LIKE A ROLLERCOASTER
In the German town of Rust, right on the French border, Roland Mack has been building a leisure empire since 1975. Recognized as the best amusement park in the world and with six million guests every year, the family-owned company Europa-Park has developed from a carnival manufacturer into a world-famous travel destination. The Macks look back on a long tradition in the leisure business — since 1780, standing still has never been an option.
The screams of the passengers can be heard throughout the town. They sound from the Silverstar, one of the largest steel roller coasters in Europe, in Europa-Park Rust. It rises to a maximum height of 73 meters above the entrance and parking lots of the theme park and reaches top speeds of 130 km/h. But Europa-Park is not just about roller coasters and adrenaline rushes; it is intended to be like a shortened journey through Europe for its guests — each area of the park has been assigned to a European country.
Europa-Park is a family business. In total, the Mack family has invested over €900 million in the park since 1975, without any public subsidies. For Roland Mack, managing partner of Europa-Park, it was clear from the start: the park must grow and develop further. In 2019, the Rulantica water park was opened, in which almost €180 million was invested. The family is also investing a lot of money and hope in digitalization and, above all, virtual reality. New business areas are also constantly being founded, such as Mack Media for media productions or Mack Solutions for coherent overall concepts in theme parks.
The hard work and high investments are paying off for the family: 2022 was a record year. With over six million visitors, it seems as if Europa-Park has finally recovered after the Corona years. “During
the pandemic, we lost several million visitors and almost 100 million euros in sales. Nevertheless, I was always confident that we would recover after Corona,” said Roland Mack. The Rulantica water park in particular opened its doors shortly before the first year of the pandemic and was therefore unable to achieve the expected number of visitors.
But the Macks made a comeback and guests flocked to the park again after the pandemic. Mack still remembers the first opening day after Corona very well: “The guests almost ran over me! I’ve never seen so many happy people in one place.”
Three years after the first lockdown, Europa-Park is struggling with further crises of a slightly different kind. There was a fire in the Austrian area in spring 2023, but fortunately there were no injuries. “The damage will be repaired and the attractions will be renovated and ready to reopen next year,” says Mack.
Such incidents were common in amusement parks. A few days before the Forbes interview, an acrobat was injured when a diving platform collapsed. But Mack emphasizes: “Safety is our top priority. For example, we have our own fire department on site and always have our attractions properly inspected. We were also the first theme park to hire safety engineers. We are at the forefront of this.”
The goal is to keep the Mack empire in family hands. Just like his father and the eight generations before him, Roland Mack is handing over the family business step by step to the next generation. His sons Michael and Thomas Mack (with whom we were able to interview in 2019) have taken on increasingly larger tasks in the family business — while Thomas Mack mainly takes care of the catering and hotel resorts, Michael Mack takes on large parts of the business development.
“I see family businesses as a successful model for our country’s economy that is often underestimated. It’s an excellent business model for us,» says Mack, adding: «I would be a bad CEO of a listed company because I put far too much passion and far too much long-term perspective into the business.»
For the Macks, the idea of the overall theme of Europe can be traced back to the beginnings of the family business. Originally a wagon and wagon manufacturer, the Mack family quickly specialized in roller coasters and sold them throughout Europe. “We have actually always been a very international company. The focus on Europe was practically born into me. “I have also always been a big supporter of the European idea,” said Roland Mack.
Europa-Park was originally intended as a showcase for the Mack Empire’s products. At the beginning, Roland Mack would hardly have dared to believe that in almost 50 years this show area would develop into one of the most popular theme parks in the world; He can still remember the initial problems during the founding all too well: “Opening Europa-Park on the current site was a brave decision. Many skeptics said that a theme park would never work in such a hidden corner of Germany, with France on one side and the motorway without its own exit on the other. I think we were able to prove the opposite.”
Mack is generally positive about the future and is excited about the many new attractions that will be opening. In addition to Europa-Park, he also wants to promote the roller coaster manufacturing company and implement new ideas. One of these ideas that the entrepreneur is particularly excited about is the multimedia restaurant experience Eatrenaline: “We are actually the first in the world to try something like this. I see a lot of potential in this project,” says Mack.
Be it the film company Mack Media or the manufacturing company Mack Rides, the flagship Europa-Park or new projects like Rulantica or Eatrenaline — Roland Mack and his family have a broad business model and do not shy away from new ideas and challenges. “We don’t come to a standstill!” says the entrepreneur at the end of our conversation.
Roland Mack originally studied mechanical engineering. After his father’s death, he and his brother Jürgen Mack took over Europa-Park and the Mack Rides company, which has been exporting roller coasters and chassis all over the world since then. Roland Mack is a multi-award-winning entrepreneur, including the Founder’s Prize for his life’s work in 2016.
