{"id":18434,"date":"2025-11-09T14:51:16","date_gmt":"2025-11-09T13:51:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/escape-room.si\/?p=18434"},"modified":"2025-11-14T16:30:27","modified_gmt":"2025-11-14T15:30:27","slug":"report-from-er-champ-in-sofia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/escape-room.si\/en\/report-from-er-champ-in-sofia\/","title":{"rendered":"Report from ER CHAMP in Sofia"},"content":{"rendered":"

\ud83c\udfc6 ER Champ 2025 \u2014 an incredible battle of minds and an inspiring ER Conference in Sofia<\/h2><\/div>

At the end of October, we attended the ER Champ World Championship in Sofia<\/strong>. This year, the organizers truly outdid themselves: they built two fully equipped escape rooms<\/strong>, complete with modular walls, high-tech gadgets, hidden cameras, and \u2013 of course \u2013 a great selection of original and quite challenging puzzles.
\n(For context: the modular wall system was developed specifically<\/em> for ER Champ so that a full room could be built in a single day!)<\/p>\n

Was it intense? Absolutely!
\nThe difference between first and second place was only 19 seconds<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/div>

2025 Podium<\/h3><\/div>
    \n
  1. Dzi\u0119kuj Krystianowi, \u017ce do dru\u017cyny Ci\u0119 przyj\u0105\u0142<\/strong> (Poland)<\/li>\n
  2. Los Kotitos<\/strong> (Switzerland)<\/li>\n
  3. Comment est votre blanquette<\/strong> (France)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Congratulations to all finalists who tackled exceptionally demanding challenges and demonstrated incredible skill, concentration, speed, and team spirit \u2014 true athletes of the mind<\/strong>!<\/p>\n

    \ud83c\udfa5 You can watch the full livestream here:<\/em>
    \nERChamp 2025 Finals Livestream on YouTube<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>

    <\/span><\/div>

    Thank You, Lock.me<\/h3><\/div>

    A special thank-you goes to the team at Lock.me<\/strong><\/a>, who for ten years have been investing enormous energy, time, and personal resources to keep ER Champ a free global event<\/strong>, accessible to teams from all around the world.<\/p>\n

    This is not just a competition \u2013
    \nit\u2019s a movement<\/strong> that connects, strengthens, and promotes our entire industry.<\/p>\n

    And 2026 will be especially festive: the 10th anniversary of ER Champ<\/a><\/strong>.
    \nLike Eurovision, the next final will be hosted in the winning country.
    \nSee you in Wroc\u0142aw!<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>

    \ud83c\udfa4 ER Conference \u2014 knowledge, passion & inspiration<\/h2><\/div>

    The atmosphere at the conference was just as inspiring as the competition itself.
    \nTalks, best-practice exchanges, new partnerships, and meetings with creators from across the globe created a space where one could truly feel that the escape room industry is global, connected, and on the verge of a new era of growth<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/div>

    Nata\u0161a\u2019s Talk: \u201cTo Be the First or To Be the Best\u201d<\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
    <\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>

    Nata\u0161a Poto\u010dnik delivered a motivational talk that deeply resonated with the audience.
    \nHer metaphor about mushrooms hit the mark: on the surface we see individual organisms, but beneath the ground they are connected by a vast mycelium network<\/strong>, which makes them some of the most successful life forms on the planet.<\/p>\n

    And just like that, collaboration connects us \u2014 the creators.<\/p>\n

    And since we’re in the escape room industry, the mushroom metaphor was no coincidence:
    \n\u201cI found the word ROOM in the word MUSHROOM.
    \nThey are called FUNGI \u2013 and there is also FUN in fungi!\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

    The response?
    \nWe are still<\/em> receiving messages of support and collaboration proposals from Poland, Bulgaria, Italy, Switzerland, Greece, Belgium\u2026 even Japan<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

    <\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

    Inspiration, TERPECA Insights & the Future of Our Industry<\/h2><\/div>

    The conference consisted of three thematic modules:<\/p>\n<\/div>

    1) Inspiration<\/h3><\/div>

    The story of ER Champ, best practices from Enigmarium, and a deep dive into building an effective PR strategy for our industry.<\/p>\n<\/div>

    2) TERPECA Module<\/h3><\/div>
    <\/span><\/div>

    Three top representatives of TERPECA-ranked escape rooms took the stage:<\/p>\n