It’s been a while. I’m sorry. I miss writing these blog texts, but 2024 turned out to be more challenging than I had hoped for. A year that simply disappeared in a blur. A year that I do not really remember as one coherent timeline, but more as snippets – like movie clips run at double speed.
As this year wraps up I am, however, cautiously… optimistic, in lack of a better word. Hopeful for a future that, in all fairness, does not look uncomplicated and has been increasingly hard to predict.
Looking back, it feels like the last four years at Liseberg, we have been in constant crisis mode. The pandemic hit the Swedish parks very hard — we were shut down for 15 months — and since then, the war in Ukraine, energy shortages, supply chain challenges, and inflation struggles have all contributed to a volatile market and an overall tricky economy.
On top of that, the tragic fire at Oceana on February 12, 2024 strained both Liseberg’s organization and our financial situation exponentially.
Some thought leaders have characterized the times we live in as the Poly Crisis Era. This term refers to a situation where multiple crises intersect and amplify each other, creating a more complex and overwhelming challenge than any single crisis alone.
It’s a concept that underscores the interconnectivity of modern global issues -economic instability, climate change, political conflict, and social upheaval – don’t just add up, they multiply each other, collectively straining our systems, societies, and companies.
Looking at the last four years from a Liseberg perspective, it does feel like we are in this very unpredictable poly crisis era. And one could ask, why should 2025 be any better than 2024?
It is now that we, as leaders, have a choice. Instead of succumbing to fatalism and inactivity, I believe much more in building resilience and adaptability. Planning carefully – but continue to experiment, re-invent and invest in the future. And understand, that the plans we make today may need to be completely reworked tomorrow.
Working for a 101-year-old company actually comes with an advantage here: Everything has happened before. And we have always made it through in the end. It keeps you humble. But it also keeps you optimistic.
Happy 2025.
Andreas
