The Annual Conference For Escape Room Owners By Escape Room Owners
September 14-16, 2026
Memphis, TN
Intensive training events designed to level-up your escape room staff
These 4-day events will be jam-packed with learning and fun. They are designed to prepare your staff members to fill the certain positions like General Manager, Production Manager, Room Writer, and Marketing Manager.
During PCU training, your staff will experience teaching sessions, hands-on workshops, and have the opportunity to shadow Puzzol Creative managers as they perform their own duties.
These events include conversations before and after the training sessions by the Puzzol Creative team with you as the escape room owner to keep you in the loop on what your staff member is being taught and any important details you should know.
Hotel rooms for those attending PuzzolCon University can be booked at the DoubleTree By Hilton Hotel Memphis at 5069 Sanderlin Avenue at the PCU group rate by clicking the "Book Hotel Rooms" button below.
SPRING 2026
WHEN:
April 13-16, 2026
WHERE:
Puzzol Creative HQ in Memphis, TN
CONCENTRATIONS:
General Manager
Production Manager
Marketing Manager
Room Writing
FALL 2026
WHEN:
November 9-12, 2026
WHERE:
Puzzol Creative HQ in Memphis, TN
CONCENTRATIONS:
General Manager
Production Manager
Marketing Manager
Room Writing
Schedule Overview
Sunday:
- Arrive in Memphis
Monday:
- 9:00AM – Breakfast / Discussions On Campus
- 9:15AM – Session 1
- 10:45AM – Break
- 11:00AM – Session 2
- 12:30PM – Lunch On Campus
- 1:30PM – Head to Practical Application (Workshop Or Offsite)
- 2:00PM – Observe / Put It Into Practice
- 5:00PM – Debrief / Discussions
- 6:00PM – Fun! Play 2 Escape Rooms Eat Aldos Pizza At Our South Main Location
- 9:00PM – Head To Hotel / Work On Homework To Prepare For Tuesday
Tuesday:
- 9:00AM – Breakfast / Discussions On Campus
- 9:15AM – Session 3
- 10:45AM – Break
- 11:00AM – Session 4
- 12:30PM – Lunch On Campus
- 1:30PM – Session 5
- 2:30PM – Head to Practical Application (Workshop Or Offsite)
- 6:00PM – Observation Night At East Location, Food Delivered
- 9:00PM – Debrief / Closing
- 9:30PM – Head To Hotel
Wednesday:
- 9:00AM – Breakfast / Discussions On Campus
- 9:15AM – Session 6
- 10:45AM – Break
- 11:00AM – Session 7
- 12:30PM – Lunch On Campus
- 1:30PM – One-On-One Assessment Discussions
- 5:00PM – Debrief / Discussions
- 6:00PM – Fun! Night Session At Amuse With Dinner Included
- 9:00PM – Head To Hotel / Work On Homework To Prepare For Thursday
Thursday:
- 9:00AM – Breakfast / Discussions On Campus
- 9:15AM – Session 8
- 10:45AM – Break
- 11:00AM – Session 9
- 12:30PM – Lunch On Campus
- 1:30PM – Session 10
- 3:00PM – Break
- 3:15PM – Session 11
- 4:45PM – Final Discussions and Debrief
- 6:00PM – Fun! Closing Session at Game Nite Lounge With Dinner Included
- 9:00PM – Head To Hotel
Friday:
- Zoom Call With Owners To Debrief
General Manager Description
Course Overview:
In the General Manager concentration, we will focus on leadership training and teach how to manage three areas of the escape room business: 1) Customer Experience, 2) Staff, and 3) Facility and Rooms.
We will cover topics like:
- Customer service principles and best practices
- Checks and balances that will help the manager and owner stay on the same page
- Creation and usage of checklists
- Hiring, training and firing staff
- How to keep facility and rooms well maintained
This intensive will teach a member of your staff how to spend their time as a manager, where and what to focus on, and what standards they should uphold to help the business build its reputation and profits.
Example Job Description:
Job Title: Location Manager
Reports to: Escape Room Owner
Hours: Full-time, exempt (generally 40+ hours per week, evenings/weekends as needed)
POSITION SUMMARY
The Location Manager oversees all aspects of an escape room location, including staff supervision, customer experience, facilities and safety, scheduling, inventory, vendor coordination, and compliance with company policies and regulations.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES
Staff Management
- Recruit, interview, and onboard staff in conjunction with oversight of the owner.
- Conduct quarterly performance reviews; provide coaching and enforce policies.
- Build engagement: celebrate staff birthdays and milestones; plan quarterly awards and training events.
- Create staffing schedules at least two weeks in advance; adjust and fill shifts as needed.
- Maintain training records; audit bonus numbers and timesheets and ensure payroll figures are ready for the owner or payroll staff to input.
Operations & Customer Experience
- Oversee daily operations to ensure rooms are clean, functional, and guest-ready.
- Conduct monthly rotating walkthroughs and playthroughs of all experiences to verify quality and consistency.
- Resolve customer issues promptly; monitor performance through observation and video review.
- Complete Monday reports covering escape rates, average clues, escape times, issues, and staff notes.
Facility, Safety & Vendors
- Perform light maintenance; escalate major repairs to owner or other staff if needed.
- Ensure facilities meet Amusement Device Safety Inspection requirements or other applicable codes.
- Verify fire extinguishers are in date and safety systems are operational.
- Complete weekly checks of fog machines, in-room printers, and other items on the weekly checklist.
- Communicate with, schedule, and pay all service vendors (e.g., plumbing, pest control, janitorial) and track service intervals.
Inventory & Purchasing
- Track and order props, supplies, and merchandise within budget guidelines.
