The Insights from IAAPA specials continue with reaction and exclusive interviews from the IAAPA Expo Europe held in Barcelona. We chatted with Maximilian Biller, Marketing & Sales at Zierer. Maximilian discusses his experience at IAAPA Expo Europe and his company’s latest projects.
Zierer’s dealings at Barcelona
“Well, it’s been quite busy here at IAAPA Expo Europe and I think for everybody else as well. We’ve been really happy. It’s common knowledge that the third day is always kind of slow because most of the business happens the first two days but we’ve been happy. The mini room is full and pretty confident about the upcoming projects.
“We’re curious how the European market develops this year because for us the European show is better than IAAPA Expo. According to my understanding and my experience, most of the European clients don’t travel anymore to the US because it’s always in Florida so they’ve seen it all. So, it’s mostly US or Northern American clients but it’s still a pretty big market though.”
Tell us a lot about your latest products services
“This year has been all about The Drifter. We opened the first unit in Finland at Särkänniemi, And currently the next three units are already under production with one going to the UK, one in the Netherlands and one to Japan. So, it’s all about bringing The Drifter into the market and promoting the ride for our carousel category. We’ve been happy so far and confident that maybe more projects are coming along the way. Because launching a new product always brings some kind of uncertainty, some kind of doubt how the first unit works out, turns out etc. But the feedback we’ve gotten from Särkänniemi has been really great so far and we’re really happy to have delivered such a ride.”
Explain your excitement to be part of a ride project from start to finish
“Yes, The Drifter started out with an idea, then we took over, we implemented certain things, adapted it to our construction philosophy, made a first promotional video, had the first talks with the customers, and eventually we convinced at least one client to go for the first unit, and we’ve been happy so far.”
For context, The Drifter consists of a total of nine gondolas that rotate around a central decoration on a pavement or concrete underground. There is one lever within each gondola that the riders can control. As long as the lever stays in its starting position, the wheels of the gondola are fixed and follow the track of the vehicle. As soon as the lever is engaged, the wheels can adjust freely and thus create the drifting effect. This allows the gondolas to reach up to 21.6 km/h (13.4mph). The engaging of the lever provides an interactive and fun adventure.
In terms of the trade markets, you mentioned Finland and UK working well, how does this compare to the rest of the world?
“I work in the headquarters of Zierer, so we have regional sales agents that work for example in Finland, UK, the Netherlands and we support them whenever they have meetings with the clients, need backup or information from us, so we coordinate mostly between them, between the headquarters, between our engineering department, office sales department, and we are kind of central hub of information. But there are cases like Japan where we deal with the client ourselves so there is no intermediate link there.”
In terms of the future, how do you see the visitor attractions market developing?
“I’m curious how the next years are going to be because after COVID, our trade really ramped up. We’ve had some great years after this big downtime during COVID. Our books are full still and of course we would be happy to see that continuing. But in my opinion, there’s always times that are very high and maybe also times that the business gets a bit slower – it’s like a roller coaster in fact. But we’re confident that our portfolio is still strong; the Zierer brand is very strong in the family rides business. We are one of the go-to suppliers, so we’re confident that in the next upcoming years we’re still working well for our customers.”
How did you personally get into this industry?
“I have to admit for me it was love at second sight. I personally don’t have the classic story that lots of people have here. That ‘when I was a kid, I always went to the amusement parks and ride on from childhood, wanted to get into the industry,’ mostly because I’m terribly afraid of heights. I ride everything except XL towers, the drop towers. I’ve done it once, never again, because for me, the difficult part is when one goes up something slowly, I don’t like it. Once you get going, I love it because you don’t have to think.
“For my professional background, in Germany there is a system called Dual Studies where you study at university and simultaneously work for a company. And I started this program at our parent company. STREICHER Group. I said I wanted to go into sales, preferably, because they have the coolest portfolio. Then a spot opened up for me and I took my chance and the rest is history. I’m really happy about it as I love the industry. I have been working with the company since 2021. And what I’ve got to know is that even though you’re competing against other companies, it’s still very familiar, very friendly and very respectful also. So that’s really something I appreciate here.”
What’s the main target for Zierer in 2026?
“Well, our main target is still family rides. We have some custom roller coasters coming out next season and also one duelling reverse coaster, which is a bigger project for us. I mentioned the three drifter units so we have a good year ahead of us and a lot of work to do. In short, it’s focussed toward family rides and we remind ourselves that we’re selling fun and make people smile.”
