Edinburgh entrepreneur brings ‘UK’s biggest escape room’ to Scotland’s capital

Chris Wood, 35, now hopes to launch his Team Machine venture in other UK cities after identifying a gap in the market. The fledgling business plans to grow to five full-time members of staff by the end of next year.

Wood, who studied business and economic history at Edinburgh University, said: “In-person immersive experiences are a big growth area globally. I saw a gap in the market to bring a really engaging, escape room inspired, social activity that worked for larger corporate and consumer groups to my home city of Edinburgh.

“I felt there was nothing in the current market, providing an attractive proposition for large corporate groups. The existing options are rather uninspiring or require staff to be split into much smaller teams, which is typical of many escape rooms and activity bars.”

He added: “We have created something unique for businesses, looking for a cutting-edge, fun, inclusive activity which is brilliant for getting people in the same room working towards a shared goal.

“Enabled by technology but tactile, interpersonal and energetic we’ve created a ‘cinematic’ feel through special lighting, screens, sounds and other fun components - so taking part feels more like being on a gameshow or inside a video game than a typical escape room. We can also offer catering and meeting room hire, tailored to our corporate guests’ needs.”

Team Machine, which is located at Nicolson Square, is testing the market in Edinburgh and, if successful, plans to expand into other key locations in the UK.

It is also looking at expanding into in-house team building further down the line - taking some of the technology behind Team Machine on the road, directly to clients’ business premises.

Another potential avenue being researched is offering a “facilitated” version of the firm’s experience to corporate groups. This would involve a professional coach monitoring the team members throughout their session and providing a structured debrief afterwards.

This is seen as providing a more formal team building option and a way for staff to develop their soft skills while logging continuing professional development accredited hours.

Wood, who has worked in a range of roles spanning brand marketing and graphic design, added: “On the corporate side, with most escape rooms only catering for up to eight people, Team Machine is a great solution for businesses in Edinburgh looking for an ideal social team building activity for eight to 24 people. It will engage everyone, be competitive enough to provide excitement and enjoyable enough that nobody even realises they’re team building.

“And for the consumer market, I felt there was a real opportunity to create a large group escape game like no other, which allows your gathering of family, friends or kids to all interact and have a fun adventure together, without being split into smaller groups.”

In 2019, Wood launched Escape the Past in Edinburgh, a venture which has won TripAdvisor’s “Travellers Choice Award” for five consecutive years.