- Maintain adequate backups for props and amenities; ensure snack and cleaning inventories remain full.
Communication, Reporting & Business Support
- Respond promptly to customer and staff communications.
- Implement initiatives from management meetings and report operational updates regularly.
- Participate in strategic improvements and represent the company at external events as assigned.
- Stay current on industry trends and apply best practices.
QUALIFICATIONS
- Prior management/supervisory experience preferred.
- Strong leadership, organization, and communication skills.
- Ability to manage scheduling, training, performance, and light maintenance.
- Flexible availability (evenings/weekends/holidays).
- Commitment to company values, professionalism, and safety.
Production Manager Description
Course Overview:
In the Production Manager concentration, we will focus on production principles and project management systems that will support a wide range of escape room builds. We will also learn hands-on skills for the three major components that make up your production process: 1) Build Construction, 2) Tech Integration, and 3) Scenic Immersion. In addition to teaching the principles for organizing and completing the initial build of an experience, we will also cover best maintenance practices for keeping your rooms in excellent condition.Example Job Description:
Job Title: Production Manager Reports to: Escape Room Owner Hours: Full-time, exempt (generally 40+ hours per week, evenings/weekends as needed)POSITION SUMMARY
The Production Manager manages construction and building elements of new experiences, props, and other projects. They also work to maintain excellence in all experiences through room upkeep.ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES
- Collaborate with the owners on game design, set design, and props for new room builds.
- Lead all aspects of new room builds including carpentry, tech, and art.
- Adhere to a budget and timeline for new room builds.
- Ensure that the final product is beautiful, functional, serviceable, immersive, durable, and meets a high standard of excellence.
- Send in a weekly report with issues solved and issues working on. Be thorough and plan ahead for materials that need to be ordered for these things.
- Keep locations and all experiences’ tool inventory complete as needed for maintenance and new builds.
- Be an expert in building materials, artistic mediums, technology, and other props our industry uses and vendors to buy them from.
- Keep the workshop tidy, organized and stocked with tools and supplies needed.
- Maintain existing rooms’ props in conjunction with other staff as wear and tear presents itself and perform routine quality checks on props and set designs as needed.
- Create all backups needed for rooms quickly, keeping track of what still needs to be worked on and prioritizing maintenance and refreshing needs.
- Identify industry trends for customer experience and game operations and incorporate when possible. Stay up to date on escape room trends and maintain a knowledge base through attending trade shows, industry events, and doing market research.
QUALIFICATIONS
- Prior management/supervisory experience preferred.
- Strong leadership, organization, and communication skills.
- Experience with carpentry, low voltage tech, painting, scenic art, and all of the tools associated with those trades.
- Flexible availability (evenings/weekends/holidays).
- Commitment to company values, professionalism, and safety.
Marketing Manager Description
Course Overview:
In the Marketing Manager concentration, we will learn the systems and tools needed to put a marketing infrastructure in place that increases brand awareness and bookings for your business. We will train on how to target your ad spending in the most effective and cost-efficient channels and will also focus on free advertising methods.We will begin with setting up systems to collect important customer information that will help track repeat customers and then move into social tools and how to use them. We will set up email campaigns, create several social posts from scratch using trending audio and your phone’s video capabilities. We will discuss strategies such as influencer marketing, SEO, social ads, seasonal campaigns and promotions and much more.
Example Job Description:
Job Title: Marketing Manager Reports to: Escape Room Owner Hours: Full-time, exempt (generally 40+ hours per week, evenings/weekends as needed)POSITION SUMMARY
The Marketing Manager leads all creative marketing strategies that increase brand awareness and bookings. They manage all communications out to customers and target markets via social media channels, review websites, email, website, and phone.ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES
- Develop and execute strategic marketing plans to achieve company objectives.
- Create and implement marketing campaigns to drive seasonal sales goals.
- Generate compelling and creative content for various channels, ensuring brand consistency.
- Stay informed about industry trends, competitor activities, and market dynamics to identify opportunities in the interactive entertainment space.
- Collaborate with internal teams to align marketing efforts with overall business goals. Create and manage a quarterly marketing plan that includes social media content, emails, website, text messages, and other mediums and promotional materials.
- Create and execute a weekly plan for social across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, etc for all Puzzol Creative portfolio companies. Stay at least one week ahead of schedule and posting multiple times a week. Engage with the audience via comments.
- Reach out to corporate clients to build relationships that can visit yearly and meet the needs of field trips or team building.
- Assist with sales by helping answer emails and phones for locations within 30 minutes of receiving. Follow up with people regularly.
- Keep location staff aware of promotions and sales goals.
- Represent the companies at trade fairs, festivals, and partnership events as needed.
- Handle all review sites, sending out review requests to build the review base.
- Manage profiles on Google, Trip Advisor, Yelp, etc. to ensure company information and hours of operation are always accurate.
QUALIFICATIONS
- Proven experience in marketing social media management with a focus on creative strategies.
- Strong leadership, organization, and communication skills to effectively convey creative ideas and marketing plans.
- Flexible availability (evenings/weekends/holidays).
- Commitment to company values and professionalism.
Room Writing Description
Course Overview:
In the Room Writing concentration, we will cover best practices for puzzle writing, story-telling, and game editing. This course is ideal for team members newer to the room-writing process who you want to join your writing team, or for solo room writers looking to improve their writing quality through collaboration. This course mixes time for individual work, one-on-one discussions with PuzzolCon coaches, collaborative workshopping sessions with other seminar attendees, and play testing for practical puzzle development.
By the end of the seminar, each attendee should have a fully written room ready to present to their team and begin the design process.