Today we’d like to introduce you to Peter Carollo.
Hi Peter, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
And our business started as a family tradition whenever we would go on vacations and discover fun local escape rooms wherever we traveled. Collectively we all decided that it was a great business model but we had limited experience with brick and mortar locations and the idea of overhead was a bit overwhelming so we concluded that the idea of a Mobile Escape Room sounded exciting and fresh.
We set out on the research phase which for us included playing dozens of escape rooms both local and throughout the state of Texas trying to develop a plan for success. We eventually settled on an idea for an Alamo-themed Escape Room and we consulted with Texas historians and even a museum curator to make our escape room as fun and accurate as possible. We opened in the spring of 2018 to limited success mainly because the idea of escape rooms in general let alone mobile were extremely new and relatively unheard of.
But eventually, the idea grew like wildfire and we were booking dozens of private events even partnerships with local resorts and businesses. Quickly we realized to keep customers happy we would need to expand which led to us purchasing a smaller shorter Escape Room experience and another trailer, then a mobile Axe Throwing trailer, then yard games and sumo suit wrestling then another trailer, and now two brick and mortar locations and a dozen other unique entertainment rental options!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It certainly hasn’t been a cakewalk. With any new business, there’s bound to be challenges, however, in the entertainment world where innovation and creativity promote success, they also come with their own limitations such as product awareness and acceptance.
When we first opened our Alamo-themed Mobile Escape Room trailer, Alamo escapes the race to liberty, escape rooms were still an extremely new concept in the United States however as time went on and pop culture started recognizing escape rooms as a fun entertainment option we saw our bookings increase.
For example, reality and sitcoms such as the big bang theory and the celebrity Escape room show really helped to educate the public and help spread the word. We’ve learned it’s a constant battle between adapting new concepts and ideas early and having the patience and capital cushion to ride out the initial slow period.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I have worked in the entertainment industry since I was about 10 years old when I started working as a magician for local bars restaurants and private events. Early on a recognized the desire for professional and entertaining businesses and saw how I could be successful as long as I could consistently develop both the business and entertainment aspects.
For example, there are plenty of amazing magicians out there who are not good with people and likewise, there are just as many performers who get by on their people skills alone but to create a business that has strong foundations with both of those skills at heart has been our key for success. We specialize in bringing new modern and unique ideas developed and packaged in a professional setting to our clients. Over the past few years, we have found that the entertainment rental industry has quite a few pitfalls when it comes to customer service so we have always placed that as our highest goal.
I would have to say I am most proud of our ability to adapt we originally went into this business with only escape rooms and one conversation at a time we started seeing the need and desire from the public for more unique and creative entertainment options such as Mobile Axe Throwing, Foam parties, archery tag, things of that nature. I believe what sets us apart aside from really unique services is our focus on the customer starts with the training, hiring, and treatment of our employees.
During orientation, we stressed that we are not a Mobile Escape Room company or a mobile Axe Throwing company our number one job is to make the customer happy and to generally make their life easier. We recognize that event planning and organizing is extremely stressful and for us to be able to come in and answer any and all of their questions in a timely manner to show up early, being prepared and friendly has really helped ensure our success.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
And when I started out I fell into a classic pitfall idea of avoiding competition and even talking with competitors for fear of being compared to them when in reality competition is usually your greatest ally in the event rental business.
After we established ourselves in the local arena as not just a couple of weekend warrior businesses we naturally ran into other rental companies at events and friendships began to grow as we traded ideas, stories, warnings, and tips for success.
Pricing:
- Mobile Escape Room $395-$460/hr
- Mobile Axe Throwing $300-$400/hr
- Mobile Gelly Ball $150-$300/hr
- Bubble Blastoff Foam Parties $150-$250/hr
- Extreme Archery Tag $250-$350/hr
Contact Info:
- Email: info@mobileescaperoom.com
- Website: www.MobileEscapeRoom.com
