Natko Bošnjak (Ice Wonderland): The challenge is to organize many ice rinks at the same time, often in remote locations

When Georgina Rodriguez, the wife of Cristiano Ronaldo, recently posted videos of family bliss on her Instagram profile at a private ice rink in front of their house in Madrid, the Croatian brand of ice rinks Ice Wonderland came into the public spotlight, which is behind this endeavor and thanks to which the family and children of the famous footballer enjoyed winter joys. However, entrepreneurs Natko and Rahela Bošnjak have been in this business for over ten years, and besides premium private ice rinks for public figures seeking privacy, their ice rinks are at numerous Advent events across Croatia and Europe. Natko, while working on sports competitions, including those at ice rinks, noticed the growing trend of ice rinks at winter events and the need to expand the offer. He recognized an opportunity in the market and ventured into entrepreneurial waters.

– Also, two years ago we opened our logistics center and centralized all production in Croatia. Now all our ice rinks are domestically produced – says Natko Bošnjak, the owner and director of Ice Wonderland, emphasizing that over the years they have expanded their offer and locations, first to all of Croatia, then to the region, and now to Europe. Now, he says, they deliver ‘wherever needed’.

– We started working on larger ice rinks, more demanding ice parks, and in the last few years we have developed our service of exclusive private ice rinks – explains Bošnjak the journey from the beginnings to the collaboration with Ronaldo’s wife Georgina, which they reached through a recommendation, whose only special request was to preserve the lawn in front of the house in Madrid.

Logistics Problems

However, the main business of Ice Wonderland is the rental and sale of ice rinks for public use during Advent, where clients are cities or agencies that organize events, hotels, shopping centers, and ski resorts.

– Currently, our ice rinks are at numerous Advent events in Croatia, from Dubrovnik, Dalmatia, Istria, Zagreb, and northern Croatia. Over the past ten years, we have set up ice rinks in almost all major cities in Croatia, and we have also installed and delivered ice rinks to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Montenegro, Italy, England, Spain, Germany, Bulgaria, and the Czech Republic – lists Bošnjak.

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Natko Bošnjak, Ice Wonderland. Klizalište kod Z CENTRA u Zagrebu

foto Ratko Mavar

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Although everything seems idyllic with Christmas decorations and in a festive environment, the production of ice and the installation of ice rinks is by no means an easy task. And since few cities today do not have their own ice rink, which are set up at the same time of year – at the beginning of Advent or around St. Nicholas’ Day – the challenge is even greater. If it is about larger ice rinks, so-called ice parks that also have ice slides, the installation process is very complex.

– The biggest challenge in the creation, distribution, and installation of ice rinks is logistics, considering that the installations begin almost at the same time before Advent at all locations. In such a short time, it is challenging to organize so many construction sites, and most often it is done at very remote locations. Smaller ice rinks require three to four days of assembly, while larger ones take five to six or more days. And then we come to a large number of teams for assembly and commissioning, at very remote locations. So logistics and transport are very challenging during that period. If we add weather conditions – rain, wind, snow – which can sometimes complicate and prolong the entire process, winter seasons are very demanding. There are also many other factors that we cannot influence, for example, the ban on truck traffic due to weather conditions, the ban on traffic on weekends in some European countries. However, over the years we have developed an excellent logistics network and business processes so that we can cover the entire season with ice rinks at numerous dispersed locations – describes Bošnjak.

Challenges of Climate Change

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Georgina Rodriguez

—Another challenge for all winter activities is climate change. Thus, when setting up a private ice rink for Georgina Rodriguez in Madrid, daytime temperatures reached 20 degrees, making it difficult to obtain a firmer layer of ice. Bošnjak explains that, thanks to more than ten years of experience in setting up ice rinks one meter away from the sea, for example, in Hvar, Dubrovnik, Makarska, and Korčula, they have also tackled this problem.

– However, at night the temperature drops, so at such locations we usually make the ice at night, and during the day and at the highest temperatures we cover it with a special aluminum foil that protects the ice from high external temperatures. Also, wind and heavy rain, if they occur during installation, do not help us as they complicate and prolong the installation time – explains Bošnjak.

How the Ice Wonderland business operates during the winter season, what they focus on during the rest of the year, and how they cope with inflation and the energy crisis, which is not the same in every European country, read in the new issue of the printed and digital edition of Lider.