Tomorrowland Ventures buys theme developer Eye-Opener
What's the deal? Tomorrowland VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, the investment arm of Belgian festival organiser WEAREONE.world (WAOWDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →), has acquired theme developer Eye-OpenerDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. The deal value was not disclosed.
What does Eye-Opener do? Founded in 2020 by CEO Siemon Ariens and creative director Lars Van Den Dungen, it designs, engineers, produces and installs themed environments for parks including Walibi BelgiumDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, PhantasialandDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, PlopsaDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and Bellewaerde ParkDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →.
Its work on Dock World, the maritime-themed area at Walibi Belgium, won the Park World Excellence Award for Best Theming in 2025.
Why now? The two sides already work together. Eye-Opener recently collaborated with set production company FisheyeDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → — also part-owned by WAOW and Tomorrowland Ventures — on façades for the Partnerlane and three retail shops at the Tomorrowland festival.
What's the endgame? Eye-Opener joins the WAOW ecosystem to build permanent experiences at greater scale. "Through our partnership with Tomorrowland Ventures, we can bring ideas to life on a scale that would be more difficult for us to achieve on our own," Van Den Dungen said, adding that the company retains its identity and operations while pursuing larger projects and new international clients.
For Ariens, the deal is a homecoming. He began his career as a stage manager for Tomorrowland in 2012 before moving through artist management and agency roles. "It's special to be working with Tomorrowland again today," he said.
The signal: The acquisition extends a pattern of vertical integration by WAOW, which has taken stakes in Fisheye, video production firm Prismax and logistics player STND. By absorbing its own suppliers, the festival group is building an in-house pipeline to design and produce permanent, physical attractions — moving beyond the temporary world it stages once a year.
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