On 9 October 2012 in Berlin the President of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) and owner of Europa-Park, Roland Mack, formally opened the Euro Attractions Show (EAS) – the largest European trade show in the industry. Together with Ernst Burgbacher, Parliamentary State Secretary to the German Federal Minister of Economics and Technology and Federal Government Commissioner for SMEs and Tourism, Roland Mack snipped the ribbon. With over 360 exhibitors from 80 countries including amusement parks, rollercoaster manufacturers and leisure industry suppliers, the EAS is the leisure industry's largest ever European trade show, which highlights the continuously growing importance of this sector. In Germany alone, amusement parks receive around 30 million visitors every year. "That's more than all the German Football League stadiums put together," says Roland Mack.
Roland Mack opens largest European trade show for the leisure industry in Berlin
As the first German Chairman of IAAPA, the Europa-Park owner is particularly delighted that Berlin is hosting the trade show with a record number of exhibitors and visitors. On the first day of the event the show had over 7,000 visitors – more than the number for all three days of the exposition in London in 2011. "This shows that our industry is growing even during a financial crisis. Parents want to do everything they can for their children and are spending more and more short breaks at amusement parks," says Roland Mack. Not least for this reason, Europa-Park is undergoing a continuous transformation into a short-break destination. With the new "Bell Rock" Hotel and the new wooden rollercoaster "WODAN – Timburcoaster", the pace of investment at Germany's largest amusement park in 2012 was the highest in its 37-year history.
In addition to the issue of safety, "Going Green" is emerging as a megatrend for amusement parks worldwide. Europa-Park is working together with TÜV Süd on the "Green Amusement Park Certification" that it is set to receive this year. The demand for energy-efficient and sustainable measures has risen sharply at many parks all over the world.
A new trend study looking into leisure-time behaviour in different countries was also unveiled. The results, which should come out in 2014, should reveal whether different nations prefer different attractions and what attractions are the most popular.
Alongside Europa-Park, the manufacturing company Mack Rides – another member of the Mack Group – is also exhibiting at EAS. Being both a manufacturer of ride attractions and the operator of Germany's largest amusement park makes the Mack family business globally unique. The advantages this offers are fully made use of, as demonstrated in particular by the high quality of its attractions. The Mack Rides water coaster "Poseidon" has been named "Europe's Best Water Attraction" by an international expert jury at EAS. Europa-Park has also been voted "Europe's Best Amusement Park" by the trade journal Kirmes und Park Revue.
[Translate to English:] Roland Mack eröffnet mit Ernst Burgbacher und seinen Kollegen vom IAAPA Board of Directors die „Euro Attractions Show“ in Berlin. V.l.: Chip Cleary, Will Morey, Paul Noland, Rob Norris, Ernst Burgbacher, Roland Mack, Mario Mamon und Gerardo Arteaga Cerda.
Jürgen Mack, Inhaber des Europa-Park und Michael Kreft von Byern (v.r.) nahmen den European Star Award für den „Besten Freizeitpark Europas“ entgegen.
Roland Mack freut sich über den großen Erfolg der Euro Attractions Show in Berlin.
