IAAPA Expo Europe Teaches Lessons in Attractions Leadership

London (IAAPA News) - Robert Dahl, managing director of Karls, discussing the topic of “Growing Without Losing Your Soul” at the IAAPA Expo Europe Leadership Breakfast, admits he ripped up his original speech to speak from the heart. 

While using artificial intelligence (AI) to create a presentation in perfect English, he came to a distinctly human conclusion:“We should think for ourselves.”  

Dahl leads Karls, a family business rooted in strawberry farming that has rapidly branched out into retail and parks. Karls recently opened its eighth Karls Erlebnis-Dorf strawberry-themed destination at Oberhausen, and is forging ahead with plans for its first United States site in California.

IAAPA was Dahl’s introduction to the attractions industry. Now he is grateful to be among the trailblazers paying it forward. 

Simplifying to Accelerate Growth 

Attraction leaders must “stay reflective and thankful,” he believes. They should also believe in what they stand for: “You need to know your soul.” He adds that the Karls’ crew is central to the company’s success. 

As organizations grow, there is a tendency to standardize every aspect of the operation. But there is a danger in taking that too far. Imperfections can be part of an attraction’s charm, Dahl believes. 

“You can standardize and professionalize your soul away.” He advocates standardizing the necessary but “boring things,” giving team members more time and freedom. “I want my team to act as human beings.”  (Dahl brought several employees to IAAPA Expo Europe in London. Each proudly wears a Karls letter jacket on the tradeshow floor.)

Staying simple is not simple while a business grows, but it is crucial, Dahl observes. He also stresses the importance of humility. For all the value he places on learning from great leaders, he says there is sometimes as much to learn from a 20-year-old working at Karls.  |

Staying close to your guests is a must, he adds. Karls has created an AI tool that collates online reviews on platforms such as Google and Tripadvisor. These reviews are sorted and sent daily to Karls’ managers, so they can resolve any issues. “This is a way that AI helps us not to lose our soul,” he says.  

Staying close to your teams is equally important, he believes. Karls’ employees can load an app onto their phones to access timely information. The app includes a button they can use to message Dahl directly. Only he sees the messages, and he reads and responds to each one quickly. It is an effective way of building trust within the workforce. Dahl keeps lines of communication simple—he has stopped reading email and uses one channel, WhatsApp, for clarity.  

“Staying crazy” is an underrated quality, according to Dahl. “Craziness creates character and character creates soul,” he says. That zaniness is evident in the chocolate ice-cream Karls serves in toilet-shaped bowls. “It’s one of our bestsellers.” 

Dahl subscribes to the idea of increasing talent density. “Talents need trust and freedom,” he adds.  

He returns to the importance of creating simplicity. For him, that centers on creating more with less, proving that necessity is the mother of invention. Karls is deliberately investing more so that it has less money to spend. The company is also devising an Erlebnis-Dorf project with an artificially low budget to encourage innovation.  

Gaining Momentum 

Momentum Leisure is embracing a new brand identity, Episodia, as it continues to grow across Central and Eastern Europe. The Dutch company’s three Majaland parks in Warsaw, Kownaty, and Gdánsk will rebrand in 2027. A fourth park in Gliwice, Poland, will open under the Episodia name next summer. Wouter Dekkers, CEO of Momentum Leisure, hopes to launch a Bucharest park in 2029.  

Momentum Leisure works with entertainment partners including Studio 100, Nickelodeon, and The Smurfs to create family-friendly experiences.

Dekkers shares lessons from the fast lane of growth. “Leadership must scale before the organization does,” he says. It’s a continual challenge to find the right teams across different regions.  

Scaling requires a strong company culture. Momentum Leisure gained a great deal from roadshows they ran across the region. These learnings fed into a set of values that will steer future development: Safety is Non-Negotiable; Together is How We Win; Respect is Our Compass; and Fun is Our Signature. But a company’s values are only useful if people share them—Dekkers stresses the importance of bringing team members along for the ride.

Instincts must be supported by evidence, he insists. Comprehensive research is a must, and it is essential to listen to staff and guests. “Data does not remove courage, it shows where courage is needed,” he believes.

“There is no cheap deal,” he says, adding that the lowest price can come at the highest leadership cost. “Cheap is a price. Value is an outcome.” Companies should know the difference between moving quickly and moving before they are ready.  

Dekkers raises the idea that operators should dare to change before the market forces them. “What brought us here may not take us further,” he says. Adaptability is key, as Momentum Leisure has learned while adopting the Episodia brand. “Our parks are successful, but that does not give us permission to stand still.”

This willingness to learn is one of Momentum’s strengths, he says, along with trusting its team, ensuring governance protects ambition, “and taking fun very seriously.” 

These guiding principles give him confidence for the future. “Will we succeed? 100%, yes,” Dekkers concludes.