TransWorld Trade Shows is launching an Escape Room Summit on Monday, February 22, 2027, in St. Louis: one day of advanced education, hands-on learning, and networking for up to 100 established escape room owners, senior operators, designers, and industry leaders. It opens a week of escape room events ahead of TransWorld’s three trade shows, which run February 25-28, 2027, at America’s Center.
Sessions, Labs, and Industry Showdowns
The Summit builds on TransWorld’s original Room Escape Conferences, held in Chicago, Niagara Falls, Nashville, and San Antonio, with a new program built around the challenges and future of today’s escape room businesses. TransWorld says the day will include:
- Fast-paced RUN IT and BUILD IT sessions
- Hands-on working labs
- Industry showdowns
- The Industry Unlocked LIVE
- Time set aside for owners to trade ideas and make connections
Sessions will cover business, growth, and profitability, along with design, technology, and guest experience. TransWorld plans to keep attendance to about 75 to 100 people so the conversations stay focused. Full programming, speakers, participating companies, workshops, tour locations, pricing, and registration haven’t been announced yet.
Jennifer Bianco, CEO of TransWorld Trade Shows, said: “The escape room industry has grown tremendously, and the needs of owners have grown with it. We want to bring this community back together, give them access to the people and resources that can move their businesses forward and create a Summit worthy of where this industry is headed next.”
“Exactly the Right Time”
Three people from the escape room industry added statements to TransWorld’s release.
Dwayne Sunburn of 13th Gate Escape: “TransWorld was there at the beginning with the first Room Escape Conference, this homecoming is happening at exactly the right time to help move the escape room industry to its next level.”
Jono Naito-Tetro of Intrigue X: “Having this level of education, networking and industry resources together right before TransWorld’s Attraction shows is the perfect opportunity for every owner to get everything they need for their business all in the same week!”
Nick Schilbe of Off The Couch Games, which will be a vendor, sponsor, and speaker: “We’ve attended TransWorld for years as escape room owners, so returning this time as a vendor, sponsor, and speaker feels particularly special. Off The Couch was built inside the escape room industry, and this community has been incredibly supportive of us. We’re thrilled to see TransWorld making a major investment in escape rooms with a dedicated Summit, and we’re honored to be invited to help launch it.”
TransWorld’s St. Louis Show Week
The Summit is part of a longer week of escape room and interactive entertainment programming around TransWorld 2027, with the show floor, exhibitors, special events, and nightly networking. TransWorld’s three St. Louis shows, the Halloween & Attractions Show, the Christmas Show, and the Interactive Entertainment Show, all run at America’s Center from February 25 to 28. The Interactive Entertainment Show covers room escapes, axe throwing, and other interactive businesses.
My tour of the 2026 Halloween & Attractions Show floor:
TransWorld says it has produced attraction industry trade shows for more than five decades. It also runs the East Coast Haunters Convention in Oaks, Pennsylvania, on April 24-25, 2027. Every 2027 show is in my Halloween and horror conventions calendar, and my guide to TransWorld 2026 covers what the show week looks like. TransWorld says Summit updates will be posted at transworldtradeshows.com.
Top photo: a player works a map puzzle at Escape Quest in Bethesda, 2019. Photo: Hudson Bloom, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
