Big Moments in Off Limits® History

Off Limits® began with hiring jet skis from Sheffield’s Rother County Part in 1993. By 2010, our humble hire business had blossomed into the dynamic multi-activity and event company with a £6m annual turnover.

Today, we employ over 60 full time staff, plus part-timers and freelancers. We run It’s a Knockout® events throughout the UK and host Hen and Stag parties worldwide. We also have activity centres across the UK and throughout the world, plus houses, villas, boats and offices across Europe. Off Limits® creates bespoke events, runs outstanding corporate events and team building activities, and has a warehouse that Aladdin could party in for weeks.

Rocking the event scene since 1993 - Off Limits®
1993 - 1995

From the waves to the dirt tracks!

With the jet ski business booming, Peter and John decided to expand into driving activities. They acquired a driving centre, hiring out quad bikes, 4x4s and Honda Pilot buggies.

1996 - 2000

Expansion: The "HotWheels" Effect!

The off-road driving centre sparked a fast expansion and we moved to a bigger site in Nottingham to accommodate our increasing staff numbers and growing collection of vehicles. We expanded into the wedding, corporate events and team building sectors with the launch of three new websites:

Off Road Driving Comes to Off Limits® - 1996
Off Limits® acquires the original BBC It's a Knockout® - 2001
2001

The original BBC It's a Knockout®

This year was a huge one for us as we acquired the original BBC It's a Knockout®. We brought Britain's much-loved tournament back to life by organising events for private and corporate clients in locations around the UK.

2002 - 2005

Hen and Stag Boom

Stagweekends.co.uk was such a big hit we decided to expand further by offering stag and hen party weekend breaks, activities and accommodation across Europe. A travel agency was purchased, the website Stag.com was born and our staff numbers rocketed. Two new directors joined the board. Martin Stephens took control of the corporate events division, with Simon Queripel in charge of logistics.

Off Limits® launches Stag and Hen Weekends - 2003
Off Limits® becomes the premier destination for Spanish hen and stag weekends - 2007
2006 -2008

Aladdin’s Cave continues to grow

We moved to our current 15000 sq. ft. headquarters in Langley Mill to accommodate our ever expanding workforce and collection of vehicles and event equipment. This was the year we became Spanish stag party and hen weekend specialists. Additional websites were purchased to strengthen our position in the market. More space was needed and we also purchased a further 200 sq. ft. building and more parking space.

2009 - 2010

We took to the seas

This was a landmark year in our company history. We took It's a Knockout® to India in a ground breaking deal with Kooh Sports - our biggest deal to date. In July of 2010, Kooh Sports contacted John Tarr with a request to adapt our version of It's a Knockout for an Indian audience. Following intense negotiations, we created 14 games and built bespoke equipment. On delivery, an Off Limits® manager flew to India to train staff and assist with the launch. Our yacht charter business was also formed with one Yacht based in Barcelona and three yacht charter websites created for the Spanish market.

Off Limits® takes It's a Knockout® to India - 2010
Off Limits® opens European Offices in Barcelona - 2011
2011 - 2013

European Offices open

We expanded into Europe by opening a permanent office in central Barcelona. This enabled us to manage the 450 groups placed in Barcelona per year more effectively. Another landmark year, 2013 saw us expand yet again by entering into a partnership with the De Vere Belton Woods business and leisure resort in Leicestershire. This enabled us to run a second off-road activities site, offering everything from archery and shooting to quad biking and Segway sessions.

2014

21 years old

2014 was another mammoth year for us, with staff increasing on a monthly basis to cope with business demand. This year saw the launch of Totally Wiped Out our brand new game day with games inspired by Total Wipeout and we will also take the famous It's a Knockout® to Barcelona. So now you can have even more fun in the sun. So with more It's a Knockout's® than ever before, arranging even more Hen and Stag parties worldwide and Corporate events still on an increase it's going to be busy. Not to even mention the launch of our new games, sites and events. In our 21st year of business it's great to see the business still growing at such a rate.

Off Limits® launches Totally Wiped Out - 2014
Off Limits® creates escape rooms in Nottingham with Escapologic - 2015
2015

Enter Escape Rooms

What a year! 2015 saw the creation and launch of Escapologic, the most immersive escape rooms in Nottingham. Designed, built and run by us, this has been a smash hit, with rooms booked up months in advance. It was a great year on the corporate side of the business, with a new events centre opening at the stunning Farncombe Estate, located in the rolling hills of the Cotswolds.

The corporate activities and events portfolio expanded, with fresh and innovative experiences like bushcraft survival, cocktail making, and amazing animation. Totally Wiped Out Birmingham was such a success that we took the decision to launch it in Nottingham as well. It's a Knockout® team events continued to be incredibly popular, so much so that additional destinations were added: Newcastle and Edinburgh. It was a bumper year for hen and stag parties. New locations and fresh activities were added to our UK and European sites to give groups greater choice and inspiration.

2016

Global HQ Expansion

Exciting times ahead! It was a strong start to 2016, with the launch of Totally Wiped Out Sheffield. Our corporate team expanded into the mindfulness sphere, with new activities based around wellness and wellbeing. Escapologic did so well in its first year and received such a positive response that we are launching more escape rooms in additional UK locations. With more activity centres planned and lots of new activities and destinations for stag and hen weekends in the pipeline, 2016 is already shaping up to be a brilliant year.

Off Limits® expands Global Headquarters - 2016
2017 - 2019

Total Knockout

Expansion continued as we created even more corporate events including Indoor Crystal Quest and Tricky Triangles. We created more great partnerships with venues and agencies, increasing our venue portfolio. Continued our great relationships with clients in which we created even more bespoke events. Sent out even more Hen and Stag parties for the most outstanding weekends away. Added new locations in the UK and around the world for Hen’s and Stags to visit.

Created the brand new Total Knockout Event, this new event is the ultimate mash up with our top games from It’s a Knockout and Totally Wiped Out brought together to bring you Total Knockout. This is a must try event in 2020.

2020 - 2022

The Covid years!

The pandemic hit the whole world hard and had a huge impact on us all it also brought the events and hospitality industries to a complete holt.

Therefore, we had to adapt quickly and find new ways to run our business. During this time, we began creating new ways to deliver our events virtually to enable us to continue running as a business. We used this time as an opportunity to create new events, be creative with virtual events and become more efficient in our event delivery. This allowed us to ensure that we were continuing to deliver exceptional service and events to you.

2023

It’s our birthday!

This year we turn 30! Reflecting on everything we have achieved as a business is incredible and seeing how we still deliver such exceptional events 30 years later. However, the best is still yet to come, this year we have increased our teams by 50%, along with increasing our event delivery by 25%. This means that we can bring even more incredible events to you, while always providing exceptional service ensuring the best experience for you.

We have developed new sustainable events like our fabulous Sustainable Soapbox Speedway and continue to promote and innovate events in this area as we know how important this is for the future.

So, here’s to our next 30 years, delivering outstanding team building and corporate events, hen and stag parties, It’s a Knockout, Multi activity days and so much more, all with our 5 star service as customer satisfaction is always at the centre of everything we do.