the atmosphere ancient civilization in order to find a sacred totem that will open the exit from the pyramid. Genre: adventure. Difficulty: Medium
	A voodoo doll	Professor Zilberman disappears under mysterious circumstances. A strange doll that looks like a professor is found in his apartment. The professor's students need to find a connection between his disappearance and the doll. Genre: mysticism. Difficulty: Medium
	One-Eyed Willie	Solve the mystery pirate treasure and get out of the cave full of dangers. Genre: adventure. Difficulty is low, suitable for beginners and children over 12 years old
	Silent Hill	Find out the secret of the disappearance of all the inhabitants of the foggy town. Additional task: find a mysterious artifact and receive a bonus - a certificate for a discount on your next visits. Genre: horror. Difficulty is high
	Growling Dead	Save your team from the zombie invasion and get out of the locked house. Additional task: find a mysterious artifact and receive a bonus - a certificate for a discount on your next visits. Genre: horror/fantasy. Difficulty is high

As additional service the project offers the organization of corporate events and celebrations (birthdays, special occasions), including host services, catering and others. The service is paid separately in accordance with the cost estimate.

4. SALES AND MARKETING

Target audience of the project - The target audience is children from 12 years old, as well as men and women under the age of 35 with an average income. The most active part of the audience is young people aged 18 to 30 years. The main advertising campaign is aimed at this segment of the target audience.

Promotion is carried out using both offline and online tools. Moreover, preference is given to the latter. Offline tools include the following:

Periodic articles in the local press describing quests in reality as a new form of leisure

Loyalty program - bonuses and discounts for regular visitors, corporate clients, gift cards; incentives for new visits also occur during games - for completing additional tasks in the game, participants receive discounts on their next visits to the quest room

The following online tools are used:

Own website containing information about the project, a list of games with text descriptions and promotional videos, a game schedule; You can book a room on the website for any available time; website promotion is carried out using contextual advertising in search engines

Ready ideas for your business

Prices for the project's services are at the average market level, while the quality of plots and decorations is significantly above average. Comparison with main competitors is given in Table. 3. The assessment of the plot and scenery is carried out using an expert method based on a market analysis on a ten-point scale, where 10 is the maximum value.

Table 3. Competitive analysis

	Name	price, rub. per person	Plot	Scenery
	Locked
	Rostov-quest
	Mysterious Island
	Horror City
	Quest city

Demand for the project’s services has no pronounced seasonality. Some decline occurs during the summer holidays, when a significant part of the population leaves the city. However, due to the decrease in tourist flow due to the unfavorable economic situation, this decrease may be leveled out in the near future. Peaks occur during different periods public holidays, especially during the New Year holidays. Planned sales volumes are given in Table. 4.

Table 4. Planned sales volumes

Achieving planned volumes is planned by the end of the first year of the project.

5. PRODUCTION PLAN

The quest room is located on rented space in the basement of a former shoe factory, which provides an additional mysterious atmosphere. The total area of ​​the premises is 400 m2. This includes game rooms, waiting room, as well as personnel rooms (operator room, equipment room, etc.). There are all necessary communications. The premises meet all requirements of supervisory authorities.

The scenery is developed by a specialized enterprise located in Rostov-on-Don, according to the sketches of decorative artists. The company has experience in creating sets for domestic television films. Manufacturing and installation time is three months.

Necessary computer equipment with software and electronics are purchased from a supplier in Moscow. The supplier delivers, installs and commissions equipment, and also conducts training for project personnel.

Reservations are accepted by phone or through a form on the project website. To clarify and confirm the information specified by the client on the website, the administrator contacts the customer by phone within 20 minutes after registering the application. The client then receives an email with a confirmation of the reservation, the date and time of the game, as well as the administrator’s contact information. One day before the game the client receives email with a reminder of the time and place of the game, which will avoid no-shows.

6. ORGANIZATIONAL PLAN

In order to implement the project, a new enterprise is created. Individual entrepreneur was chosen as the legal form. Based on a comparison of several options (based on financial results), the form of taxation was chosen - the simplified tax system, the object of taxation - income; rate – 6%.

