15 Years of Collaboration with Europa-Park

This article was written for Uncover magazine – From Global to Ground (10th edition). You can read the full magazine here. 

Author: Klaus Hoven is a lecturer in Attractions and Theme Parks Management at Breda University of Applied Sciences.

Positioning Europa-Park in the Benelux countries
In 2025, we celebrated our 15-year  collaboration anniversary with Europa-Park. The partnership started with marketing-related educational projects in the former specialisation of Theme Parks Management (TPM). These projects aimed to increase brand awareness and establish a stronger brand position in the Benelux markets, under the guidance of Europa-Park’s marketing officer Henk Groenen. The very first project examined the role of social media (remember Hyves?) and the development of online fan communities. Every year, the focus shifted slightly to better align with current marketing trends or changing travel behaviour (as occurred during the Corona pandemic). With the integration of quantitative research, students were able to send out online surveys to track awareness numbers and preferred travel options. We observed a shift in preference from budget travel (campsites and nearby B&Bs) to staying at Europa-Park’s resort hotels, with visits to both the theme park and the water park Rulantica, making it a complete short-stay holiday at a premium theme park destination. These projects are a good example of the mutual value that characterises the partnership. 

Henk Groenen reflects on this mutual value: “We are always happy to invest the time to bring theory to life through our practical experience. By sharing what we encounter in the field, we hope to provide context that goes beyond the classroom. At the same time, we gain just as much from the students as they do from us. Their questions and fresh perspectives often challenge us to look at familiar issues in new ways. Sometimes they even lead us to reflect on our own decisions and reconsider why we do things the way we do. That process is incredibly valuable. Students keep us sharp, inspire new ideas, and help drive continuous improvement.”

In addition to the marketing projects, the collaboration deepened when we became a strategic partner in the fourth-year minors of Storytelling & Experiences and, more recently, Design & Strategies for Themed Entertainment. From the first social media projects in 2011, we learned that the results often provided different departments with new strategic insights. For example, the results of the social media project contributed to the decision to hire more online marketeers for the marketing department at Europa-Park. Gradually, trust grew between BUas and Europa-Park, resulting in more challenging projects. 

Opening of the Molencafé
In academic year 2014-2015, a group of students was tasked with designing a live, Dutch-themed cooking food and beverage experience. They delivered a complete design for a ‘poffertjes’ outlet, including seasonal offerings, a detailed operational handbook, and a business case. Bart Stadhouders (lecturer at BUas): “I remember that the students presented it the first time at our Sibeliuslaan location. They chose this location because of its kitchen facilities: they could serve warm ‘poffertjes’ with seasonal toppings during their final presentation. The result was stunning, as Henk Groenen first silently looked at us and then asked if he could go outside for ten minutes. When he returned, he asked if the students could give the same presentation at Europa-Park within two weeks!”. 

That happened, and three weeks later, we received confirmation that Europa-Park had decided to proceed with this project, albeit with changes to the design and theming. The Molencafé opened in April 2016, and the Breda students were invited to the opening. In retrospect, this proved to be a pivotal moment for the level and scale of projects we started to work on. The fact that Europa-Park dared to open this food and beverage outlet attracted a lot of attention from the broader industry. Not only did we work on similar projects, and other strategic issues for Europa-Park, but other industry partners also became interested in these kinds of collaborations, and in employing our alumni as future talent. Over the years, our relationship has grown stronger, and the bar of the project challenges was raised. 

Experience Design & Sustainability
Most of the projects were related to the regeneration of attractions, themed areas, or food and beverage outlets. Examples include design challenges related to the French Quarter, the Geisterschloss, and the 4D Cinema, as well as rethinking the Camp Resort and the main entrance area based on crowd management simulations. Other projects focused on storytelling and concept creation for potential new experience products, as we did with the YULLBE VR attraction. Collaboration on these projects was primarily based on BUas expertise and what we could deliver and expect from students. The creativity and passion of students was not only triggered by Europa-Park’s brand and industry reputation, but also by the real-life components and the opportunities to conduct field research and attend dedicated workshops led by experts and employees. 

In some projects, our students were challenged to consider sustainability issues alongside attraction design. For years, theme parks have not publicly communicated about sustainability towards their fans and guests. This does not mean that it is not part of their strategic agenda – quite the contrary. Europa-Park’s strategy is based on all ESG pillars. For years, social charity projects have been supported to ensure that families in need can also afford to visit the park. The same goes for social organisations representing guests with special needs. Key sustainability initiatives also include the generation of large amounts of renewable energy, rigorous on-site waste recycling, eco-friendly construction materials, and integrated sustainable travel options for guests. The large solar facility in front of Rulantica and the block-heating stations across the resort, in particular, have proven to be a significant source of electricity and heating for Rulantica, the Krønasår hotel, and nearby administrative buildings.  

In line with Europa-Park’s sustainability efforts, we worked on two projects, the results and recommendations of which were well received. 
The first project related to the accessibility of the park for guests with physical, cognitive and sensory impairments. This project involved developing attraction safety definitions for these specific needs. Students conducted guest journey research and gave advice that resulted in the creation of an accessibility handbook, as well as tips to improve or create dedicated park maps and information tools for these target groups. As with previous projects, the internal project team took the input seriously.
The second project focused on sustainable travel, particularly encouraging visitors from the Benelux countries to travel by train to the new Ringsheim/Europa-Park train station. In the ATPM Digital Marketing & Communication project, we researched this travel preference among Dutch consumers and developed potential travel packages and collaborations with Dutch tour operators. 

