Christian v. Elverfeldt Open to Question
have to admit that this will be a big chance for us in succeeding in the market. With less money spent there will also be a more quality oriented selection of manufacturers for future projects. That’s what makes me very confident about a good future for Mack Rides as we continuously work on improvements to our products every day. The unique constellation of being a ride manufacturer and park operator (Europa Park, Rust) allows Mack to develop - from practice, for practice - optimal solutions for our customers. It is exactly this uniqueness that builds the solid foundation of our areas of expertise: quality, dependability, durability, investment security and design. That’s what makes the challenge conquerable.
IP: Do you think the industry faces an increasingly competitive world when it comes to other forms of leisure activity for people to choose from? What is the industry’s main competition for the leisure dollar/euro? CvE: Certainly we will have a lot more competition than in the days where theme parks were the most popular way to get away from the daily routine. More and more electronic consumer products are providing the opportunity to entertain people at home, so they will have to be attracted to come. In addition to that the use of the leisure euro has shifted; people are more willing to book their vacations near or at a theme park to experience the attractions for longer rather than just head to a park for one day. That’s what will be a real challenge for small local parks here in Europe. Nevertheless every amusement park will have to improve and reinvent itself every season so that the number of repeat guests will increase.
IP: Are you noticing any particular trends in the industry at the moment when it comes to what operators are looking for in new rides and attractions? CvE: With our new mega coaster we got a great product in place and the feedback is really marvellous. We think operators are looking for high quality products with good reliability. The new seat design is certainly a key feature for future installations of this kind of ride, but also mid-size to small parks are looking for an affordable product with low maintenance costs and a failsafe technology. In combination with the interactive elements, we think that our Twist ‘n’ Splash will get a good response from this market. The old motto of building even taller, faster or longer will be detached soon by the overall experience a ride can offer. To build modular products that offer a lot of variety in layout design and usability will be important for the future.
IP: Do ride manufacturers themselves face any particular challenges at the moment, perhaps with legislation for example? CvE: One of our biggest challenges is dealing with the different standards all over the world. Even if most of Europe is eventually now dealing with EN 13814 standards, we still have to consider the American ASTM and different standards in Asia, especially in the fast growing market of China. Another big challenge is the ride contracts whose pages are growing in number year by year. For sure it is very important to govern most of the eventualities which could happen during the projects but sometimes we dream of the times when business was made by a handshake. As always it should be something in between...
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