Aurora Wins Prestigious EDCO Award for Cybersecurity Escape Room

The Town of Aurora has been honoured with an Award of Excellence from the Economic Developers Council of Ontario (EDCO) at the 68th Annual Conference and Showcase. This recognition celebrates the Town’s 2024 Cybersecurity Escape Room – Visitor Attraction & Tourism Product Development initiative, a groundbreaking project that merges technology education with entertainment.

 

 

Mahdi Raza, Founder & CEO of siberX,
Aurora Mayor Tom Mrakas,
cybersecurity expert Vivek Khindria

This recognition from EDCO is a testament to the hard work and creativity of our staff and partners.”

Canada’s First Cybersecurity Escape Room

The 2024 Cybersecurity Escape Room is the first of its kind in Canada, designed specifically for cybersecurity training. By blending the thrill of an escape room with real-world cybersecurity challenges, it turns traditional training into an immersive and memorable experience. Created in partnership with siberX, the escape room featured hands-on tasks such as identifying phishing schemes, decrypting codes, and mitigating simulated ransomware attacks.

A Tourism and Economic Development Success

Located in downtown Aurora, the escape room quickly became a local attraction, boosting tourism and supporting nearby businesses. In just three months, it welcomed nearly 300 visitors, with inquiries about implementing similar initiatives coming from across Canada, the U.S., and beyond.

About the EDCO Awards of Excellence

The EDCO Awards of Excellence recognize outstanding economic development projects that set new industry standards and have the potential to become best practices. Award recipients are considered leaders in economic development and are often invited to share their insights at EDCO events.

For more information about the Town of Aurora’s economic development initiatives, please visit aurora.ca/business.