Lagotronics’ First Dark Ride Adventure

When we asked our CEO, Mark Beumers, about a memorable experience during his time at Lagotronics Projects, one project immediately came to mind. It was the first of many adventures into the world of dark rides.

Mark: I personally wasn't working at Lagotronics in 1979 when the company was founded, as I was only 13 months old at the time. It wasn't until May 1999 that I joined Lagotronics. However, it was around this time that the company also became active in the leisure industry, particularly theme parks.

The Mexico City Project

NOB decor had asked Lagotronics, as well as various other companies from the television production industry, to support them with a new project. Within a year of starting my job, I was asked to travel to Mexico City with a colleague to work on the upgrade of a dark ride at Six Flags. This was also the first real dark ride in which Lagotronics played a major role in delivering, installing, and programming show control and special effects. So, it was a milestone for both Lagotronics and myself.

Challenges and Rewards

The trip to Mexico and the work there was a real challenge and was accompanied by many ups and downs. It was my first real trip around the world by plane, and that right away for a period of over 5 weeks. The climate, the culture, the circumstances, the working hours and the inexperience of me and the company in this field did not exactly promote the whole process. A lot of things did not go as expected, and solutions had to be found and implemented on the spot. But it was an experience never to be forgotten, and friendships and relationships were formed that have lasted to this day. I could write a book about it.

A Memorable Moment

One special moment was when all our materials were delivered from the port. Since no container truck was available, the transporter had decided to load all our equipment onto a small open truck. Without further protection, these very expensive boxes of equipment were delivered to the park, with the driver having no idea what his cargo actually was. For all of us, it was a great shock and surprise, and also gave us a lot of extra work to check the packing slips and see if everything was actually there and still working.

Success and Legacy

Ultimately, however, a very beautiful attraction was realized by the collaborating companies, and it was fantastic to talk to people from Six Flags at IAAPA Orlando 20 years later, who were involved in the project back then, and who were still full of praise for our working method and the result that was achieved at the time.

Lagotronics' Interactive System

Shortly after this project, the management of Lagotronics decided to develop an interactive system that could be an interesting upgrade for many existing attractions, especially dark rides, around the world. The rest is history and our entry into this beautiful and high-profile industry was made. Our high-quality interactive system was launched on the market in the early 2000s and has since been further developed with many new technical possibilities and used in a large number of attractions around the world.