Lukas Metzger & Special Guests „Technology is going to make it easier for guests to be guests and easier for us as operator to treat them as guests“ - in this special episode, podcast host Lukas Metzger, Head of Operations at Europa Park, meets exciting personalities from the entertainment industry at the Hot Ice Show 2024 premiere in Blackpool. This legendary ice skating show is running since 1936 and is a real benchmark for storytelling and shows. As part of the Pleasure Beach Resort, a family owned theme park in England, the season start of this extraordinary event attracts leading figures from all over the world. Lukas Metzger takes the opportunity to ask these master minds the recurring final question from THE WORLD BEYOND: 7 years from now - how do they envision the world evolving over the next seven years? What major changes or developments will shape the leisure industry? Get the answers from Miro Gronau, Concept Manager at Wiegand Water Rides, Håkon Lund, Owner Lund Group Norway and Massimiliano Freddi, Founder & CEO of Wonder Woods Theme Park Italy. A MACK One Original Podcast.

Michael Mack & his Emotioneers Every week, Michael Mack and his team from MACK One welcomes the leading experts, courageous entrepreneurs, professors and future-shaping inventors from various areas of expertise as guest in this podcast. Take an exclusive peek into the future and tune in to some true highlights of 50 Episodes: 1 - Mate Rimac, Founder and CEO of "Rimac Automobili", named "The European Elon Musk" 2 - Sir Richard Taylor, 5-time Academy Award Winner and Founder "Weta Workshop" 3 - Daniel Lamarre, Executive Vice-Chairman of the Board, former CEO of "Cirque du Soleil" 4 - Dr. Auma Obama, Sociologist, Keynote Speaker, Founder and Director of the Auma Obama Foundation „Sauti Kuu“ 5 - David Rynearson, Senior Software Programmer and Consultant at "NASA" 6 - Prof. Patrick Glauner, Professor at the Institute of Technology in Deggendorf, leading Artificial Intelligence Expert 7 - Cathy Hackl, Tech Futurist, bestselling Author, "Godmother of the Metaverse" 8 - Thor Pedersen, Awarded Adventurer, holding the World Record of having traveled to every single Country in the World without flying 9 - Jelle de Jong, CEO Madrid Artes Digitales, visionary Leader and Innovator in the Realm of Immersive Exhibitions 10 - Athena Demos, CEO of multi-award-winning XR-Company "Big Rock" 11 - Rolf Schumann, Co-CEO Schwarz Digits, leading entrepreneurial Figure in the Fields of Technology and Innovation 12 - Marc Zachary, former Head of Disney Location-Based Experiences, Consultant and President of his own Company “Experiential Advisors” Dive deeper and listen to the full episodes! A MACK One Original Podcast.

Marcus Ernst & Joel Allenspach “Be friendly to AI! Say always `thank you´ when you get an answer from a bot. When it takes over the world - you’re on the right side“ - Joel Allenspach is a prominent figure in the field of immersive 3D experiences and extended reality (XR) technologies. His swiss based company Jamaze AG is known for its innovative solutions in enhancing customer experiences through advanced technology. Join podcast host Marcus Ernst, one of the Emotioneers from MACK One, in this deep-dive conversation about the impact AI integration can have on immersive experiences and the biggest challenges in this field. „With the help of AI, we as a small company can create much cooler experiences than we ever dared to dream of.“ Press play and jump right into this exciting journey of the world beyond! A MACK One Original Podcast.

Christina Rees & Lou Doye „The biggest problem is usually trying to get the technology to balance with the storytelling” - Lou Doye is constantly pushing the boundaries of what’s possible: The british based creative director helps launch the latest immersive storytelling technology and has realized ground-breaking productions for the META Quest, the Apple Vision Pro and many more. Join podcast host Christina Rees, one of the Emotioneers from MACK Magic, in this inspiring conversation about the latest AR-trends in storytelling, the new VR animation tool „Quill“ and about the biggest challenges in creating and producing immersive experiences. „When you are a smaller company, you can be more experimental.“ Explore the true magic of storytelling in this podcast episode! A MACK One Original Podcast.

Michael Mack & Sebastian Kübler “KI fehlt einfach das Herz. Und das hört man“ - Sebastian Kübler prägt mit seinen einzigartigen Kompositionen seit über 15 Jahren die Freizeitpark-Branche. Der Lead Composer der 2112 Studios (MACK One) kreiert mit seinem Team einen Sound ala Hollywood - made im Europa Park in Rust. Podcast-Host Michael Mack spricht mit dem gefragten Komponisten über die Zukunft der Musikproduktion: Wie beeinflußt KI schon heute die Arbeit der Musikproduzenten? Welche Urheber-rechtlichen Fragen sind ungeklärt? Kann KI echte Emotionen erzeugen und einen Welthit produzieren? „Musikalisch ist die KI noch zu schlecht und nicht individuell genug. Beim Gesang sieht es anders aus - da wird es bald Zeiten geben, wo sich der Produzent überlegt: gehe ich jetzt ins Studio und hole mir einen teuer bezahlten Sänger oder mache ich das mit Hilfe einer Künstlichen Intelligenz.“ Und: Exklusiv in dieser Episode gibt es eine Sneak-Peak auf den neuen Song von Europa United - „Electrified“ - produziert von einer KI und Sebastian Kübler. Jetzt direkt reinhören und einen Blick in die Zukunft werfen! Ein MACK One Original Podcast.

