{"id":127409,"date":"2021-06-02T09:15:26","date_gmt":"2021-06-02T07:15:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=127409"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:25:39","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:25:39","slug":"from-offline-to-online-murder-mysteries-we-were-up-all-night-working-on-the-business-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2021\/06\/02\/from-offline-to-online-murder-mysteries-we-were-up-all-night-working-on-the-business-plan\/","title":{"rendered":"From offline to online murder mysteries: \u2018We were up all night working on the business plan\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

During her bachelor programme, Juliana Boboshko came up with a business concept that could be just the thing during a Covid pandemic: online murder mysteries. This brainwave has since developed into a regular offer of virtual events for corporate clients.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAmber Leijen<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Juliana Boboshko (22) is half Russian, half American. She originally moved to Rotterdam to study Communication and Media Studies at EUR. As a bachelor student, she spent a lot of her free time acting. And she was a member of WILDe Theatre, a theatre company formed by international students and the cradle of her current enterprise. Together with co-founder Jan van der Meer and a number of fellow actors, Juliana is now organising online murder mysteries for various large clients.<\/p>\n

How it all started<\/h2>

\u201cCovid crisis had just broken, and all the performances on our club calendar had been cancelled,\u201d remembers Juliana. \u201cSo we immediately started asking ourselves: how can we keep acting together?\u201d Every year, WILDe Theatre organises a murder mystery. During this interactive event, the actors play suspects in a murder case, and audience members are welcome to walk through the different rooms and ask the actors questions \u2013 in the hope of identifying the killer. \u201cThen I got this crazy idea. I thought: what if we organise a murder mystery, same as always \u2013 but this year, do it online?\u201d<\/p>\n

One of Juliana\u2019s close friends turned out to be an excellent scriptwriter. \u201cHe had already written a script about a murder case. I got in touch with him and asked whether he\u2019d allow us to use his script and convert it to a game format.\u201d She smiles: \u201cI suspect he didn\u2019t completely get what I planned to do, but he agreed anyway.\u201d Determining how to host the results online called for a bit more research: \u201cZoom didn\u2019t seem a practical platform for this kind of thing. We eventually opted for REMO: an online platform where you can walk around in a virtual environment and sit at different tables. That was perfect for our particular game format.\u201d<\/p>\n

Setting it up<\/h2>\n\t
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\n\t\t\u2018The amount of interest we had generated took us by surprise \u2013 we even had to turn people away\u2019\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

\u201cWe then took to social media to promote our murder mystery. The first time we organised the event, admission was free. The amount of interest we had generated took us by surprise \u2013 we even had to turn people away. And the second time we organised the event free of charge was also a huge success \u2013 we were even\u00a0contacted by AD<\/em><\/a> for an article.\u201d<\/p>\n

The ball started rolling after that. The international student network ESN Rotterdam asked the actors to organise a game for one of their open days. \u201cAnd later on in the year, towards the winter, the big consultancy firm Accenture asked us whether we could stage a murder mystery for them too. It was the first time we were actually paid for organising an event.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAmber Leijen<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

That got Juliana thinking. \u201cOnly a few months ago, if you had asked me whether I\u2019d ever be starting a business, I would have given you a confused stare. I had never even given it a second thought. But some time after, I was sitting at home with a friend of mine, telling him how much I enjoyed organising these games. And he said: \u2018Why don\u2019t you turn it into a proper business then?\u2019 We were up all night working on a business plan for Ludere Events.\u201d She came up with the name together with co-founder Jan: \u201cFinding the right name was a fun process. After brainstorming for a while, Jan suggested the Latin word for playing games: ludere<\/em>. It\u2019s a perfect match with our playful approach to networking. On top of which it turned out there weren\u2019t any other companies with the same name.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other events<\/h2>

With the company well and truly launched, Juliana is already working on expansions to its programme. \u201cWe also want to organise other types of games, to appeal to a wider range of clients. Which means we also list werewolves, pub quizzes and scavenger hunts as options on our website. We\u2019re still working on the scavenger hunt \u2013 we\u2019ll be doing a trial in July, during a charity event. That will allow us to test whether it\u2019s a fun concept. And it will be a good opportunity to promote our company, since everyone\u2019s welcome at this event.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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\n\t\t\u2018I think there will always be a market for our special approach to organising events.\u2019\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

By now, Juliana is accepting some two to three bookings per month. She\u2019s able to pay her actors, and has also hired a few accountants to help her with the financial details. \u201cSince we only started a few months ago, I expect there\u2019s lots of room for growth. At present, I\u2019m still working full-time as a marketing and sustainability assistant. So this business of mine is still something of a side job. I can\u2019t make a living off it as yet, but I can see it developing into a full-time job. I would love that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked whether her business concept will still prove viable after the pandemic, Juliana says: \u201cWe think so: there are loads of companies with people working for them all over the world. In addition, we plan to focus on organisations that depend on long-distance communication, like universities and schools for people with a disability. I think there will always be a market for our special approach to organising events.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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De redactie<\/h2>\n\t\t\n\t\t
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