Creative Chaos at The Panic Room Gravesend

Every so often, the iK team takes some time out from the office to revive our creative spirit. So, on a sun-soaked Thursday morning, we left our desks and headed for the maritime town of Gravesend with only one destination in mind: The Panic Room.

Founded in 2016 by husband and wife Alex and Monique Souter, the couple discovered their love of escape rooms while living in Atlanta, Georgia, which led them to starting their very own venture in the historic coastal town of Gravesend. With major expansions happening over the years, The Panic Room is now the ultimate entertainment centre – with a wide range of activities and immersive experiences to enjoy, the space continues to grow year by year.

The Splatter Studio 

Team iK was in much need of a creatively-driven day out and our time at The Panic Room delivered exactly that. When we arrived, we were warmly greeted by Alex, who welcomed us through the main entrance. Passing a retro gaming arcade, we headed up the stairs towards the Splatter Studio.

Unlike your typical painting session, where you might sit quietly and leisurely pick up your paintbrush, this session was entirely different – before we began, we were each handed a poncho and shoe covers in a clear sign that this was no ordinary art experience.

Once covered head to toe in our protective gear and feeling slightly less glamorous than we had five minutes before, we left our belongings (and perhaps our dignity) safely tucked away in our lockers, ready to step inside the studio.

Once inside, we were met with walls drenched in vibrant paint splatters. The iK team were each assigned a white canvas as we stood next to stations fully equipped with paintbrushes, cloths and water for cleaning, while a bench in the middle had a colourful selection of paints for us to choose from. After a short introduction from the wonderful Monique, we were left for an hour, ready to paint our canvases, or should I say more accurately, ourselves.

Within only a short matter of minutes, I saw paint flying across the room, landing on both our canvases and my once clean poncho. For the iK team, there was no chance of us becoming the next Picasso; we were there to have fun and embrace the mess.

This is the beauty of The Splatter Studio. Of course it is ideal for friends, families and children to get stuck into, but it also offers the chance to create something truly memorable, with the option for couples to paint one large canvas. The space is incredibly versatile, making it a memorable experience that’s as creative or as messy as you like.

Halfway through the session, by which point we were already covered in more paint than our canvases, Monique told us that the fun had only just begun. Before we could register our initial excited confusion, the studio was quickly transformed into a glow-in-the-dark experience, which made each of us quickly return to our posts to splatter once again, proving the experience here only gets better.

At the end of our session, we peeled off our ponchos and shoe covers, with wipes on hand to tackle any paint that had made its way onto our faces (some of us more than others). We left on a high and in much need of some well-earned refreshments and, with The Panic Room having a dedicated bar, dining space and karaoke rooms, the fun continued well beyond the studio.

The dining area offered a wide selection of pizzas to choose from, where we all eagerly tucked in while our freshly painted canvases were carefully packed into boxes ready for us to take home. Feeling refreshed, we headed back to our desks with our creative spirits restored.

The Like TV Game Shows Experience

There is something quite exhilarating about a bit of healthy competition between the iK team, so the thrill of winning teamed with our dislike for losing made The Panic Room in Gravesend the perfect setting for a competitive day out.

The Panic Room has an incredible selection of games – with the UK’s largest selection of escape rooms – ranging from family-friendly to detective mysteries alongside the iconic Laser Quest, but team iK was heading for the Like TV Game Shows Experience, an immersive, fast-paced experience where you can choose to play from a range of real-life TV game shows.

Before entering the game show room, Monique kindly welcomed us to the show, setting the scene and preparing us to enter individually and form our teams. One by one, we made our way to our panels where we were greeted by TV game show host Alex Souter, who kept us entertained throughout the entire experience.

We kicked the show off with The Quiz Show, a fast-paced trivia game that had us all eagerly hovering over our buzzers, waiting for the next question to appear on the screen. This was followed by Code Breaker and Name That Phrase, and with each game our competitive spirit only grew stronger. It has to be said, Alex was excellent at keeping us focused and guiding us through each round. His clear instructions, high energy and his bedazzled suit, which deserves a mention of its own, kept everyone thoroughly engaged from start to finish. 

The scores started to add up across the teams and tension was beginning to rise, with each team aiming for first place. A quick break for refreshment was just what we needed and with a range of cooling refreshments on offer, we quickly recharged and were soon back at the panels, ready to continue the battle for the trophy.

In no time at all, we reached the penultimate game, Fun Fortunes; the perfect opportunity to test whether the iK team could guess the most popular answers, which I can safely say we all tried our best at, with only a few minor drawbacks along the way. This led us to our final game of the day, Spin to Win. Much like charades, it involved a chaotic mix of miming, frantic hand gestures and the occasional burst of enthusiastic shouting.

At the end, team iK winners, Sam and Jerry, made their way to the front of the stage to receive their well-deserved trophies. The rest of the iK team were left wondering whether we might need to refine our knowledge of catchphrases and brush up on some popular answers for next time. Still, as team days go, this one has set a new standard for unrivalled competitiveness and endless entertainment.