Michael Mack gained his first experience with the family business during his youth, when he worked in the areas of attractions, marketing and technology, among others.
Michael Mack further gained international experience in well-known international theme parks such as Liseberg (SWE), Bush Gardens Williamsburg / VA (USA), Warner Bros. Movie World / Queensland (AUS), Nigloland (FRA) and Port Aventura (ESP).
Michael Mack was appointed assistant to the management of MACK Rides in 2005. The parent company in Waldkirch, where the over-240-year history of the family company originated, remains one of the central pillars of the success of the Mack family. The close connection between the ride manufacturer and the theme park is unique among the industry. Today’s success and the company’s economic strength are largely related to the decisions made by Franz Mack and his grandson Michael Mack, who worked hard to expand the parent company.
True to the motto ‘We make people smile’, MACK Rides establishes important contacts with companies in the theme park industry around the world and directs the company’s focus more towards the development and construction of rollercoasters.
With ‘Pegasus – the YoungStar rollercoaster’, MACK Rides developed an attraction in 2006 with the help of a special rail production that is specially designed for the needs of small children and thus enables even the youngest visitors to experience a rollercoaster.
In 2007, the attraction ‘Adventure Atlantis’ celebrated its premier. The interactive themed ride is a complete MACK Rides product, from the first idea through conception and planning to production and completion.
From an initiative of Michael Mack, the Waldkirch-based company took a significant step in 2007: MACK Rides has increasingly devoted itself to the production of the Mack Launch Coaster, thus setting a milestone with today’s success that has established the traditional company on the world market.
In 2009, the parent company MACK Rides constructed the launch coaster ‘blue fire Megacoaster’ for Europa-Park. It is the first attraction featuring a looping and a linear synchronous motor, called an LSM drive. The visitors are catapulted from 0 to 100kph in 2.5 seconds.
In January 2010, Michael Mack was appointed to the European Board of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA).
In 2014, the major project ‘Arthur’ opened in collaboration with Luc Besson. The innovative media-based and powered attraction is based on the movie by the French star director. MACK Rides was significantly involved in the conception of the rollercoaster flight through the themed indoor and outdoor areas.
In 2015, Michael Mack founded the subsidiary VR Coaster together with Thomas Wagner. This subsidiary is dedicated to the integration of virtual worlds into the business areas of the family company (Europa-Park and MACK Rides).
The non-profit ‘Themed Entertainment Association’ awarded ‘ARTHUR’ the coveted prize in the ‘Best Ride System’ category as part of the THEA Awards 2017. The THEA Award is one of the most important awards in the entertainment industry.
In 2017, the major project ‘Voletarium’ was opened, allowing visitors to fly over the most impressive places in Europe. MACK Rides implemented the ideas for the innovative ride in a creative and technically outstanding way.
Based on an initiative by Michael Mack, the MACK Rides product portfolio was expanded to include a new, innovative brand in 2019: Tacumeon Rides.
Tacumeon Rides specialises in Media Based Amusement Rides, which has resulted in unique attractions such as Snorri Touren. Michael Mack brings the parent company MACK Rides a significant step forward.
Today, Michael Mack is significantly involved in the most well-known media innovations from the headquarters in Waldkirch. Michael Mack took up a position as a pioneer of digitisation to optimise conventional rollercoasters with media content in order to stand out from the market.