The entire project implementation process can be divided into three main stages: the preparatory stage, the growth stage and the operational stage. During preparatory stage the necessary equipment is produced and purchased, its installation is carried out, and workers are recruited and trained. The duration of the preparatory stage is three months. Rooms are opened one by one as they are ready. Open rooms can receive clients, while repair and finishing work is being carried out in closed ones. The growth stage involves active promotion of the project’s services and reaching planned sales volumes. The approximate duration of this stage is from seven to twelve months. After this, the stage of operating activities begins within the framework of planned financial results.

The project team has the necessary key skills and knowledge necessary for the successful implementation of the project. Of the entire team, only the project initiator is directly involved in the project, who performs all management and administrative functions. To achieve this, he has successful experience in doing business.

The project team also includes a screenwriter, set designers and a consultant. They are not involved in the project on an ongoing basis, but provide high quality and high priority services. The consultant has experience in launching and developing quest rooms in various cities of Russia and provides support to the project in the form of free organizational consulting.

The organizational structure of the project is simple - all employees are directly subordinate to the project initiator. Staffing table and wage fund are given in Table. 5.

Table 5. Staffing and wage fund

	Job title	Salary, rub.	Number, persons	Payroll, rub.
Administrative
	Accountant
	Administrator
Industrial
	Game space operator
Trade
	Content manager
Auxiliary
	Cleaning woman
	Total:			RUB 157,000.00
	Social Security contributions:			RUB 47,100.00
	Total with deductions:			RUB 204,100.00

7. FINANCIAL PLAN

The financial plan has a planning horizon of five years and takes into account all income and expenses of the project. Revenue refers to revenue from operating activities; income from investment activities and sale of assets is not provided for by the project. The revenue of the first year of sales is 16.6 million rubles, net profit (after taxes) is 9.6 million rubles. Revenue for the second year and subsequent years (after reaching planned sales volumes) is 20.9 million rubles, net profit is 13.5 million rubles.

Investment costs – 3,105,000 rubles. The bulk of the funds are spent on the preparation and equipment of premises, the development and promotion of an Internet site, as well as on the formation of a working capital fund, from which the project’s losses will be covered until it reaches payback (Table 6). The project initiator’s own funds are 1.7 million rubles. The lack of funds is planned to be covered by attracting a bank loan for a period of 36 months at a rate of 18% per annum. Loan repayment is carried out in annuity payments, credit holidays are 3 months.

Table 6. Investment costs

	NAME	AMOUNT, rub.
Real estate
	Preparing the premises
Equipment
	Computer equipment, video equipment
Intangible assets
	Website development
Working capital
	Working capital
	Total:	RUB 3,105,000
	Own funds:	RUB 1,700,000.00
	Required borrowings:	1,405,000 RUR
	Bid:	18,00%
	Duration, months:

Determining variable costs in the cost structure of a project is problematic; all costs are classified as fixed. The main item of fixed costs is rent of premises; they also include advertising costs, utility bills and other expenses, including depreciation charges (Table 7). The amount of depreciation charges is determined linear method based on the useful life of fixed assets and intangible assets of five years.

Table 7. Fixed costs

A detailed financial plan is given in Appendix. 1.

8. EVALUATION OF EFFECTIVENESS

Efficiency assessment is carried out based on analysis financial plan project, cash flows, as well as simple and integral performance indicators (Table 1). To account for changes in the value of money over time, the discounted cash flow method is used. The discount rate for the project is 12%.

Simple (PP) and discounted (DPP) payback period is 6 months. Net present value (NPV) – 3.3 million rubles. Internal rate of return (IRR) – 21.6%. Profitability index (PI) – 1.05. All these indicators indicate the effectiveness and investment attractiveness of the project.

9. WARRANTY AND RISKS

To assess all risks associated with the implementation of the project, an analysis of internal and external factors is carried out. The data from the analysis and proposed measures to neutralize risks and develop opportunities are presented in the form of SWOT (Table 8).

