Starters: We were treated to some 50’s tunes in an effort to get Gen-Xers to join our group—they must have been outside with their hula-hoops twisting in their poodle skirts, or dragging the Avenue---. Anyway, the meeting finally got started about 12:45.
Pledge of Allegiance: Michael Kimball lead the pledge (speaking of 50’s? – was that 1850’s or 1950”s?)
Thought for the Day: Charlene Drummer gave an inspirational analogy between teamwork in escaping escape rooms (the subject of today’s speaker,) and teamwork required to solve today’s big and little problems. Solving puzzles takes more than multiple people, it requires organization, trust and above all working effectively together. Very well said Charlene!
(An aside—rumor has it that numerous Rotarians were working together to figure out an escape from the meeting room---probably a mis-understanding---)
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Rotary Magazine: Jay Miller reminded us that we should pay more attention to the Rotary Magazine. He noted that every month there are lots of interesting articles and photos and we should use some of that content to enhance our meeting discussions. I agree that over the decades this magazine has improved dramatically from a stodgy “old boys” club review to a meaty international summary of the great work and breadth of Rotary throughout the world. Give it a look!
India Project Update: Our tireless International Service Committee Leader Bobba Venkatadri gave us an update on the latest progress.
1) The Tribal Girls School project has been fully funded and funds have reached our sister Club in India. They are organizing the purchase of equipment and bidding for the subcontractors. Construction should start shortly depending on the weather conditions. Thanks to all of you who made this project happen!
2) A few years ago, the Rotary Foundation started a new program called “Projects of Scale.” Only one of these projects per year is funded. The program requires that a Rotary Club must raise $500,000 dollars from outside donors to be eligible for an additional $2,000,000 from the Foundation. As you can imagine the program is super-competitive, requires numerous steps and a compelling track record to even qualify for applying, and is judged among clubs applying from around the world. Does this concern our fearless leader, Bobba? Of course not! Bobba through his contacts has already received written commitments of $450,000 plus his own family contribution of $50,000, contingent on receiving the Foundation Grant, so money is not the issue. The International Committee, especially Bobba and Charlene Drummer, with help from other committee members and major help from our India friends have spent the last 3 hectic weeks preparing the required Concept Statement, a lengthy document which is due tomorrow August 1. We hope to be selected as one of the Clubs to take the next application steps, but even if not selected we will get valuable feedback for the following year. The committee would be pleased to have new members interested in joining this effort which could change the lives of 20,000 Tribal Girls in 10 to15 or more schools over a 5-year period.
Announcements:
Don’t forget our Rotary Golf Tournament at Green Hills Country Club on Monday September 30. We need sponsors and players so be thinking of those you know who can support our major fundraiser of the year.
Burlingame on the Avenue is coming August 17-18th. We need volunteers to help host the beverage tents. We are hoping for smiling servers, cashiers and barkers to enhance the tips jar. Rotary is allowed to keep any and all tips we receive, (including Nvidia and “Blue-Bell” to place in the 9th !)
Program:
Jennifer Pence introduced her friend Rich Bragg. In a unique interview style, we were treated to a fascinating program on the escape room industry, a new craze that has popped up worldwide.
Rich Bragg is a lifelong puzzle enthusiast who has played over 1300 escape rooms in 26 US states and 16 countries in North America and Europe. In 2018, his team set a Guinness World Record in Moscow when they played 22 escape rooms in a 24 hour period.
Rich also has five top-10 finishes in international escape room world championships and will be competing this November for the ER Champ Escape Room World Championship in Prague.
Beyond his competitive escape room playing exploits, in 2018, Rich founded the Top Escape Rooms Project, whose annual Enthusiasts' Choice Awards honor the top 100 escape rooms in the world with a TERPECA Top Room award. This award has come to be widely regarded as the most prestigious award in the escape room industry and is frequently referenced as the Oscars or the Michelin stars of the escape room world.
For his day job, Rich is the founder and CEO of ClueKeeper, a software platform for creating and playing location-based treasure hunts. ClueKeeper is used by puzzle creators around the world, including many escape room owners.
Escape rooms are a time-based team activity where a team enters a “locked room” and deciphers clues in the room which allows you to exit.
The concept started in 2012 and has grown worldwide.
This is a fun gaming experience that allows one to forget about the rest of life for a few hours and escape reality.
Rich explained how they applied for the Guiness Book of Records, which needed to be documented with Go-Pro cameras and witnesses; they went 24 hours and while physically exhausting, they remained mentally fit.
Different countries have different vibes: Athens has horror games; Spain has no-greeter games where the door opens automatically; Candy is served in English game rooms
Trends in the latest new rooms have gotten less competitive, less of a time limit and more on enjoyable content.
Escape rooms are developed by for-profit companies, and they are making money.
Typical tickets are between $25-$60 per person depending on the location and complexity
The best group size is 4 according to Rich, but ranges from 2 to 10.
If you would like to experience a local escape room Rich recommends