Christina Rees & Sarah Ellis “I think nothing is off the limits if the director wants to go for it“ - Sarah Ellis pushes the envelope and enriches Shakespeare’s iconic works with innovative and creative storytelling techniques, innovative technologies and exciting partnerships. Join podcast host Christina Rees, one of the Emotioneers from MACK Magic, in this inspiring conversation about the legacy of Shakespeare, his timeless appeal to audiences around the globe and the opportunities by combining these masterpieces of storytelling with innovative technologies. "Technology has to work with the story, that's really important to us.“ To be or not to be - that is the question, also in this podcast episode! Press play and jump right into this exciting journey of the world beyond! A MACK One Original Podcast.

Michael Mack & Rolf Schumann “We have reached this point that the question is not what is possible - we have come to the point what is useful” - Rolf Schumann is an outstanding leading entrepreneurial figure in the fields of technology and innovation. Working as Co-CEO for Schwarz Digits (Schwarz Group is the world's fourth largest goods retailer with approx. 154 billion EURO in sales in 2022), he’s responsible for transforming a traditional retail group with brands such as Lidl and Kaufland into a digital giant that has become the most important AI player and innovator in the German market. Join podcast host Michael Mack as he talks with his guest about the huge efforts and investments of Schwarz Group to create European alternatives to the dominant big players and to access innovation and know-how in Germany: the german cloud solution „Stackit“, the cyber security company „XM Cyber“, the AI Company „Aleph Alpha“, the messenger Service „Wire“ and the educational programm and platform „Campus Founders“. “Now you understand why this company is so fancy because it’s a completely end-to-end connected Eco-System!“ - Press „Play“ and dive right into this exciting journey into the world beyond! A MACK One Original Podcast.

Lukas Metzger & Peter van der Schans „I don’t believe in a world where we only will do digital experiences” - Peter van der Schans is a true leader in the leisure industry: As head of IAAPA’s EMEA team, he’s truly shaping the future of entertainment. Join podcast host Lukas Metzger, Head of Operations at Europa Park, in this thrilling conversation about how emerging technologies are revolutionizing the amusement park experience, the significance of interactive storytelling in enhancing visitor engagement and why transformative strategies are crucial for impactful change in the industry. „We have large Player in the market, they are buying multiple parks, family owned businesses like Europa Park becoming more rare actually“. 3, 2, 1 - ignition for this exciting journey into the world beyond! A MACK One Original Podcast.

Marcus Ernst & David Granite “When people say ‚AI is against humans‘: it’s not true! Sitting in front of a computer all day, that’s a human killer. If you can give that to a machine that will do it better than you - it’s value!“ - David Granite is a true mastermind for blockchain, AI, robotics, AR, VR and MR. Working for Dorier Group as creative technologist, he creates immersive experiences for big brands like Audemars Piguet or UEFA. Join podcast host Marcus Ernst, one of the Emotioneers from MACK One, in this thrilling conversation about how to utilize new technologies, the role of gamification in telling captivating stories and how AI is evolving at the speed of light. „I think that AI enabled devices are going to be the next big thing, the next iPod-vibe.” Press ‚Play’ and dive right into this exciting journey of the world beyond! A MACK One Original Podcast.

Michael Mack & Tim Baldwin „For someone who truly loves Theme Parks, I like originality - what you have done with Voltron Nevera, to me it is very original“ - Tim Baldwin is editorial writer at Amusement Today - the attractions industry news leader since 1997 and the presenter of the prestigious Annual Golden Ticket Awards. Join podcast host Michael Mack, founder and CEO on MACK One, in this thrilling conversation about major trends in the amusement industry, new game-changing technologies and what the future of entertainment may look like: Is there a social change in terms of time out and recovery after the Covid pandemic? Where does Europe stand in comparison to the USA, Asia or Latin America? Does the label “Made in Germany” still have global relevance? “When I go to parks in America and I see something that could be operated more efficiently, I always want to say: just go and watch ‚Blue Fire‘ here at Europa-Park for an hour, watch it run and see how it should be done!“ Discover an exciting journey into the world beyond! A MACK One Original Podcast.