Australian Enterprise Awards 2026 | 55 AIM-Dec25165 The interest in escape rooms has been on the rise over the last twenty years, quickly transitioning from a niche activity into a popular experience enjoyed by all kinds of people. With this, people increasingly move away from purely puzzle-based experiences and towards immersive entertainment. Escape This is proudly standing at the forefront of this shift having built a reputation for constructing Australia’s most immersive escape rooms. As Escape This is named in the Australian Enterprise Awards 2026, CEO and Founder Bernie Janes told us more information. Players are immersed with Escape This, as it offers an allencompassing experience specialising in creating cinematic, story-led environments, backed by over 11,500+ five star reviews. This has been the company’s focus since its launch in 2020: taking participants on a journey that tells a story shaped by sets, narratives, and challenging puzzles to solve. Escape This offers more than 30 original experiences across its four venues in Perth and Sydney, with concepts spanning adventure, mystery, and horror. From exploring the magic of the Wizard’s Chamber and facing the wrath of Dracula to breaking free from an outback outhouse and surviving the ordeal of being buried alive, guests can live countless lifetimes across many visits to Escape This. “Our unique selling point is total immersion,” stated Bernie. “Everything we create is designed to feel cohesive, believable, and emotionally engaging; not just a set of puzzles, but a complete world with its own story, atmosphere, and rules. From lighting and sound to set design and narrative flow, every element is purpose-built to work together so that players don’t feel like they’re playing a game, but stepping into an experience.” These exceptional events are conceptualised and designed then built in-house by a multidisciplinary team, enabling Escape This to maintain complete control over its offerings. In doing so, the company ensures that it can push the creative boundaries of design and execution, adapt quickly to shifts in the market, and continuously refine each room in line with evolving player expectations. The company serves a diverse audience, whose expectations have shifted from traditional puzzle-led formats toward entirely experiential, story-driven environments. Rather than simply seeking something to do with their time, guests are now looking for experiences that foster connection, participation, and emotional engagement among participants, leaving them with memories they will not soon forget. This trend has been particularly amplified across Australia, driven by the ongoing rise of screen fatigue and cost-of-living pressures. In this landscape, people are choosing shared, meaningful experiences over material purchases, which has expanded the audience for immersive entertainment beyond niche enthusiasts to now include families, corporate teams, and tourists. “We’ve capitalised on these shifts by focusing on total immersion and maintaining full creative control,” Bernie told us. “Ultimately, what we aim to achieve with our players is connection. Whether it’s friends, families, or corporate teams, we want people to leave feeling like they have shared something meaningful – something that has pulled them out of everyday life and into a story they lived together.” “If players walk away talking about the world they were in, the emotions they felt, and the people they’ve shared it with, then we’ve done our job.” Expansion and enhancement will define the future of Escape This, as the company sets out with intentions to continue raising the bar for immersive entertainment across Australia. 2026 will see the team dedicated to driving national growth, with new venues and experiences set to launch in Brisbane and Melbourne, and further developments in its existing Perth and Sydney venues in the works. Each new project provides an eagerly anticipated opportunity to explore bolder concepts and more emotionally driven narratives, whilst allowing the team to continue building upon all that they have learned over the last five years. It is this passion and innovation that has propelled Escape This to become a key player in this sector, evolving from a small independent concept into a brand nationally recognised as The Best Immersive Experience Provider 2026. Contact: Bernie Janes Company: Escape This Web Address: www.escapethis.com.au Best Immersive Experience Provider 2026
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTUyMDQwMA==