Shrewsbury-based LevelUp Escapes wins Independent Operator of the Year at Revo awards
Nathan Green with his mum Kim, and the Revo award
Escape room operator LevelUp Escapes – located in The Darwin shopping centre in Shrewsbury – has been named Independent Operator of The Year at the national Revo Awards 2023.
Nineteen-year-old Nathan Green, owner of LevelUp Escapes, collected the coveted award at the glitzy event in London last night [6 December 2023].
The Revo’s recognise and reward the best of the best in the built environment encompassing development, investment, asset management, operations, customer experience, and destination marketing in the sector. At its core, The Revo’s are all about celebrating excellence.
LevelUp Escapes was recognised for being the first independent escape room operating in an indoor shopping centre and for appealing to a vast audience – from 20 to 70-year-olds.
LevelUp Escapes has created a real buzz – and increased footfall – in The Darwin centre since it opened in December 2022 with an Indiana Jones-themed escape room, and to date they have hosted an impressive 2,547 games for 9,213 participants.
Kevin Lockwood, centre manager of The Darwin, said:
“The Revo’s are competitive and very well respected, so I am ecstatic that Nathan and his team have got the recognition they so deserve with this incredible win. In such a short period of time they have cultivated quite a cult following – people travel from Shropshire and beyond to experience the uniqueness of his escape rooms. There is a real buzz around this brand, and I expect this is only the beginning of award wins for Nathan.”
Nathan Green, Founder of LevelUp Escapes, said:
“We are over the moon to receive this prestigious award, and it’s a testament to the incredible dedication of our team, the talent of our designers, the craftsmanship of our set builders, the skill of our electricians, and the exceptional leadership of Kevin and the management team at The Darwin centre. Together, we’ve achieved so much, and this honour wouldn’t have been possible without their fantastic support and collective efforts.”
LevelUp Escapes has recently unveiled its third immersive experience, ‘A Merry Mayhem’ – a festive Christmas-themed offering that has once again captivated audiences and garnered enthusiastic reviews. Nathan, the driving force behind LevelUp Escapes, is unwavering in his dedication to providing an exceptional customer experience, evident in the consistently impressive 5-star ratings on Google and Trip Advisor.
Drawing inspiration from valuable feedback received after the debut of the initial game, Nathan has continually refined his approach to craft an even more engaging and memorable experience. The insights gathered prompted enhancements for the second room, with a focus on delivering more ‘wow’ moments and introducing a captivating twist in the plot.
This led to the creation of “Mission: Abducted”, where a cleverly designed ‘false’ finish surprises players who believe they’ve completed the game, only to discover they have an additional six minutes of gameplay left. This unexpected twist has proven to be a hit among players, providing an adrenaline rush during the final moments of their gaming experience.
Nathan has also donated over 20 experiences to local causes such as ‘Chords Against Cancer’, ‘Jo Carsewell’s fundraising for the London Marathon’ and multiple local charity auctions. LevelUp Escapes has also hosted supported sessions in March 2023 for a local support group for Ukrainian children who had settled in the area in Shrewsbury as asylum seekers.
They also set up ‘The Great Grey Escape’ initiative with Frankies Cafe, during March and April 2023 for over 60s that are socially isolated to form new friendships, and as one customer commented ‘keep the grey matter going”.
