Industry Influencer
www.parkworld-online.com The perfect fit
As the 2021 recipient of the Park World Excellence Industry Icon Award, Rainer Maelzer is a major player in the European leisure industry. Having won several awards throughout his career including the IAAPA Impact Award, Brass Ring, a THEA, and World Waterpark Association Leading Edge Award, Park World's Becci Knowles sat down with the water park expert to learn about his role as President of WhiteWater ERA and the path that led him there.
he says smiling. In the early 2000s, Mr. Josef Wund, founder
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I went to school to be an engineer and studied business industries after that," says Rainer. "In 1997 I was asked to help a
company in the water slide industry, so I did, and the uniqueness of this industry never let me go." During his studies, Rainer gained practical
knowledge (working with architects and engineers for three months every year) and theoretical knowledge, which he credits with giving him "different perspectives" that would prepare him for his life in the industry. Rainer says, “I'm good at seeing the potential
of a product and knowing how to market the emotions that come with it. Our clients are often not the end-users of the products, which is why you must describe visions and dreams differently. I have the economic and the technical know-how, which is always a strong combination in our industry. It's not enough just to be attracted by the product and liking water slides; you must understand how they can fit into the building, how the architecture works, how the operator can earn money with it, and how that all comes together. I think I bring that to the table, and that is important – to me at least,"
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of Therme Erding, decided to build the Galaxy, a round dome dedicated to water slides. At that time, Therme Erding was an existing indoor water park focused mainly on wellness, sauna, and recreation with approximately 500,000 visitors per year. Today, Mr. Jörg Wund, the founder's son, runs Therme Erding, and it is the largest indoor water park worldwide. The park now hosts 30 different slides with approximately 1.8 million visitors per year. Rainer was involved in the first layout from the beginning around 2003. “Being involved in the constant development of the largest European indoor waterpark built up loads of valuable know- how on my end,” he says. It was at this point that Wiegand entered the
frame. "A German company called Wiegand did water slides from stainless steel," remembers Rainer. "We had a feeling that it could be smart having a company that offered both stainless steel and fiberglass, so in 2006 we founded wiegand. maelzer GmbH – that was Mr. Wiegand and me.” The company went on to gain international
acclaim for its installations on cruise ships and for developing the world's first rotating water slide SlideWheel. Visually stunning, it lights up the skyline at water parks around the globe while visitors enjoy the backward sliding, intense G-forces, and pendulum forces. Inspired by the Ferris wheel, it has been recognised with several industry awards, including the IAAPA Impact Award, a Brass Ring Award, a THEA Award, and a World Waterpark Association Leading Edge Award. Interestingly, the initial idea for the SlideWheel
came from a 9-year-old boy who dreamt of a never-ending water slide. His father, a smart Swiss businessman called JF Fischer, applied for a patent and contacted different companies worldwide for
cooperation. Rainer agreed and called them to look at the patterns he had drawn and discuss the idea further. "I had a gut feeling; I thought that could work on the market, the clients might like it!” In 2017, Chimelong, the most-visited water park
globally, ordered the first SlideWheel. The slide went on top open to the public in March 2018 and has become the number one attraction in the park. The rest is history! Telling the story of how the idea was conceived to a packed room of top-level industry executives at the THEA Award ceremony in Disneyland was "undoubtedly a career highlight," says Rainer proudly. In 2018, Rainer was at the 60th birthday of
Mr. Sue, owner of GUANGDONG CHIMELONG Group Co., and met several key industry figures, including WhiteWater's Andrew Wray and Geoff Chutter. During the trip, Geoff had tried the SlideWheel and loved it. Before long, he was chasing Rainer for the license. Geoff's determination paid off, and in 2018, the
industry was excited to learn that WhiteWater had entered into a landmark partnership with wiegand. maelzer license the multiple award-winning product. Even bigger news was to follow… In 2019, WhiteWater revealed a deal had been struck between the two companies to grant WhiteWater exclusive rights to manufacture the SlideWheel. Rainer was keen to take SlideWheel global and
saw WhiteWater as the perfect partner. So much so that he sold his shares to his long-time business partner Mr. Wiegand and joined the team which marked a new chapter, not only for SlideWheel, but for Rainer and WhiteWater.
A new chapter In November 2020, WhiteWater announced it was expanding its presence in Europe, Russia, and Africa (ERA) by opening a new European headquarters in Munich, Germany. The new office
SPRING PART 1 2022
Rainer Maelzer
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