Show Daily

… While New Chairman Roland Mack Looks Ahead to 2012

By Jeremy Schoolfield

Roland Mack is managing partner of Europa-Park in Rust/Baden, Germany, and shareholder in Mack Rides. Today he formally becomes IAAPA Chairman of the Board for 2012. Here are some of his thoughts on what this position means to him and what he hopes to accomplish in the coming year.

What does being elected chairman mean to you?
It’s a great honor. I come from a family business founded in 1780 and now in its seventh generation. No one before me—not even a German—has been elected as chair of the international association.
I want to thank everyone in my family that I’m able to do this, that they give me free time to do other things, to give my time to other people and our industry, in general. I couldn’t do it if I didn’t have two sons who are now running the daily operation of Europa-Park. That was always my idea, and I had the good fortune that it’s all happened like this.

What are your thoughts on the global attractions industry?
I was born into a company that was working internationally from the beginning. It was one of the reasons I was so keen to work in this industry. It’s all about language. It’s not the euro, it’s not the dollar—it’s the people who understand each other. If you work internationally, you can take a lot of developments and integrate them into your own culture. It’s not just copying something you’ve seen elsewhere in the world; it’s adjusting it to the people visiting your attraction. This is what keeps the industry moving and is very helpful for our development.

Globalization is something you can’t stop; your only chance is to move with it. Entertainment doesn’t stop at a border—music, film, travel … it’s a global world and it fits totally to our business.

In your mind, what makes a successful theme park?
People need more than just thrill rides—they need hotels, good food, good shows … they want to be entertained from the moment they enter. So if we succeed in delivering quality with friendly staff and a good atmosphere, and all of this at a fair price, I think we have no competitor at all. But you have to provide a wide range of entertainment.

Can you discuss your passion for global safety harmonization in the industry?
We have to try for harmonization through the association. This is quite difficult, but it has to come. It was hard to unify Europe, but we are now prepared for the international way and hopefully we can combine with Russia, China, and others.

Because if there is an accident in Tokyo, in Los Angeles, in Sao Paulo, or in Europa-Park, it’s on the front page [everywhere]. That’s why it’s very important that we are safe, and we should talk proudly about our safety standards. So I’m happy we have an organization in IAAPA where competitors are sitting at one table and discussing technical issues. That is very different from when I was growing up.

My dream is to have a standard worldwide. I know how long it took to get a standard in Europe, so for this dream to come true it will take much more time. But it’s an idea I’d like to work on, and you have to go step by step. If I can be part of this international exchange to help everyone come closer together, that’s what we have to look for in the future.

Pick up the November 2011 issue of Funworld magazine at IAAPA Central for the full interview with Roland Mack.