Attractions Expert Q&A: Alan Mahony

After Village Roadshow, Mahony oversaw all aspects of the design, construction, pre-opening, and post-opening operations of Chimelong Water Park in Guangzhou, China, and the Aquaventure Waterpark at Atlantis Sanya Resort. Most recently, he served as Executive Director Attractions for SEVEN (Saudi Entertainment Ventures) in Saudi Arabia before returning to China as COO of Keyestone Properties.

What theme park souvenir might we be surprised to find on your shelf, and what’s its story?

I have a collection of coffee cups and mugs. They’re always my favorite souvenirs to find when I’m in parks and my favorite ones are on my office table, not at home.

I use a Universal Studios Butterbeer mug for drinking water (and if I’m lucky enough and a beer comes after work, that will be used). I also have a Trader Sam’s mug from Disneyland in California, which is my pen holder. But my best coffee mug is from Ramayana Water Park in Thailand because I really love the design of our logo (having worked there for two years) and I’m proud of it. I have a Chimelong 10th anniversary mug for a coffee in the office. I have about 20 more, but those are my favorites.

What theme park have you always wanted to visit but have never been to? 

Siam Park in the Canary Islands. It’s an amazing water park that was one of the first to introduce immersive theming. I met Chris (Kiessling, park operator) and his sister. I’ve talked to the owner many times—he came to Thailand. He’s done incredible things and built a great expansion. It’s a beautiful park that I’d love to visit.

Was there a theme park or attraction that made you want to be in this industry and how did it inspire you?

I love our industry – it’s really inspired me. It’s taken me to Asia and the Middle East. But what brought me into the industry was not a love for parks but my very first job as a lifeguard at Wet ‘n’ Wild. At the time, I was touring Australia and surfing. I got a Bar Certificate and planned to travel for a year and just surf, surf, surf (and pick up a bit of night work). But a couple of months into my journey, I needed some income and got a job as a lifeguard at Wet ‘n’ Wild Water Park. The following year, I was promoted to Operations Manager. I stopped my travels, stayed on the Gold Coast, and here I am today.

As a child in Australia, there weren’t that many theme parks at the time. I’d never visited America, never been to Disneyland. I don’t have the American history that many people in our industry do. I traveled and was looking for work, and this guy said, “I’ve got the perfect opportunity for you. I’ll get you an interview.” I got the job, and the next year, I was heading up operations. When Village Roadshow (which operates Warner Bros. Movie World, Sea World, and Wet ‘n’ Wild) opened Warner Bros. Movie World, they brought me to establish the operations. So, I went from Wet ‘n’ Wild to Movie World.

What was your favorite ride or attraction as a child, and why?

When I was growing up, there was only Lunar Park in Sydney, but I wasn’t really a roller coaster guy. I was more into surfing, the beach, and rugby, but then the very first water slide came into Australia, back in the initial days of water slides, when there were no rules, no lifeguards, and no controls. We used to make trains of thirty people and go down these slides with everyone crashing into the pool. It was amazing fun, but I’m pretty lucky to have survived most of those rides. I would never let that happen now, but I got to experience it. It was the accidents in those early days that brought the water park regulations and ride rules that we have today.

When you work your way up in the parks, you not only know what to do and what not to do, but you learn what guests like and don’t like because you were out there with the guests. So you know what your staff needs to do. For me, it was the best training ever – I stood there for hours in the sun with guests – and I continually wanted to make them happy. You learn why they’re happy; you learn what they don’t like, and you make sure those things don’t happen.

Was there a ride, attraction, or character that frightened you as a child?

Not really. There was never one I wouldn’t go on. I’m not good with heights, but I have no problem with large attractions. I’m not the one to do the maintenance on a roller coaster, but I’m happy to ride it.

What’s your oddest or coolest job in a theme park?

I’ve had a lot of good jobs, but I think I’d have to go back to those initial days at Wet ‘n’ Wild. We used to play on the speed slides – we had a tall, high-speed slide where you could get up to speeds of 60 to 70 kilometers an hour.

We started playing on it after work and found we could do tricks. We could lay someone flat and surf them down. We could surf on boards; we could stand up or do somersaults. So, we, in fact, put a speed slide stunt show together.

We were sponsored by Rip Curl, and we put on shows daily for the guests. We’d pull lifeguards off their stations to perform and travel to do shows at every speed slide in Australia – down to Australia’s Wonderland, another park in Perth, and Adventure Park. It was a lot of fun. We did high speeds, somersaults, surfed each other down, and even got eight feet airborne off the slides. We did a lot of TV in Australia in those days, including a show called “Just for The Record,” where we laid five people on top of each other, and then I climbed on top and surfed down them. People from the film studio next door came over and put me in a suit, lit me on fire, and I surfed down on fire. We had to turn the water down to a much lower level, which actually makes you go faster, so as I went down standing up on fire, we had to have a couple of people close by with fire extinguishers because if I did fall, I wouldn’t have had enough water to put myself out.

We choreographed the show, added some comedy, and got sponsors. My goal at the time was to take it to America, but we couldn’t because there was a concern that guests could hurt themselves on a slide and then blame and sue the water park for putting on the show, which encouraged them to do something out of the rules. But in Australia, they loved it.

What ride or attraction do you think everyone needs to experience and why?

My answer is very easy: Visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter [in Orlando] and experience all the rides and attractions, plus the train adventure linking the two Universal parks in Florida. While there, enjoy an English-style meal at The Three Broomsticks Restaurant with a Butterbeer while taking in the view of Hogwarts Castle from the outdoor decking.

