Jora Vision’s Jan Maarten de Raad speaks to the unique challenges of designing and building attractions for themed entertainment
interview by Martin Palicki
From small family parks and niche museums to large corporate theme park chains, design-build projects can be as simple as one small exhibit or as large as an entire themed land. Rarely do companies find themselves comfortable working across this spectrum. But for Jora Vision CEO Jan Maarten de Raad, it’s not a problem. He sees his company, headquartered in the Netherlands, as unique in the marketplace, capable of adjusting to fit nearly every situation. InPark Publisher Martin Palicki spoke with de Raad about Jora Vision’s recent work, new products, and plans for the future.
First, talk about Jora Vision’s capabilities.
It’s always a challenge to communicate the enormous range of our work. To start with, we combine design and build. We employ architects, illustrators and designers but also have painters, shapers and woodworkers on our team. We like to say that Jora Vision offers brainstorms, blueprints and buildings – all under one roof.
Our clients come from across the entertainment industry. We mostly work for theme parks, zoos and tourist attractions, as well as museums and family entertainment centers. We work on projects all around the world and of varying sizes. We can refresh an old carousel horse or design a complete world-class resort with multiple parks and hotels (and everything in between).
The advantage of this variety in projects is that we always understand the whole picture. When doing theming right, everything is intertwined. Even if a client asks us only to create signage, we understand what role the signs play in the overall experience. Even with our 35+ years in the industry, we often surprise clients when they realize the breadth of our capabilities.
You work on projects all over the world, but recently you’ve done a lot of projects in Europe. Tell us about your current take on the European market.
In Europe, we have seen a steady rise of quality theming and storytelling. Not only are the number of attractions increasing; existing experiences have been focused on enhancing their product in order to draw people from further away. This increases the competition between attractions.
To draw a crowd, storytelling, immersion and theming are critical. For example, we helped Emerald Park create the theming strategy of their new Tír na nÓg zone. They invested over 30 million euros ($32.2 million) in making this deeply immersive land, even though they are the only theme park in Ireland. They still see value in adding detailed and vivid theming.
Parallel to having a theming strategy, having a master plan becomes increasingly important. Parks no longer add rides and props one at a time but make thorough plans that span years. We help regional parks like Särkänniemi in Finland with a comprehensive master plan and implement it step-by-step over multiple seasons. This way we help create a consistent atmosphere, even for parks that do not have the budget to develop a whole area at once.
Lastly, we notice that upgrading existing experiences is a sound way to keep attractions interesting. Sometimes we can refresh a whole ride, just by adding a few smart elements. From a sustainability viewpoint, this is also great, since it prevents older rides from being shut down and replaced completely. We are adept at refurbishment and see more requests like this coming in.
Ultimately, it all comes down to increased competition in the European market and the need to offer something unforgettable and unique.
What sort of design process do you employ when working with parks?
Some industry outsiders think our process starts with sketches. For example, with the Dutch park Bommelwereld we made an intricate bird’s-eye illustration. But even before such a drawing starts, we go through a large amount of prep work.
It starts with the bigger picture. We figure out where the development fits in the masterplan of the park and its goals. Our project strategy director, Pieter Cornelis, helps us to compile data to validate the assumptions of the client. What capacity should the rides have? How many parking spots and toilets are needed? What are the requirements for the back of house? And, most importantly, are the financials adequate? All of this informs our initial designs.
After that, concept design starts and plans become more specific. Ideas are elaborated and mood boards or first illustrations are made. Then we go into schematic design and work out all the details.
You have a great track record of working with family-owned and smaller municipal parks. What sorts of needs do they have compared to some of the larger regional parks?
No two clients are the same, but in general these parks are more directly involved in the creative process. Often, the owners have great ideas of what they want to achieve. Still, they might not have a background in design. This means we can help them in getting their ideas formulated, setting the scope and making it fit within their budget.
Smaller teams have limited capacity for extensive approval rounds. We can limit these and quickly work towards a final design, thus saving time and cost. We might draw a proposed building directly after a concept meeting, instead of getting deep into detailed design options. This typically differs from what bigger organizations want. A design department of a corporate-owned park might have a strict process for deliverables, while being less attached to specific creative ideas. Both ways have their benefits, and we love them just the same.
You just worked on Europa-Park’s new roller coaster, Voltron. What was your involvement there?
This is an excellent example of a production-only job. Europa-Park asked us to build kinetic sculptures and props for their new coaster. You can see our work both on the ride and in the queue. We built a wall of giant shutters that rotate open to show the coaster launch sequence. Nearby, a giant prop called “the connector” moves as guests in the queue walk by. Outside, we fabricated giant turbines, one of which cycles a high-speed stream of water inside it. We had to make smart choices to produce elements that last a long time with minimal maintenance. I believe our craftspeople did a tremendous job, so even in 20 years, this will look like new.
You are working on Bommelwereld, an indoor theme park under construction in the Netherlands expected to open in 2026. Tell us about your role in this project and how it is progressing.
It’s rare to see a theme park built from scratch, especially in the Netherlands. Working with a renowned IP makes it even better. Ollie B. Bommel, a beloved aristocratic bear from a Dutch comic, holds an iconic status in Dutch cultural history. We are delighted we were there from the start to help with the master planning and the design of the park. Translating the unique artistic style of the comics to a themed environment has been a treat for our designers.
Construction has been going on for some time, and although we were originally only contracted as a designer, we are also called on to provide creative direction. The first rides are being installed, and we can’t wait until the theming comes in.
You started a new product line centered around mini golf concepts. Tell us why you decided to develop these products.
There is a current trend of hybrid concepts. Theme parks add competitive socializing to their activities, while FECs are adding a layer of extensive theming and experience. Themed F&B is increasing, and people are now able to experience exceptional immersion during a night out without having to travel to a major theme park. This is why we introduced RemarkaBall, which is tech-infused mini golf. We spice up the regular mini golf concept by adding unique skill games to the mix, such as table football or a challenging marble track.
It might seem like a weird choice for a company like ours, but from our background in detailed theming, mini golf courses have always been in our wheelhouse. We even received the first Thea Award for a mini golf course (The Forgotten Mine in Molenheide, Belgium).
After introducing RemarkaBall, we also received requests for more traditional mini golf courses. To cater to those clients, we added CustomizaBall to the mix. Here we design bespoke mini golf concepts, such as a tailor-made course on the deck of a cruise ship.
Jora Vision has helped regional parks like Särkänniemi in Finland with a comprehensive master plan and implemented it step-by-step over multiple seasons.
What other projects do you have in the works?
We are like a Swiss Army knife in our industry and our projects reflect that. In addition to Bommelwereld Park, we are working on parks around the world, including the master planning of a park in India and the development of Särkänniemi park. Outside of theme parks we are working on a playground for a zoo and an interactive tourist experience. We are creating multiple (yet to be announced) dark rides, such as the one in Six Flags Qiddiya City. In our production halls you can find parade floats, towers of beautiful signs and handmade mini golf courses. Our clients prefer us to keep the details confidential, so I can’t give you anything more specific than this. But there are some beautiful projects coming up.
And if someone is in need of a versatile company like Jora Vision, we still have some space to take on something new in the coming period. Feel free to visit us online or send an email at [email protected]. •
