If you’ve been in the escape room industry for any length of time, you might have heard about the Reality Escape Conference, or “RECON” for short. Maybe you’ve seen some cool photos from previous years attendees, or heard the buzz about “that really cool conference game” someone played at a previous year. Or maybe you follow Room Escape Artist, the organisers’ news and reviews website. Maybe you’ve been meaning to go for years and just haven’t quite made it happen?

Well, consider this your sign! RECON 2026 will be in Laval, QC, Canada and we’re going as a proud Gold Sponsor. We’d love to see you there!

But first, let us tell you a little bit more about exactly what RECON is, and why it's one of our favourite conferences in the world.

So, what exactly is RECON?

RECON is one of the only major global conventions dedicated specifically to escape rooms. There are others, and we’ve written about a few of them before. But RECON is one of the biggest, best known, and most lasting events.

It’s described by organisers, Room Escape Artist, as:

“An escape room and immersive gaming convention for industry professionals and players. It’s for those who believe in the future of this industry and want to shape where it goes.”

And that description is accurate! The RECON community is a brilliant, caring, and social group of folks who all share a passion for making and creating games. The event brings people together in a way few other escape room events do.

RECON is organised by Room Escape Artist and their team, who are some of the most respected escape room bloggers and journalists in the world. Their passion is reflected in every aspect of how RECON is run, from the quality of speakers sourced to the glowing reviews of their convention games, and there’s a genuine sense that everyone really cares about their craft.

Here at Buzzshot we’ve been sponsoring RECON for many years now, and each time we come away with new ideas, new connections and a renewed enthusiasm for everything our escape room industry is doing. It’s genuinely one of my favourite events in the calendar.

Carl & Tom at RECON 2024

What to expect at RECON 2026?

RECON 2026 is a two-day event taking place August 16-17, 2026 in person in Laval, QC, Canada. Here’s what to expect:

Speaker Sessions

The backbone of the event will be the industry-specific speakers giving talks on the design and business of escape rooms and immersive games.

Q&As

Immediately following all the speakers' talks will be a live Q&A and an opportunity to deep-dive into the topics discussed.

Discussion Sessions

Discussion sessions are a facilitated way to share your ideas, and learn from others. These are conversations, not lectures, and you’ll find yourself in a room with folks from wildly different perspectives and walks of life with a shared interest and experience in the escape room industry.

Exhibit Hall

A place for all sponsors and vendors who power the escape room industry! Think software, hardware, prop makers, marketing tools and more. Oh, and we’ll be there too! Come say hi!

The RECON Game

A collaborative puzzle-y experience that runs alongside the event itself, you’ll be working with other conference attendees to solve the RECON Game itself. So if nothing else, it’s a fantastic way to meet and make new connections.

On-Stage Entertainment

A fun, entertainment break making RECON beyond a typical industry conference. This year featuring The Crossword Show with Zach Sherwin and a live recording of the Reality Escape Pod podcast.

And of course… Networking!

Whether in person at the event, in one of the “after hours” events, or online with the community on Discord, there’ll be plenty of opportunities to expand your network.

This Year’s Speakers

This year's lineup is shaping up to be excellent - so far!

Confirmed speakers so far include Troy Armstrong of The Escape Game and Great Big Game Show, Theresa Piazza of Great Gotham Challenge and Room Escape Artist, Gijs Geers of DarkPark, Arcturus Wang of Boxaroo, Bill Dalitsikas of Lockhill, Emma Rochon of Improbable Escapes, Marcelo Morales of Encrypted Escape Room, and Will and Kim Rutherford of Escape Artist Greenville.

And, at the time of writing, there are more still to be announced!

You can check out the full lineup here.

Who should attend RECON 2026?

Honestly, anyone who works in the escape room industry and takes it seriously.

RECON is designed for two kinds of people: On the business side, the speaker sessions explore design topics from puzzle development and technology, to practical matters like construction, business management and marketing. For players, it’s a chance to go behind-the-scenes and look at the artistry behind some of your favourite escape rooms.

We’ve seen attendees come from all over the world. As for ourselves, we’re coming from the UK, but we’ve got plans to meet up with friends old and new from all over the world who will also be there. The international mix of perspectives is just one of the things that makes the RECON experience so memorable.

General tickets are $699 USD and include speaker sessions, live Q&As, discussion sessions, the RECON game, access to the exhibit hall, two stage shows and networking. Champion tickets are $1,249 USD and include all the above plus merchandise, a dedicated concierge, a shout-out on the Reality Escape Podcast and a year’s Room Escape Artist Patreon membership. Tickets and full details are at realityescapecon.com

We’ll see you there!

Buzzshot is a proud long-term sponsor of RECON. If you’d like to learn more about Buzzshot, or Buzzshot Bookings before the event, you can get a demo and a free trial here.