Table 8. SWOT analysis of the project

	Strengths High quality plot and scenery Having an experienced content manager on staff who is also involved in online promotion Convenient location in the city center (there is parking and public transport stops within a 3-minute walk)	Weak sides Lack of established client base
Possibilities Growing interest from the population in reality quests Shift in demand towards more budget-friendly leisure options	Active online promotion and attracting even that part of the target audience that has not previously played quests in reality, through engaging events (competitions, sweepstakes)	An independently growing market will allow short time increase your client base using existing resources
Threats Emergence of new players on the market Price struggle from existing players	Price struggle is unacceptable for the project; the high quality of the plot and scenery makes the project one of the best in the city, which will allow the formation of a loyal audience even at a relatively high price level	It is necessary to implement a maximum of advertising activities in a short time, to increase brand awareness of the project, even if the demand for the project’s services is deferred

10.APPLICATIONS

ANNEX 1

Financial plan

Denis Miroshnichenko
(c) - portal of business plans and guides for starting a small business

190 people are studying this business today.

In 30 days, this business was viewed 61,908 times.

Calculator for calculating the profitability of this business

rent + salaries + public utilities and so on. rub.

The psychological salon “1000 Ideas” is a unique format of its business, opening up limitless opportunities for self-realization in one of the most popular niches of modern business.

Quest in reality - form active rest in the shape of intellectual game. There are several forms of organizing a business of this kind. The optimal form of start: purchasing a franchise.

 

What a quest is is known to many, especially fans of computer games. This is an adventure involving solving various problems and puzzles, the goal of which is usually to find the most favorable way out of the situation. Bringing the adventure “to life” is becoming such popular entertainment for a wide variety of categories of consumers.

Who's playing?

The main target audience of this business is young people. Students, office workers 20-35 years old. It is they who, having played enough quests on the computer, are ready to try their hand at reality. But these lively adventures are also in demand among family people, including children and middle-aged people.

Now this business is in a stage of rapid development, that is, for those who want to realize themselves in this direction, this is the most favorable time. Even despite the crisis, and perhaps thanks to it. After all, quests can complement what is already working: a cafe, club, event agency, children's studio and others similar species activities, thereby expanding and strengthening its position.

This is what one of the founders of the Claustrophobia company says about his project.

There is a choice

Currently, there are 2 models for organizing this business.

The first is the so-called room quests.

Players of 2-6 people are locked in a room, and within an hour the participants need to find a way out of it. The room is equipped thematically according to the scenario and contains appropriate props. The details contain secrets, clues - everything that is needed to reveal the “main secret” and help you get out of the room. This model requires the presence of at least one equipped room, hiring staff, that is, the initial costs are quite high. But the profit in this option is considerable.

The second model is away quests.

Here, each participant is assigned to a specific role, and together the players must solve the main mystery of the game.

There are three types of this model:

• open, where anyone who submits an application can participate. They are carried out in various predetermined in public places: cafes, shopping malls, recreation parks, etc.
• Individual, which are usually ordered for a group of 7-20 people for some holiday and are held in places determined by the customer: at home, in a cafe, at a picnic and other convenient places.
• And corporate events, designed for large (more than 25 people) groups of participants and held at the request of enterprises. The initial costs in this model are minimal. All you need is a script, handouts and simple props for the participants, as well as a presenter. The profit in this option is less, but quite stable.

Table 1. Main features of quest business models.

	Indoor	Outcall
		Open	Closed (individual)	Corporate
Start-up costs
Payback
Expandable	Costly (purchase/rent of premises, equipment, script)	No significant costs (scenario only)
Number of games according to one scenario that can be played per day
Number of game participants
Cost of the game for a group of participants, thousand rubles		0.2-0.7 (per person)

As you can see, each of the models has its own advantages and disadvantages, but both options are quite in demand among clients and are easy to implement.

In addition to these two main models, there are also quest tourism, local history games and some others, but they can be considered varieties of the second option.

Addition 2016: A new type of quest: Virtual reality (the player is immersed in a virtual world and performs various tasks and missions in it) and Quests based on famous films and TV series - Quest House.

How to start?

The most difficult thing in the quest business is the scenarios. Of course, the course of the game in open games and its ending in indoor games largely depend on the actions of the participants, but a high-quality plot is the basis of everything. Therefore, it is necessary to start with writing and developing a script, and then build on it in the future when equipping the premises and thinking through the props.

However, it is worth understanding that even for professional producers and screenwriters, starting on their own and from scratch is long, difficult and risky.

Another option is franchise work. In this case, there is no need for any special education or special skills - the franchisor provides a lump sum fee and royalties ready-made scripts, advertising strategy and general development concept. It is enough to have a desire and basic knowledge in the field of doing business. Below we will look at franchise options from the main players in the Russian market in more detail, but their essence is similar. The new franchisee receives a package that includes a brand, 1-3 game scenarios, a general development strategy, a set of instructions and best practices, and advertising support on the main website. This will allow you to start working immediately after preparing the premises in the version of indoor quests, and in the case of open ones - after only slightly testing the game.

What to start from when thinking about a quest business?

The first thing to consider when calculating a new project is the population in the city. The lump sum fee depends on the size of the city. The practice of the main players shows that cities with a population of one million are the most optimal for the quest business. 400-800 thousand is also not bad. In cities with a population of less than 400 thousand, it will not be easy to get promoted; downloads, and therefore the return, will be weak with comparable costs for advertising and running games.

It wouldn't hurt to study the competitive situation. In the complete absence of competition, promotion can take a long time, since potential clients will first need to explain what a quest is and why it is needed.

If there are 1-2 competitors, promotion will go faster. The essence of entertainment will already be known to people, but a person will not go to the same plot a second time, he will look for something new.

A large number of competitors in a million-plus market will not be a particular obstacle, especially if the quest business is launched not as an independent business, but as an additional one.

Let's look at the main players in the quest market in reality.

Questrooms

There are still few companies working with closed quests, but they are developing quickly: new companies appear once a quarter. And although common features Everyone is similar, each company tries to initially add its own flavor, be it the general atmosphere of the games, the complexity of the scenarios, technical equipment and other nuances and little things.

Let's compare the first two players Russian market questrooms. (Table 2)

Claustrophobia is the first company of “room quests” in Russia. It has been operating since December 2013 and during this short time it has reached a monthly network turnover of 40 million rubles. It has franchisees in more than 20 regions of the Russian Federation, as well as abroad.

Questrum.rf is a company with its head office in St. Petersburg. Operating since the beginning of 2014. Presented in 15 cities of Russia, Belarus, Sweden, and Canada.

Table 2. Comparisons of franchise conditions for questrooms.

	Claustrophobia	Questroom.rf
Total stories as of February 2015
	In developing
	From 350 thousand rubles (in major cities- 1 million rubles. and more), depending on the population and the presence of competitors and other franchisees.	From 200 thousand rubles, depending on the population and the presence of competitors and other franchisees.
		From 15% of revenue depending on population
	1.0-1.5 million rubles (excluding lump-sum franchise fee)	1.2-1.5 million rubles (including lump-sum franchise fee)

The cost of a franchise for both companies includes 2 scenarios, premises equipment projects, instructions for staff, specific equipment, a reservation system on the website, a brand and brand book, special software, expert support, new scenarios (after working out the existing ones).

Both companies claim approximately the same payback period: 3-4 months in million-plus cities and 6-8 months in small towns.

As can be seen from the table, the terms of cooperation are not much different. It is best to navigate your choice by obtaining specific conditions for your city, as well as by playing 1-2 games (which are starting games) from each of the companies, that is, based on your own subjective opinion.

Open or away quests

This direction has been known in Russia since 2009, and thanks to the ease of starting, it is widespread throughout the country. In this format, virtually no investment is needed other than a lump sum contribution; the royalty rate is at least 15%, and often much higher (35%). In addition, new scripts are sometimes also available for an additional fee.

