100 members of the European Waterpark Association met from May 7 to 9 for our association’s Summer Meeting. President Jutta Kleiber welcomed participants from Germany, Luxembourg, Austria, Switzerland, and Sweden in the lobby of the Ling Bao theme hotel, which is part of Phantasialand Brühl. The contrast in the program could hardly have been greater: the 44 representatives of leisure pools and thermal baths and 56 representatives of the EWA’s supporting members enjoyed a stylish start in formal attire at the “Fantissima” dinner show and continued their networking in bathrobes the next morning.
Three waterparks and thermal baths were on the agenda. First, Managing Director Andrea Meurer-Wiedmayer welcomed the EWA group to the Emser Therme, which is part of the Kannewischer Collection. The spectacular river sauna was a particular highlight of the visit. The second stop on the pool tour was the new Moselbad in Koblenz, which was presented by Managing Director Prof. Dr. Christian Kuhn together with Mayor Ulrike Mohrs. During their visit, the guests also experienced the use of state-of-the-art technology, including a cleaning robot for the pool surrounds and an AI-based detection system that supports the supervisory staff in their work.
There was also a grand reception at the Euskirchen thermal baths. Franz Hofstetter, Uwe Barth, and Kersting Huth-Neises from the Wund Group of Wund Holding had prepared the EWA visit perfectly with their team. The guests were given an exclusive preview of the “Immersive Sky” project, which won the EWA Professional Award 2025, and were treated to a “shamanic ritual infusion” in the sauna.
The stay at the Euskirchen thermal spa came to an end far too quickly, but there was still an evening get-together at the Brühler Wirtshaus, a typical regional brewery restaurant, on the agenda. Here, the Cologne band “Master Blaster” really got the party going, and after the sumptuous buffet, the delicious calories could be burned off straight away on the dance floor.
The Summer Meeting ended on the third day with the opportunity to visit the spa area of the Ling Bao Hotel with Sonja and Helmut Hilpert or try out the spectacular F.L.Y. roller coaster in the new “Rookburgh” themed world at Phantasialand.