Vekoma Rides, the Dutch roller coaster specialist, and PortAventura World have joined forces to launch WeRiseUp, a new independent company spun off from PortAventura World's digital innovation unit, Adventure Labs.
With this evolution into a specialist mixed reality studio, the company will scale the technology designed and proven in recent years at PortAventura Park.
A family explores a Roman amphitheatre
Partnership, curiosity, and elevated experiences
WeRiseUp operates two core business lines to focus on theme parks and cultural heritage.
Within theme parks, the company collaborates with operators across the globe to reimagine existing attractions and extend their lifecycles by integrating mixed reality into physical rides and areas, enhancing visitor engagement, repeat visit rates, and incremental revenue.
An underwater mixed reality experience
The cultural heritage line positions the company as a specialist partner in complementary, rather than substitutive, mixed reality for historic, cultural and leisure sites.
Working with cultural heritage operators, museums, tourism operators, and both public and private institutions, this seeks to elevate the guest experience, attract multi-generational interest and generate new revenue streams.
Driven by a digital layer that combines narrative with advanced technology, these lines offer products ranging from short-form mixed reality experiences to interactive family activities using wearables, sensors, and other devices.
The company name, WeRiseUp, evokes the company’s three core values. 'We' expresses partnership, while 'Rise' and 'Up' refer to a growing curiosity, and the elevation of artefacts, spaces, and visitor experiences.
Bringing a validated proposition to the global market
PortAventura World continues to be a partner and client of WeRiseUp. The mixed reality offering will remain alongside the three existing products at the themed resort, which will still serve as a test space for iterating on new experiences.
Mixed reality in a theme park setting
The new company’s management team, led by CEO Andreu Tobella, will include some of the experts behind Adventure Labs’ current products.
A headcount growth plan spans product, engineering, storytelling, sales and international operations profiles.
"Joining forces with Vekoma was a natural decision," says Tobella. "They are world leaders in the design and manufacturing of attractions, and they share our vision of creating transformative experiences.
"Combining their engineering excellence with the operational know-how built at PortAventura World gives WeRiseUp a unique starting point to scale globally.
"PortAventura World has firmly believed that this division had enormous growth potential beyond our resort, and that is precisely why we have promoted its spin-off: to give it the autonomy, focus and ambition needed to lead a new chapter in immersive entertainment worldwide."
An ancient Egypt mixed reality experience
In addition to finalising the spin-off setup and brand launch, the company's plans for the coming years include the first local and global rollouts of mixed reality experiences and the evolution of creative processes through AI.
Since 2023, Adventure Labs by PortAventura World has shown that an agile, customer-focused team can create successful digital products.
The unit has launched three innovative commercial experiences at PortAventura Park: Hysteria in Boothill, El Diablo Neo, and Expedición ULUM, which have welcomed over 150,000 visitors and achieved an average rating of 8.1 out of 10 across more than 2,450 verified reviews.
Last month, Vekoma Rides marked its centenary celebration with the launch of the Century Collection: a limited‑edition merchandise range that extends its heritage beyond the park gates.
