Frequently Asked
RECON 23 will take place August 19 - 20, 2023 from anywhere you can access the internet.
Convention Background
How did Room Escape Artist come to host a convention?
Room Escape Artist has been an active member of the escape room industry since 2014.
Co-founders David and Lisa Spira have been attendees, speakers (including keynote), panelists, panel moderators, exhibitors, media, and special guests at industry events all around the world. That’s where they honed a vision for a highly curated event with world class speakers and an emphasis on community conversation.
RECON was originally planned as an in-person immersive games convention in 2020, but REA adapted in the face of the pandemic, translating the vision into an accessible, digital, global event. RECON 20 and 21 was a resounding success with over 900 attendees from more than 60 countries.
In 2022, we finally hosted RECON in person in Boston, and it was magical.
Why is RECON 23 an online-only event?
The Reality Escape Convention exists to support a community and industry that loves, designs, and operates immersive games. With our online events in 2020 and 2021, we brought together a global community. Not everyone is able to travel to an in-person event. RECON continues to host digital events to keep us all connected.
Is this an annual event?
Yes! Next year’s is already in the works.
Can I get involved?
Contact us with our handy-dandy form or email us at RECON@roomescapeartist.com and we’ll get back to you.
Curation
How are you selecting the speakers?
We’re not just dropping speakers on digital stages; we’re curating an experience. Each talk will give different information and our programming team works closely with each speaker to produce the content.
We’re looking for 4 qualities in the people that we will put on stage:
- Deep knowledge of their craft
- Willingness to give of their knowledge
- Charismatic (virtual) stage presence
- Ability to put a creative spin on the content
We know a lot of people in the escape room and adjacent worlds. In some cases, we reached out to speakers and asked them to share their expertise in a certain area. In other cases, the speakers reached out to us, or answered our call for proposals, and together we determined that they’d be a great fit for RECON.
How are you ensuring the quality of talks?
In one word: Actively.
Lee-Fay Low leads the RECON Programming team in supporting each and every speaker to ensure the talks are:
- Written well in advance
- Crafted thoughtfully and skillfully
- Fact checked
- Rehearsed
- Produced for digital delivery
Will REA be speaking?
If you put a microphone in a space full of escape room people, David & Lisa will find their way to it.
You can expect a “well-researched, rational, and reasonably humorous” talk.
I've been to other events where the talks were basically sales pitches. How are you avoiding that?
These talks won’t be sales pitches. They will be focused on delivering actionable escape room insights. They’ll aim to make you reflect.
Some of these speakers don’t currently have a product or service to sell you. That said, we’d never fault a speaker for briefly mentioning an offer, especially because it might be relevant to your needs.
Will the talks be similar to last year?
Each RECON brings you new speakers, and new topics. All the Featured Talks will be tailored to the needs of this industry now..
Talks from past online events are available to you for free here.
We intend to continually build the conversation each year with new content that addresses new ideas and is relevant at a different point in time.
Will the talks be available after RECON?
During RECON, you can only watch the Featured Talks at their scheduled times. Later this year, we will make the Featured Talks available on YouTube. The live discussions and other conversations will not be available later.
I've already been to an escape room conference. Will the talks be the same?
You may have heard some of our speakers before… however the talks will be unique.
Our emphasis is on 3 central goals:
- Supporting the growth and evolution of escape rooms
- Fostering escape room community conversation
- Creating a sustainable escape room industry
I didn't get anything out of another conference. What will I get out of RECON?
It depends what you’re looking for. If you’re looking for a convention that can magically provide all the insights you need to turn your escape room business into a super power overnight, you probably won’t find that anywhere.
At RECON, we’ll have a curated lineup of exceptional featured talks from knowledgeable speakers, all crafted for this year’s audience. We’ll have conversations in our digital venue, the RECON Discord, where you’ll meet new people with a shared interest from all over the world. Most importantly, RECON is different from other events because you’ll feel a sense of community.
Digital How-To
What timezone is RECON in?
The RECON schedule is built to accommodate a range of time zones. The Featured Talks take place between 10:00 – 19:00 (New York time). All times on the RECON website are listed for New York.
What's the RECON Discord?
Discord is a conversation platform with channels for text, voice, and video chat. It’s effectively our digital convention center.
When you join our Discord server you can chat with attendees, join facilitated discussions, visit sponsor booths, and more.
How do I join the Discord server?
Shortly before the event, all ticket holders will receive instructions on how to join. Your ticket determines which channels and features you’ll be able to access in the RECON Discord.
What if I've never used Discord?
We have a team of RECON volunteers ready to help you out. You can join a “Navigating the RECON Discord” orientation session on Saturday. You can also click on the RECON Help Desk in Discord to get more specific technical support.
How do I watch the featured talks?
All Featured Talks will be streamed on the Main Stage page of this website. You can watch this stream from your browser without joining the RECON Discord. This page will be available on the day of the event.
Tickets
Do I need a ticket for the free or Basic levels of RECON?
Yes, you will need a ticket in order to access the digital venue, the RECON Discord. To take full advantage of everything RECON has to offer, even at the free level, you’ll need to get a Basic Ticket.
How do I get a ticket?
Tickets start at $0!
What's included with a ticket?
That depends on the type of ticket.