So, let’s compare the most popular organizers of away quests.

Questime. Start of work - 2012. As of the beginning of 2015, it is represented in 12 cities of the Russian Federation, as well as in Riga.

Questoria. Operating since 2009. At the end of 2014, it was represented in 55 cities of the Russian Federation, Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakhstan.

Table 3. Comparison of franchising offers for away quests.

	Questime	Questoria
Total number of scenarios as of February 2015
Maximum amount players in the standard story
Duration standard game, hours
Possibility of holding holidays and corporate events (for large quantity participants)
Franchise cost. Starting (lump sum) fee	From 40 to 100 thousand rubles depending on the population	60-85 thousand rubles depending on the population
	From 15% depending on population	0-35% depending on population (for cities with a population of less than 400 thousand there are no royalties)
Estimated initial investment in the project		Lump sum plus 20-30 thousand rubles
Purchasing new scripts	Individual conditions	For large cities it is included in the royalty, for small cities it is available only for an additional fee.

The cost of the franchise includes 2-3 scenarios, handouts for participants (except Supplies and costumes), marketing strategy, advertising support, including layouts of advertising materials, online booking system, training for presenters, expert support at all stages.

The payback period is stated to be 3-4 months in large cities and 4-8 in small cities.

Review of the Questoria franchise.

What to choose?

As can be seen from the comparative analysis, any of the quest models in reality is an excellent business idea both for beginners and for those who want to expand their existing business or invest free funds. Beginners will certainly appreciate the second option - open quests, - as not requiring significant investments and providing the opportunity to simply work part-time in free time. It will also be of interest to cafe and restaurant owners as an excellent tool for expanding and retaining their customer base.

Those who are looking for an option for capital investments, or the idea of ​​adapting your own premises with an area of ​​50-100 m2, questrooms will certainly be of interest.

But no matter what you choose, exciting work awaits you, bringing a decent profit.

Quest rooms are a relatively new type of intellectual entertainment, where players solve logical problems, puzzles limited by time, space or other conditions.

Most often, games in quest rooms are built around the task of “getting out of the room within a certain time” in various variations.

Quest room (escape room, escape room)– transferred to real life computer games, where the classic gameplay was based on solving problems of finding a way out of the room. It is generally accepted that the first real quest - getting out of a room - appeared in 2006 in Silicon Valley. The next impetus to the popularity of escape rooms was made by the Japanese Takao Kato, who created the quest “Real Escape Game” in 2008; the quest became very popular in Asian countries. In Russia, the organization of quest rooms as a business began in 2013 with the quest from the company “Claustrophobia”

Since 2013, Russia has seen a boom in the opening and popularity of quest rooms. In large cities, provinces, villages with original ideas and playing conditions.

The main thing in organizing a quest in reality is the idea, let’s not be afraid of this phrase – the idea of ​​a quest room business. Around which you can organize an escape room. It could be original script, history, mechanical or electronic puzzles, role-playing games(not to be confused with). The game should be designed for 1-6 people, completed in 60 minutes, have an atmosphere and a clear script. If you don’t have your own idea, you can purchase and open an quest room under the franchise of any major organizer from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan, Perm and others.

Organization of a quest room, business plan

After creating or purchasing an escape room scenario, a room and decorations for it are selected. We would like to note that this business has the advantage of being independent of the area of ​​the premises. As a rule, quests are “scalable” - they can fit into rooms of almost any size. Even on an area of ​​1 m² you can organize a quest (we would look at this quest with pleasure).

When choosing a room Special attention make sure that the rooms are not located in close proximity to residential apartments, since your room must “work” around the clock, so your late visitors should not interfere with the night’s rest of citizens, in order to avoid complaints from them about your business.

An excellent placement for your room would be to be located in or near some area. entertainment center. This way you will be in the flow of “potential clients”. Because your target audience (from 18 to 45 years old) is always looking for somewhere to go on the weekend.

