Our first year on the NYMA

They say time flies when you’re having fun, and that’s certainly true at ROX Escape Experience. Just over a year ago, we opened the doors to our new location at the NYMA site. It was a great step for entrepreneur Mark Smolenaars, allowing him to expand the number of Escape Rooms to three. So Mark, how has the first year been?

Mark Smolenaars shares:

Absolutely fan-tas-tic! We’ve had an amazing first year. It took some blood, sweat, and tears, but it was all worth it. As an escape room owner, there’s really nothing better than moving to a new location. It gives you the creative freedom to bring all your ideas to life in the rooms. At the same time, that of course comes with some challenges.

Every detail had to be just right

Especially the phase before opening was tough. Our guests are used to a certain standard in our rooms, everything has to be perfect right from the start. You only get one chance to make a first impression. So every detail had to be spot on. If you’ve ever been involved in building or renovations, you can probably imagine what that time was like. But in the end, everything was ready on time for the grand opening.

Incredible escape rooms in a stunning location

The opening was truly fantastic. The enthusiasm from everyone who came by, about the rooms, the building, and also about the NYMA. It really was a great step forward for us. We now have three rooms: De Ramkraak, De Bezetting, and The Show.

De Ramkraak, De Bezetting & The Show

De Ramkraak is our showpiece. This room was previously ranked as the 24th best escape room in the world according to TERPECA and has now been completely revamped. In addition, De Bezetting and The Show are our new rooms. It’s amazing to see that our guests are just as enthusiastic about these and rate them highly, that really means a lot to us.

With De Bezetting, we bring a piece of Nijmegen’s history to life. The Show is all about having as much fun as possible. It’s truly different from anything our guests have ever done before, and they love it!

We’re so happy with our first year at the NYMA site. The site itself is already a great outing on its own. We’re seeing more and more collaborations happening here. Feel free to message us if you’d like to explore the area, we’d love to help! The site is a source of pride for us. And if you want, we’ll end the tour with a thrilling, historical, or super fun escape room. Definitely worth doing!

Hope to see you soon!

Mark Smolenaars
Founder, ROX Escape Experience