EP. 162: RICHARD HARPHAM, CEO BOOM BATTLE BARS AND ESCAPE HUNT

In this episode, Mark McC sits down with Richard Harpham, CEO of XP Factory and former Pret strategist. They chat about Richard's career trajectory, including his strategic roles at Pret and Constellation Wines, and his current ventures, Boom Battle Bars and Escape Hunt. The discussion covers the growth and challenges of XP Factory during COVID, the importance of strategic thinking in business scale, and creating value for customers and shareholders. Beyond strategy, Richard discusses the industry's evolving trends, such as competitive socialising and the impact of remote working on hospitality.

About Guest

Richard Harpham is the CEO of XP Factory, a leading company focused on creating unique immersive experiences that blend entertainment, adventure, and social interaction. With a strong background in business leadership and a passion for innovation, Richard has been instrumental in transforming XP Factory into a pioneering force in the leisure and entertainment sectors. Under his guidance, the company has developed a diverse portfolio of brands, including Escape Hunt and Boom Battle Bar, each designed to engage audiences through thrilling activities and immersive storytelling.

With over 20 years of experience in the hospitality and leisure industries, Richard combines strategic vision with hands-on management, fostering a culture of creativity and teamwork within his organisation. Richard is dedicated to promoting fun and engaging environments, ensuring that each visitor leaves with unforgettable memories.

This podcast is sponsored by NFS Hospitality.

About NFS Hospitality:

With over 20 years of experience solving problems for restaurateurs, NFS Hospitality truly understands your challenges as a hospitality operator.

Whether you’re looking for top-notch POS & CRM systems, effective loyalty programs, the tools to execute powerful marketing campaigns, or a reliable Point of Sale system, NFS Hospitality has you covered with an end-to-end technology solution.

At NFS, we know every hospitality business is unique, and that’s why we’ve walked in your shoes time and again to deliver effortless, tailored technology solutions designed for your specific needs.

Our world-class technology puts the user at the heart of every transaction, ensuring a seamless and efficient experience for you, your teams, and your guests.

Leading hospitality operators like BrewDog, Gaucho, and Archie’s trust NFS to provide the technology that makes their operations run smoothly across all verticals. NFS knows what it takes to help both your team and your guests have a world-class experience with our solutions.

And with 24/7 support from actual humans, you can always rely on NFS day or night.

Visit http://nfs-hospitality.com/supersonic to speak to the experts at NFS today. You can also download insights and guides on how to leverage technology to grow your business.

Our Silver Sponsors are:

Airship and Toggle:

Airship is a data-driven CRM for the hospitality industry. Restaurants, bars, hotels, and pubs can use Airship to email marketing and create personal relationships with their customers.

Check out https://airship.co.uk/ for more information.

Saved by Robots:

Saved by Robots are passionate about creating compelling brands and memorable experiences through great design, engaging storytelling and genuine authenticity.

Visit Savedbyrobots.com to get in touch

About Mark Mcc:

Mark McCulloch is one of the leading food, drink and hospitality brand and marketing minds in the world. Mark has over twenty years brand, marketing, digital and social media experience holding senior and board-level positions at lastminute.com, Barclaycard, YO! Sushi and Pret