The organization and arrangement of the escape room must comply SES requirements, Fire Inspectorate, Rospotrebsoyuz (room layout, organization of the administrator’s workplace, etc.). “Reality quest” does not require any special licenses. It is enough to register a business under the activity “Entertainment Services”. To relieve yourself of various types of responsibility, all clients must be given safety instructions from personal signature“acquainted” and sign a waiver of possible claims.

Types of quests in reality

In addition to the obvious advantages - entertainment, mental and physical work, team work, quest rooms have a significant drawback - monotony– only a few will go to your room again, since no one is interested in going through what has been done.

Therefore, quest organizers have several scenarios and types of quests in stock that can be implemented in one room.

Currently the most popular types are:

Escaperoom- a classic quest, where solving puzzles, tasks and various thematic inclusions moves the team towards solving the search for a way out of the room in a limited time.

Questroom– extended quest. The basis of the scenario is not leaving the room, but going through the plot, searching for something or receiving a reward, along the path of which tasks and puzzles are solved.

Performance– expansion of the first two types. Animators-actors are added to the game, who interfere or help, act out scenes, and in every possible way influence game process. The inclusion of actors can be unexpected during the game (a wow effect is achieved) or according to the script. Expansion of this type of quests - participation large number actors in large areas. Such a quest does not require a closed space, and immersion in the atmosphere can be created in the square of the entire city by acting out scenes in front of the participants and giving them clues for the search. From the outside it looks like a children's party for adults.

Action-escaperoom– extended classic quest. The game adds an emphasis on the physical participation of players. Playing “hide and seek” from the participants in the game, crawling through ventilation, moving heavy objects, “shooting” (usually using laser-tag light guns) and others physical exercise that may be encountered during the game.

Quest “in a dream”- all of the above, but blindfolded or tight headphones that do not allow sound to pass through, or all together. But a popular one is blindfolding until the end of the game. Actors and sound (in the case of headphones, visual) help create immersion in the atmosphere.

Demo orPromoQuest/escaperoom– short scenarios that can be solved in 10-20 minutes in a very limited area. They are very popular at events, holidays, shopping centers and so on. You can invite them to your home, to your birthday.

In addition to the above types of quest rooms, there are other, no less interesting, other typesescape-room.

Angerroom– as the name suggests, the quest is based on anger. The scenario is based on a destructible interior. Break the TV? Break a chair on a table? Drop the refrigerator? Easily. When looking for a way out, don't forget to break the dishes. The first types of such rooms appeared in 2011 in the USA.

Questinbox (Quest in a box)– a box with instructions and items for the game is delivered to your home (usually a set of puzzles, the solution of which will be the key to the next puzzle). The quest is played out at home, in your company. Good mood as a gift, guaranteed.

• It's better to play indoors. If you don’t have premises, you can use empty offices, an apartment, a garage,... a morgue on weekends.
• Your script should contain interesting but solvable problems. Moreover, solving problems should captivate all participants in the game. A situation where 1 person solves the problem, and the rest are bored while waiting, negatively affects the popularity of your room.
• Before launching the room, test it on yourself, your friends and volunteers. The scenario must be completed within the allotted time. Without additional conditions and references to the fact that all people are different. People are different, but they should complete your quest equally well and quickly.
• Be polite and attentive. Create for people full terms and conditions comfortable completion of the quest. If they need meat grinders during the game, warn them about it in advance... well, not meat grinders, but flashlights or handkerchiefs. Provide tea, coffee, and wet wipes for the game participants so they can rest and take a breath.
• Prizes and gifts. Prizes and gifts are part of the PR of your business. Remember that this is an additional incentive and “word of mouth” for your audience, if the team wins a prize for being the fastest in completing the quest and receives memorable awards, tomorrow they will tell all their family and friends about it.
• PR. Invite bloggers, journalists, famous personalities. Arrange themed parties and competitions. All this helps promote your business.
• Stay on trend. Spy on colleagues, competitors and Western projects for new and original ideas, develop them.