Through these projects we gained a better understanding of the importance of sustainability in attractions management, and the need to integrate it more deeply into the ATPM curriculum. Under the BUas Transversal Professorship in Sustainable Transitions, new intended learning outcomes have been formulated, which are now incorporated in the ATPM Industry Challenge. In this project, students focus on change and stakeholder management for a wide range of parks, zoos and museums in relation to a sustainable challenge. This makes the students more aware of the strategic implications of sustainability for leisure organisations and encourages them to develop their own personal position and vision in relation to current societal issues. This contributes to their professional future orientation. It also challenges us, as BUas educators, to envisage more long-term collaborations with European park operators in this field. 

As for the projects with Europa-Park in the Design & Strategies for Future Entertainment minor, most projects nowadays are executed under strict non-disclosure agreements, while being supported internally by multidisciplinary teams. Although our focus remains on creating experiences through storytelling and theming, we are witnessing a shift towards responsible show production and interactive experiences, ideally generating sustainable business value. 

Internships and graduation projects
Talented students were scouted during all these collaborations, so we also looked at opportunities for graduation projects, which are mainly carried out within Europa-Park/Benelux and Mack Emotioneers (formerly Mack Solutions), the in-house agency for show productions and theming. Bunyarit Hoff (ATPM student, Academy for Tourism) who is graduating at Mack Emotioneers: “The practical projects at BUas provided valuable experience in collaborating with real-world clients and industry partners. These experiences offered important insights into professional project work and stakeholder management, lessons that continue to support me in my current role and responsibilities.” 

At the Rulantica water park, we have secured internships in operations and quality management. We are proud to see BUas alumni developing their professional project management and experience design skills to a higher level. Others returned at a later stage in their careers and now work as team leaders in the park’s day-to-day operations and on projects. BUas alumnus Luc Denie (Theme Park Management, graduated in 2015) on why he loves his job: “Rulantica is like a small town with different departments and disciplines. As the Quality Control Manager, I bring more structure into the organisation. One day I determine the quality standard for the hundreds of sunbeds, and the next day I implement new processes to increase capacity at the slides. It feels good when everything comes together at the right moment, and the guests can spend a carefree time at the water park.” 

Value to Europa-Park
Michael Kreft von Byern: “As Director of Rulantica, I highly value our collaboration with BUas. Society is changing at an unprecedented pace, and our industry is evolving just as rapidly. To stay relevant, we need young, curious minds who challenge our thinking, inspire new ideas, and help us view our work from different perspectives. The students from Breda have consistently demonstrated an impressive ability to tackle complex challenges in a structured yet refreshingly creative way. They think beyond conventional solutions while grounding their ideas in sound reasoning and research. This is a combination we greatly appreciate. In day-to-day operations, it is easy to become absorbed in established routines. Working with students provides a valuable outside perspective, encouraging us to question assumptions, explore new possibilities, and continue evolving as an organisation.”

The future
We celebrate the milestones we have achieved together, at the same time we are also looking forward to what lies ahead. During a recent two-day visit to Europa-Park and Rulantica, the ATPM team and the Academy Director of Leisure & Events, Ajay Kapur, had meaningful conversations with the park directors and owner Roland Mack. We learned more about the current challenges Europa-Park faces in terms of labour recruitment and employment. The park has invested in a new international recruitment strategy that includes the Mack Academy, which offers adapted vocational training programmes, additional housing and campus facilities for international employees, and lifestyle initiatives to improve employee well-being. We also discussed the need for programmes like ATPM to address current challenges and changes in consumption patterns and travel behaviour of European guests. There is a sense of urgency to thoroughly consider the impact on sustaining and adapting the attraction business model while incorporating immersive experiences. 

We are working together to find opportunities for more BUas students (from all domains) who would like to gain practical work experience in a dynamic, intercultural environment. One great initiative is the Eurosummer Programme, which allows students from across Europe to combine work and adventure in an international setting. They can experience working in a theme or water park and take a behind-the-scenes look at the Europa-Park Resort. Students reside in a unique camp equipped with tiny houses and facilities for hosting intercultural networking events. Such experiences can also inspire students to develop new skills and competencies, helping them to become the next generation of attraction professionals. For BUas, this means fostering strategic partnerships, such as the one with Europa-Park, and discussing and aligning learning outcomes with desired professional profiles. It also means involving students, letting them debate and find solutions for a constantly changing industry. 

In the case of Europa-Park, it would be a great opportunity to discuss this while following EU strategies to develop European skills and translate them into strong, industry-connected educational programmes at professional bachelor's and master's level. We are grateful for Europa-Park’s continued support in designing the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master's programme, IDEAS (Innovative Design for Themed Entertainment and Attractions for Sustainability), as a strategic industry partner. The IDEAS master’s provides an opportunity for BUas to become more integrated into the European academic and creative network, enabling us to conduct research and exchange strategic perspectives with the European attractions industry so it can deliver and sustain entertainment and hospitality experiences. It also provides a platform for students to develop and solve real-world challenges and shape the future of the attractions and hospitality industry. 

Photography
Europa-Park