To me, it’s the most immersive experience on the planet. All the attractions—from the ride inside the castle to the motorbike—are amazing! And the train ride is phenomenal! I loved the whole Wizarding World of Harry Potter, the attractions, the link between the two parks, the meal, and the Butterbeer!

If you were tasked with creating a new theme park food, what would it be?

One of the parks will have to create a new Aussie Land, and then we could offer Vegemite pizza. The other thing I’d love is a Big Wednesday (the surfing movie)- themed restaurant with a whole food fight section. You don’t just eat your food—you throw it!

You’re a walk-around character for a day; who do you choose?

That’s simple – Homer Simpson. But I wouldn’t be walking around; I’d sit in Moe’s Tavern at Universal Studios, and all the guests could come and join me while I have a beer at Moe’s.

What types of attractions would you like to see more of and why?

I’m a huge fan of immersive experiences. Rides or attractions that immerse you into a movie or even a natural environment, such as in our Atlantis Aquaventure Waterpark, are my favorite.

We took water slides and immersed you into an aquarium. That was the most popular ride there, even more than the thrill rides. For me, these rides provide not just a great experience but something a family and friends can do together. You can ride a coaster, and you’re screaming – maybe you’ve got a person next to you, and you have some interaction. But when it comes to these immersive rides, you’re really experiencing them with someone, you’re laughing, and there’s a lot more to talk about. So, to me, what these immersive rides provide are never-ending experiences and memories that are always talked about, which is what we’re trying to do

For example, the water park industry started with people riding by themselves, and then the speed slides were added, which were more of a thrill. But when the industry really took off, the double tubes came in, so when you were riding, you were experiencing it with someone. And from the double tubes came the family rides. If you look at the water park industry now, the top rides have to be family rides because you’re enjoying them with people. Apart from everyone having a great time, you’re getting a higher capacity as well. Immersive and doing things with friends—that’s what our industry is about to me.

Do you have any interesting pandemic stories?

People often say that Covid was the biggest challenge for them, but when the world was in crisis, Atlantis was booming. The pandemic started around Chinese New Year 2020, and our hotel was jam-packed when it hit. The government closed down everything except the hotel rooms, so, all that I was running was closed. The owners asked me to take a holiday, so I headed to a tropical island in The Philippines and went surfing.

Then, because Hainan is an island by itself, the government could control who came on, so within a month, we reopened the aquarium. The water park took some time, but by about June, we went back into full swing. Since China was in lockdown, people traveled to Sanya because they couldn’t go anywhere else. It was quite a big deal in the industry because I was reopening everything as the world was shutting down.

During the pandemic, we also created the world’s largest mermaid show. All the free divers who usually traveled out of the country had to stay in China, so we dressed them up as mermaids and did a 20-minute show. We had 120 mermaids in the aquarium and got into the Guinness Book of World Records.

I spent a lot of time helping others reopen and did a lot of interviews and live feeds to share my experience with the rest of the industry. Many people came to me saying they were all stuck at home, and I was trying to put a light at the end of the tunnel.

Was there any challenge or surprise in your career?

The biggest challenge for me was opening the Chimelong water park. When I arrived, we only had a one-page concept drawing. Seven months later, we completed construction on a 170,000 square-meter water park, trained 500 staff, who were all new to the industry, and opened the water park to the public. It was challenging, but it was amazing! Much of it was due to Mr. Su (the Chairman and Founder) and his leadership – I was so happy to see him get the TEA Lifetime Achievement Award.

I’ll never forget when I arrived there and had my interview with Mr. Su. He told me what he wanted to do, and I said, “I’m on board, let’s go!” He was very involved in the whole process. I was on site every day overseeing the installation of the rides and, at the same time, setting up the operations team, the training, and the lot. Two months later, we had 1,000 staff and were operating at a global record crowd of 35,000 people per day. It was an amazing experience and the best time of my life.

Can you talk about what you are working on these days?

I joined Keyestone Properties, which is based on Hainan Island. We have an amazing Grand Hyatt Resort on Haitang Bay with a beautiful beach about five doors down from Atlantis. We’re working on a lot of projects, but we can’t really talk about them right now.

You are going to your favorite theme park; which industry people (dead or alive) are you taking with you?

Jim Seay (Premier Rides), John Wood (Sally Dark Rides), Jim Pattison (Ripley Entertainment), and Keith James (JRA, part of RWS Entertainment Group). I chose them because I met all these guys in the late 90s at the initial Asia IAAPA shows. What I liked about them was that they had a real dedication and desire to understand the region and the people. They loved the industry, and they were there to expand it (and honestly, you don’t find that these days in the industry). I’d love to have a day in the park with them because of their visions, passions, history, and industry experience. That would be a great day. And if it’s a water park, I’d have to include Rick Hunter (ProSlide), someone else who is passionate about the industry.

One more I would definitely add is Mr. Su. His dedication and passion is inspirational. When you go to parks with him (which I’ve done), his feedback and ideas as he watches the guest experience at an attraction are spot-on. When you’re looking at attractions for expansion and development, he’s a great guy to be with. He really knows what to look for. When I first interviewed with him, he told me his whole idea for the park – he had it all planned down to the river and banana trees. He had envisioned everything!

Writer Kendall Wolf is a long-time consultant in the themed entertainment industry. She has worked with designers, producers, and fabricators to help developers create unique and successful projects around the world. In 2017, she introduced Merlin Entertainments to a development group in Sichuan province for the first Legoland park in China. Kendall continues to consult for the developer to open more themed resorts in China.