These little tips will help you organize profitable business at quest rooms.

• Description of services
• Production plan
• Financial plan
• Step-by-step opening plan
• Documents for opening
• Permissions to open
• • • • Similar business ideas:

Sample business plan for a quest room opened under a franchise agreement.

Input data:

• City population: 1,200,000 inhabitants
• Premises: rent, 130 sq. m.
• Working hours of the organization: from 10:00 to 22:00
• Number of staff: 2 people.
• Project launch costs: RUB 670,000.
• Potential profit after 2 months: RUB 280,000. per month
• Return on investment: 6 months.

The purpose of this business plan is to prove the feasibility of opening a quest room in our city. An quest room is a new, interesting business, which is characterized by relatively low investments, simple organization and high potential income.

How much money do you need to open an quest room?

The project can be opened under a franchise agreement, or independently. To open things up on their own, entrepreneurs most often turn to screenwriters. This business plan was calculated using the example of opening a quest room through franchising. The company will provide us with all the necessary documentation, help us find premises and create decorations for quest rooms, help us select personnel and promote our business. Our main task is to find investments to open a project. Investments in the project will include:

• Purchasing a franchise or the right to use a brand - 120,000 rubles.
• Materials for creating locations (2 rooms) - 400,000 rubles.
• Deposit for rent of premises for 2 months. - 120,000 rub.
• Business registration and other org. expenses - 30,000 rub.

Total - 670,000 rubles.

Description of services

The average cost of visiting for one company in our club will be 1,500 rubles. The price will depend on the time of visit and day of the week. In the evenings, as well as on weekends, the price is higher by 500 - 1000 rubles. Game reservations can be made either by phone or through the website. Types of quests for visitors:

• Isolarium
• Sarah's Curse
• Countdown
• Double Breathing

On birthdays, visitors will be offered a 20% discount. You can also purchase gift certificates worth RUB 2,500 from us. for a company of up to 4 people. Quest room opening hours: from 10:00 to 22:00.

Production plan

To accommodate the quest club, it is planned to rent a room with an area of ​​at least 120 square meters. m. This is a fairly large area, so the choice of inexpensive premises will be relevant. Otherwise, rent will eat up most of the profit. As a result, we selected premises in one of the small shopping centers in our city. The shopping center is located in a residential area of ​​the city, so rental rates here are not high. However, there is good traffic from buyers, including young people. A big advantage of being located in a shopping center is that all the conditions are created here: there is security, a fire alarm, communications. Repairs and other costs for preparing the premises are not required. The rented area will be 130 sq. m. m. rent amount - 60,000 rubles. per month We will employ two operators as personnel who will work on a 2/2 shift schedule. Young people and students are ideal for this position. The salary of one operator will be 18,000 rubles, and the total wage fund per month will be 36,000 rubles. For employees, monthly contributions to extra-budgetary funds (PFR and Social Insurance Fund) will be made in the amount of 10,800 rubles.

Which OKVED code should I indicate for business?

The organizational form of the quest room will be an ordinary individual entrepreneurship. It is planned to select as the main OKVED code: 92.72 - “Other activities for organizing recreation and entertainment, not included in other groups.” Tax system - simplified tax system, 6% of revenue. Cash machine and no license is required to operate.

Marketing and promotion of services

It is planned to spend up to 40,000 rubles on business promotion. per month. Advertising and promotion of the quest room is planned to be carried out in the following areas:

1. Outdoor advertising - placement of banners, billboards, advertising on video stands. Will help make our services more popular and recognizable;
2. Advertising on the Internet - contextual advertising (Yandex-Direct), advertising on social networks and on specialized forums.
3. Distributing flyers and leaflets near places of potential clients - near universities, large shopping centers, youth parks.
4. Carrying out promotions and charity events.
5. Attracting television, creating videos and publishing them on the Internet.

