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Boels Rental has been the preferred partner of Paaspop (the famous music festival in Schijndel, Brabant) for many years now. This festival has been held at Easter since back in 1985 and it’s impossible to imagine Boels not being involved in preparations for it any more. Over the years, the site has jokingly become known as the ‘Boels Schijndel depot’. For many people, Easter means a long weekend, good food and quality time with others. But for Joost Meulensteen, the festival’s main producer, Easter is mainly about one thing: Paaspop. He explains exactly how the partnership with Boels works.
The 37-hectare site in Schijndel is a hive of activity during the set-up phase. Orange equipment from Boels Rental are being driven here, there and everywhere. This is when we speak to Joost Meulensteen; he’s the main producer at This is Live Group, the organisation behind Paaspop. In the six weeks before the festival, he and his team manage about 700 people who work hard across the site to get everything ready on time for the show days.
Keeping on Top of Production
Joost and his team are responsible for staying on top of production for this large event, which takes place in a relatively limited space. “In projects like this, we actually take on the roles of architect, draughtsman, buyer, (work) planner, and site manager all at once. Logistics are the biggest challenge. There’s an incredible amount to set up in a small area, all while people are constantly moving through the space. It’s our job to make sure all the pieces of the puzzle fit together perfectly.”
Boels as a preferred partner
Besides its close partnership with Paaspop, the production company has been working with Boels Rental for a long time now. “We rely on the national coverage that Boels is able to offer in so many countries.” Boels’ preferred partner status means that it’s involved in all This is Live events – that’s more than 100 events a year. They range from large festivals, like Extrema and Solar, to smaller events with several thousand visitors.
“Hello, Boels Schijndel depot ”
It’s impossible to miss all the equipment involved in the festival’s set-up phase. Joost laughs as he says: “When Boels calls me, I sometimes say ‘Hello, Boels Schijndel depot; Joost speaking’. There’s a reason for that. There’s so much Boels equipment on site. And all of it’s vital to the festival’s set-up and take-down phases.”
Dennis Dubbelman, Boels Event Manager, agrees. “I’ve have been involved in this great event for years. That creates a bond and you know exactly what’s needed to make production run smoothly. Our equipment and services make sure that work never grinds to a halt.”
Continuity guaranteed
Continuity and meeting deadlines are the key to success – it’s no different at Paaspop. “Our service engineer Jan Bevers lives locally. If anything goes wrong, he’s at the site in no time at all. And if he can’t solve the problem right then and there, we’re always able to quickly arrange replacement equipment thanks to our extensive network. We know how important our equipment is to Paaspop. Our strength lies in our speed and solution-focused approach.”
Europe’s largest festival tent
Everywhere you look, you see orange Boels equipment, heaters and lighting tower generators. The huge stage is being built in the impressive Apollo tent. It’s 114 metres long and 70 metres wide and has a surface area of 8,000 m². “It makes Boels’ 28-metre-high Boels aerial work platforms look like toys,” Dennis says. “The tent can hold more than 20,000 visitors and air conditioning is provide entirely by Boels Power HVAC. Heating and ventilating a tent of this size is a massive achievement.”
Joost adds: “We make sure we add something new to the Apollo tent every year. In terms of fire safety, technology and visitor experience. We need to continue to surprise visitors because competition is fierce in the festival world. Innovation maintains the public’s interest and attention.”
