Telenet : The Park opens fifth Dutch VR arcade at SnowWorld Landgraaf

Things are moving fast for Telenet's The Park virtual reality halls. At the end of September, it opened its fifth branch on Dutch soil and the 13^th internationally in less than a year. To this end, Telenet has entered into a collaboration with SnowWorld, the indoor ski slopes of which Marc Coucke became a major shareholder four years ago. The Park wants this new site to entertain and immerse even more people in the VR world.'Virtual reality is hot in the Netherlands. This additional branch is a logical step to further internationalise the concept', says Philippe De Schutter, CEO of The Park.

After previous successes in Breda, Eindhoven, and Utrecht, the scissors are ready to cut the ribbon for a new VR arena at The Park. Landgraaf will be the fifth VR experience for our northern neighbours and that in less than a year. So, the plans to conquer Europe with The Park are now even more concrete.

Philippe De Schutter, CEO of The Park: 'The Park is a unique concept and an example of what we call 'phygital' entertainment. The concept has had enormous success in its own country for three years now with seven locations, four of which are in collaboration with Kinepolis. It now seems that our tried and tested formulas are also catching on with our northern neighbours. The more people who are introduced to the wonderful world of VR gaming, the better. This fifth branch in the Netherlands affirms our sky-high ambitions. We want to become the VR company of Europe and beyond.'

The Park continuously renews itself to remain at the forefront of virtual reality entertainment. For example, they recently brought K3 to life in the new K3 in VR experience where Klaasje, Hanne, and Marthe are seen in 3D as a hologram in Egypt following their new K3 Dance of the Pharaoh film. This is the first time a Flemish-Dutch film came to life as a VR game. The Park now has a total of thirteen locations in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Switzerland.

The Park in SnowWorld

This time, the setting for the VR world is not a cinema or trendy building in a city centre, but an indoor ski run. Telenet is entering into a collaboration with SnowWorld, a winter sports specialist in which Belgian entrepreneur Marc Coucke is a shareholder. SnowWorld Landgraaf is Europe's largest indoor winter sports resort that, in addition to its ski hall, also offers an outdoor park and thus attracts visitors from the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany.

Wim Hubrechtsen, CEO of SnowWorld: 'We are delighted to enter into this agreement with The Park. With the launch of this virtual reality arcade, we offer our visitors an additional experience on top of winter sports. People staying at our hotel will find that the virtual reality experience is a nice way to relax besides winter sports. If the concept catches on with our visitors, we'll also look into expanding it to our other locations. This concept aligns perfectly within our strategy to further expand the customer experience.'

A 500-m² VR park

The park at SnowWorld will be a 'full-experience' park covering an area of no less than 500 m². The experiences 'The Mole', 'The Hallow', 'NanoClash XL', and 'K3 in VR' will be available to visitors. Players will be able to move freely around the two 'free roam' fields because their VR goggles are not attached to cables. Equipped with VR goggles and a backpack with sensors, players walk into the setting of their experience. Various arrangements will also be set up so that you can combine skiing or snowboarding and VR for groups, companies, and children's parties.

^{About The Park}

^{The Park is a corporate venture of Telenet and 9.5 Magnitude Ventures. The mission is to bring the future of entertainment to the general public. Launched in 2018 in Antwerp, The Park has grown to 13 locations in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Switzerland in just three years. Since then, The Park has received more than 150,000 visitors. The Park provides immersive virtual reality experiences and an example of what we call 'phygital' entertainment. It offers people a team experience on the boundary between physical and digital life. The Park continuously invests in new experiences, which they develop together with the Ghent-based company Triangle Factory. In the meantime, there are 5 different free-roam VR experiences. These are accessible to all age groups. At The Park, you can go mole hunting in The Mole (based on a well-known TV format), free hostages as a real SWAT team in The Heist (TV series on ONE), dismantle a bomb in NanoClash, or chase zombies in The Hallow.}

^{www.theparkplayground.com}

^{About SnowWorld}

^{SnowWorld offers a unique winter sports experience on real snow and receives over 3 million visitors annually with its locations in Amnéville (Fr), Amsterdam, Neuss (D, 66%), Landgraaf, Roosendaal, Breda/Rucphen, Terneuzen, and Zoetermeer. SnowWorld has slopes of various difficulty levels, fun parks, ice karting, and - with 750 instructors - one of the largest ski schools in Europe. Thanks to various restaurant formulas and (business) events, SnowWorld offers a complete winter sports experience to all target groups. Under the Adventure Valley label, the Landgraaf-based company has the largest climbing park in Europe and a unique experience trail. Indoor Skydive Roosendaal is the first indoor skydiving centre in the Benelux.}

^{https://www.snowworld.com/nl}

Philippe De SchutterManaging Director The Park

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Lisa KaspersPR Consultant, Bepublic

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