Please visit our ticket information page for additional details and pricing.
How many talks are included in my ticket?
All of them! Every RECON ticket includes access to all the talks. There will be 7 Featured Talks at this year’s event. RECON isn’t a collection of disconnected seminars; it’s a curated experience.
What is a Game Pass?
When you purchase a Community, Pro, or Champion ticket, you’re eligible to claim a Game Pass at no additional cost!
The Game Pass gets you a voucher to play the RECON 23 exclusive game: The Shop of Theseus
Claim your Game Pass by selecting the “Game Pass (digital)” option in the Ticket Enhancements section of ticket information form below.
It can take up to 48 hours after you purchase your ticket before you receive your email with your voucher to book the game.
Game passes are limited and this offer is only available while supplies last.
Can I still play the RECON Game, The Shop of Theseus?
You can still play for as long as Game Passes are available. When you purchase a Community, Pro, or Champion ticket, make sure to claim the Game Pass at no additional cost!
Claim your Game Pass by selecting the “Game Pass (digital)” option in the Ticket Enhancements section of ticket information form below.
The game bookings take place before and after RECON (but not during the event itself).
Offer is only available while supplies last.
How do I sign up for the RECON game, The Shop of Theseus?
First, opt in for a Game Pass when you buy a Community, Pro, or Champion ticket.
Second, you’ll receive an email with a unique voucher code and instructions to book the game. This will come from RECON@roomescapeartist.com within 48 hours of ticket purchase.
Third, you’ll receive an email with instructions to log in to the game. This will come from theseus@roomescapeartist.com on the morning of your booking.
Can I upgrade my ticket?
As long as there are still tickets available in the type that you want, yes, you can upgrade.
Fill out this form and RECON will email you a link to upgrade your ticket.
If you want to upgrade your ticket during RECON, go to the Help Desk in Discord and a RECON Volunteer will help you upgrade.
How do I purchase a ticket for another attendee?
Purchasing for another attendee:
Using the form below, you should fill out the information (Name, Email, etc) for the individual who will be attending RECON.
This DOES NOT need to be the same information as the person paying for this order. That information is separate and will be collected during checkout.
Once you’ve filled out the form, click “add to cart” and a popup will appear confirming the details of what’s in your cart. If you are only purchasing a single ticket, you may proceed to checkout.
Purchasing multiple tickets:
Each attendee needs their own ticket. To add additional tickets to your order, you can dismiss the popup and complete the above process again. Alternatively, if you’re looking to purchase a different ticket type for them, you may navigate to it using the Tickets menu in the main navigation bar at the top of the site.
At any point you may proceed to checkout to complete your purchase.
Why did I get two confirmation emails when I bought a ticket?
Attendee Tickets and Admission Tickets are two similar sounding names, but they serve different functions.
Attendee Ticket:
These are paid tickets that are part of your Billed To order. They can be purchased individually or in bulk and on behalf of others (see the section on Purchasing Tickets for Other Attendees).
Admission Tickets:
These are individualized tickets which are sent directly to the person they were assigned to during your initial Attendee Ticket purchase. These Admission Tickets will be used to check into Discord on the day of the event.
Bottom Line:
After you complete your check-out process, you’ll first receive an email confirming your order has been placed. Shortly after, each attendee listed on the order will also receive their Admission Ticket.
NOTE: It could take up to 10 minutes for all of this to finish processing after you place your order. Please be patient but reach out if you have any questions.
Do I need a separate ticket for each member of my household?
Generally, yes. The only exception is if multiple people in the same household are sharing a device and a Discord login. If that is the case, they can share one RECON ticket as well.
Is there a cap on the number of attendees?
There are limited quantities of some ticket types. There are also limited Game Passes (available with Community, Pro, and Champion tickets only). We expect to sell out.
Room Escape Artist & Ethics
What are you trying to accomplish?
The Reality Escape Convention exists to support a community and industry that loves, designs, and operates immersive games.
We believe immersive games like escape rooms are a new category of storytelling, with the staying power of other media that came before. The companies thriving today are innovators and we’re excited about the innovations that will come next.
RECON strives to support these businesses and to help grow a strong, sustainable industry.
What if I sent a nasty letter to REA because of a review I didn't agree with?
You’re still welcome at RECON. David, Lisa, and all the writers at REA have thick skin.
Does RECON compromise the impartiality of Room Escape Artist?
No, it furthers our mission to provide valuable insights to this community, just as we do through the reviews.
The reviews that REA produces are part of our constant and ever-deepening analysis of escape rooms as a medium. Our bread and butter is studying the construction of these games, not serving judgment – it’s one of the many, many reasons that we have zero interest in ascribing ratings to games.
When we review, we call the experience as we see it. Our integrity has never been for sale… and even if it were, it would cost a whole lot more than a ticket to RECON.
Does RECON have anything in common with the Escape Immerse Explore tours?
It’s similar in that it is a gathering of people with a love of escape rooms and similar types of entertainment. Everything else is different.
The Escape Immerse Explore tours are all about visiting world-class escape rooms with others who share this passion, and experiencing the games together.
RECON is all about positioning this industry for a sustainable future by providing resources and connections to assist creators, business owners, and consumers in these efforts. We all succeed together.