From escape rooms and immersive theatre, to axe-throwing and re-invented darts, Ottawa companies that offer immersive and engaging experiences saw a strong 2023 and don’t expect business to slow down.s
While many business owners are struggling to stay afloat in a post-COVID economy, one industry might have the pandemic to thank for its recent “explosive” success.
From escape rooms and immersive theatre, to axe-throwing and re-invented darts, Ottawa companies that offer immersive and engaging experiences saw a strong 2023 and don’t expect business to slow down.
The term “experience economy” is often used to refer to good customer service or moody lighting, but Steve Wilson, owner of Escape Manor, said the term has evolved to include businesses that “sell experiences,” which is “more coveted and desired now than ever.”
Since opening in 2014, Escape Manor, known for its themed, immersive escape rooms, has aimed to return guests to “a playful state,” explained Wilson.
“We were looking to upend the industry and give people something fun to do that would immerse them in a world of wonder and return to a useful state, like playing hide-and-seek in your grandparents’ basement, and escape from the doldrums of day-to-day-life,” he said. “It took off way faster and larger than we anticipated. We couldn’t keep up.”
Part of Escape Manor’s goal is to disconnect guests from technology.
“We realized the world is more connected digitally and we wanted to give people a space to disconnect from devices and become human again,” he explained. “The emotions they have during the experience makes them human again and show their best self to build connections. We are non-digital by design in a time when people are spending more and more time on devices.
“As a father, I loathe the times I will give my son an iPad. We wanted to give people an environment that’s not digital and more experiential, and people are craving that and we’re seeing the demand.”
Approaching its 10-year anniversary, Escape Manor is a “packed house,” and Wilson credits some of the success to recent cultural shifts brought on by the pandemic.
During lockdowns, there was a surge in online streaming, takeout food and at-home experiences, and so people grew used to entertainment from the quiet of their homes, Wilson explained. Now, economic pressures are causing consumers to pull back on spending, choosing to stay home rather than attend a cinema and limit their entertainment expenses.
According to Wilson, all this means that, when people do choose to splurge on a night out, they go “all-in.”
“People are looking for more for their dollar now. They want to be entertained and left with a subconscious feeling that they just had a lot of fun,” he said. “People have evolved and are looking for more than that two-dimensional experience.”
An excuse to come together
Pete Dillon, the screen actor and founder behind BigTime Murder Production, is a veteran when it comes to offering immersive, engaging experiences. The interactive murder mystery theatre company celebrated 32 years in business earlier this month, and Dillon said the services have “never been more popular.”
With different formats, from public shows to Zoom mysteries and private events, BigTime Murder Production includes Murder Mystery Ottawa, Murder Mystery Toronto, and ZoomMystery.com. Every offering includes interactive, comedic shows with professional actors that offer a live murder mystery performance — and bring the audience along with them.
“The murder and the mystery are the setup for the story, but it’s not about the blood and gore; we’re not convincing them they’re in a crime scene,” explained Dillon. “It’s an excuse to come together, laugh together, and immerse themselves in this story, and it’s such tremendous entertainment.”
ZoomMystery.com was born during the pandemic and put on 18 shows each day, serving audiences across the world with a virtual murder mystery experience. Coming out of the pandemic, and riding the high of the virtual success, Dillon said he didn’t expect business to get even better.
However, last year was BigTime’s most successful to date, and Dillon said while many Ottawans are tightening their purse strings in many areas of their lives, they’re willing to splurge on fun.
“We’ve seen an increase in purchases of the experience and finding the opposite of penny-pinching. In fact, people are willing to pay more than ever for a great experience,” he explained. “Prices everywhere are increasing and what we’re finding is that value for their entertainment and big bang for their buck is tremendously important.
“It’s not unusual for people to say, ‘How can we VIP this up, what else can I pay for, what can you add to this?’” he continued. “To a creative mind, that’s a great thing to hear. And to a business, it's great: how can we step it up to wow you even more?”
The company’s last 35 public shows, which are held at the Prescott Hotel and Restaurant on Preston Street, sold out almost immediately, Dillon said. Corporate shows have also been popular, he added, since they’re “HR-friendly” — “humiliation-free” and no bad language.
Explosive growth at LumberJaxe
LumberJaxe, an axe-throwing experience at 250 City Centre Ave., suffered during the pandemic but now its popularity is spiking again, said co-founder Kerry Moher.
“We got our ass kicked during COVID, we barely survived,” said Moher. “Experiential things really suffered. Where restaurants could do takeout and could thrive, you can’t take out a bucket of axes away, so nothing experiential could happen.
“In a lot of ways, people started ordering in but doing less out,” he continued. “Once we got through and scraped by … as soon as we were able to open back up, we thrived.”
Now, LumberJaxe’s Ottawa experience includes multiple lanes, a full bar, and coaches to supervise and teach participants.
The Ottawa facility has recently doubled its footprint to keep up with demand. December was “explosive,” making 2023 LumberJaxe’s best year yet, and Moher said the interest hasn’t stopped.
Moher said the “new normal” of remote and hybrid workplaces has also led to an upswing in corporate and team-building events.
“Teams didn’t get together for so long and now lots are working remotely and don’t see each other, other than for these experiential social activities,” he said. “So there’s been that resurgence in team-building in general as they find ways to connect.”
Unlike sitting down to a company dinner, where “people tend to stay in their groups,” axe-throwing requires fun, lots of movement, and a healthy dose of competition.
Facilities are expanding
At Escape Manor, Wilson has expanded the two locations in Ottawa to provide additional options for guests, including dining and casual games.
“For many years, our food and beverage offerings were chips, chocolate bars and pop and wine in plastic cups,” laughed Wilson. “We realized people did dinner before or cocktails after, and we took a new space in Toronto that was way too big, so we decided to add in (dining) to the experience.”
The 982 Wellington St. West location in Hintonburg is home to four escape rooms, while the location at 292 Elgin St. offers six escape room experiences, a lounge and a parlour that features bocce ball and “darts reimagined,” or darts with motion sensors and automatic scoring.
Outside of Ottawa, the Manor has expanded into Toronto, Hamilton, Regina and Saskatoon, as well as Brisbane, Australia.
BigTime is also planning to expand its existing operations in Ottawa and Toronto, Dillon said, to keep up with demand.
While the pandemic may have been a death sentence for many business models, the experience economy has survived, and — if you ask Dillon — is here to stay.
“If you’re streaming something on TV, it’s a one-way street. With live (experiences), it’s so much more personal and I think that’s where a live experience has so much more weight than any streaming or TV show.
“It’s so interactive, we talk to each other … There’s no comparison between live experiences and at-home entertainment,” he continued. “It’s not just live, but it’s alive, and you’re a part of it.” 