Financial plan

Fixed monthly expenses:

• Rental payments - 60,000 rub.
• Salary - 36,000 rubles.
• Contributions to the Pension Fund and Social Insurance Fund - 10,800 rubles.
• Advertising - 40,000 rub.
• Other expenses - 20,000 rubles.

Total - 166,800 rubles.

How much can you earn from quest room services?

According to the franchisor’s statistics, after two months of operation of the quest room, attendance is approximately 4 groups on weekdays and up to 10 groups on weekends per room. With an average bill of 1,500 rubles. we receive the following revenue:

• 22 weekdays - 132,000 rubles.
• 8 days off - 120,000 rub.

Total - 252,000 rubles. from one room. We will have two rooms open at the same time, which means potential revenue doubles, since we can accommodate twice as many visitors. The monthly turnover will thus be 504,000 rubles. We understand that in practice it will be difficult to achieve such indicators, so we will count only on 70% of the indicated revenue (we also take into account tax deductions) or 352,800 rubles. per month. Net profit will be: 352,800 (revenue) - 166,800 ( fixed costs) = 186,000 rub. per month. Business profitability is 111%! Taking into account the period for business promotion, the return on investment will occur in approximately 6 months of work.

Step-by-step opening plan

1. Decide on the format of the service, whether it will be provided indoors or on-site around the city (the purchased equipment and rented space depend on this).
2. It is necessary to involve a third-party screenwriter who can create detailed plots for at least several quest scenarios. It is better if the outcome is unpredictable.
3. It is necessary to obtain registration documents (more details below) and register with the relevant authorities.
4. A room is being looked for that will house several rooms and also house the administrator, agents and technical staff.
5. This is followed by advertising promotion (ads, contextual advertising on social networks, creating your own groups and public pages, etc.).

How and what equipment to choose

In order for an enterprise to be competitive, it is necessary to purchase or rent long-term audio equipment, a remote control for the dispatcher who will monitor the situation inside the room, surveillance cameras, surroundings (antiques, themed costumes, etc.). Every 3-6 months it is necessary to update the surroundings and interior of quest rooms, which will entail an approximate cost of 300-400 thousand rubles. However, this amount of equipment costs can be reduced, because many people make decorative items from scrap materials with their own hands.

Documents for opening

In order to legalize this type of business, registration is required. individual entrepreneur- at first this is quite enough. To obtain a certificate, you must submit an application of the proposed sample, indicate contact information and the place where the quests will take place. In addition, you will need a citizen's passport and an individual tax code. A lease agreement must be concluded with the owner of the premises, which will be required by each government agency. It must be certified by the signatures and seals of both parties.

Which tax system to choose?

For this type of business activity, it is not possible to choose a patent form for the taxpayer, since the list of such types of business is clearly regulated. It will also not be possible to select tax on imputed income, because the classifier in the “household services” section does not indicate quest rooms. Therefore, the entrepreneur will have to choose between a simplified system and common system taxation. Most prefer the simplified version with its 6 or 15% tax burden. It is this scheme that will simplify reporting and minimize the cost of paying taxes.

Permissions to open

In addition to registering with the tax office and obtaining a registration certificate, permission from the fire service and sanitary and epidemiological station may be required. To do this, the premises where services will be provided (games will take place) must fully comply with their criteria. No situation should arise in any quaestor that could result in a risk of injury to the participant. Before the start of the game, each visitor must undergo a simple safety briefing.

Service delivery technology

To open a truly successful quest room, you will need a renovated room that will correspond to the theme of the events being held. If you focus on role-playing outdoor games, then they can be held in the corporate premises of customers, rented anti-cafes, tourist centers, and parks. In order to protect yourself from possible incidents, it is necessary to conduct safety training with client players and obtain appropriate signatures from them. Since potential clients, as a rule, look for an quest room on the Internet or based on reviews from their friends, it makes sense to pay great attention to the marketing campaign. Its tools can be social networks with a page or group, information on forums, and advertising banners. Distributing flyers in shopping centers and cinemas, as well as all kinds of promotions, works well. Some businessmen prefer to open franchise rooms from more well-known and promoted brands.