From Beer Sampling to Career Sampling - How we sampled culture in our innovative escape room.

Choosing a career is a major life decision but unfortunately, it's also one of the most intangible decisions we make. Unlike many other major life choices, we've never had a chance to try before we apply...until now!

I set out to find a way to sample what it's like to work at Anheuser-Busch. The solution? We created our very own AB Escape room, in just 4 weeks. The 15 minute, immersive experience is modeled entirely after real life challenges our employees have conquered in the business, leading to some of our company's most successful moments. All clues and employees used in the game are real and so is the fast paced, challenging environment. As with any good escape room, the game isn't easy, with a pass rate of approximately 50% it was designed to help people self-select whether this type of ambiguous environment made them uneasy or excited.

The escape room launched at SXSW Interactive to rave reviews. Even amidst robots and spaceship engines, our escape room managed to break through. Why? Because regardless of your industry or company size, we can all relate to the challenge of finding the right talent, for the right roles. Not to mention, we have all been candidates ourselves and trying to decide if your next move is the right fit isn't easy.

One of the most inspiring things we saw at SXSW was the power an experience like this has to bring people together. Teams of up to 10 people from all different countries, locations, backgrounds and demographics entered the room as complete strangers. Successful teams managed to bridge gaps, communicate effectively, and divide and conquer to successfully complete the challenge. It was a perfect testament to the power of diversity, inclusion and belonging. The team who completed the challenge in the fastest time was also one of our most diverse.

Watch our escape room video here!

Following SXSW, we took our escape room on tour to campuses across the country. For many students, picking a first role is even more daunting. Not only are they trying to pick the right company, culture, job etc. but it's often their first foray into the work world. The AB escape room tours on campus now through the end of April, 2018.

Special thanks to an incredible group of people who through a shared belief in the power of our idea pushed through the late nights, short timelines and limited budgets to make this possible. After all, companies don't make history, people do!

Alexis Smith, Director Employer Brand & Digital, North America.