Reading time: 6 minutes
CHIO Rotterdam is the only Dutch top-class equestrian sporting event that is recognised as a high-ranking international event. With a 74-year history of show jumping and dressage at the very highest levels, CHIO Rotterdam is also the city’s oldest top-class sporting event. Boels Rental has been CHIO’s rental partner for many years. In this edition, we meet up with Facility Manager Kyra van Well, who is responsible for facility and technical operations at the event.
Every year, an equestrian stadium, complete with a double deck VIP pavilion, and a ‘straw village’ (fan zone) are created to showcase top-class equestrian sport at CHIO Rotterdam. The five-day event is attended by more than 40,000 people every year. They enjoy the top-class sport on offer and also the facilities provided by Kyra’s team from V2 Facility on behalf of the CHIO organisation.
Putting trust in a partner like Boels
We agree to meet in the VIP tent. It’s still early but the first dressage competition has already started. Kyra looks very relaxed. “Yes, I am. Everything looks good, which makes me feel happy and stress-free,” she says as the phone rings for the umpteenth time during our chat. Everyone looks to Kyra for answers at CHIO and she’s got everything sorted. “Yes, there need to be bottles of cola in the drug testing area. Apparently, it makes it easier for people to use the toilet. We’re responsible for that too.”
CHIO has been relying on V2 Facility’s expertise since 2019. As a facilities service provider, it is involved in the event from the drawing board up to and including take-down. The company organises a number of events, many of which in the equestrian world. Boels has its role to play too. “We have been working with Boels for years now and have established a very pleasant relationship with it. At CHIO and other events, we’re always reminded just how good it is to be able to rely on a partner like Boels. Planning and communication are crucial at CHIO, particularly because of the limited logistics space available on site.
”I sometimes compare it to Tetris, the puzzle video game but on a site the size of a postage stamp.” ~ Kyra van Well
Short lines of communication
Gina Janssen is the contact person at Boels Events who makes sure that Kyra gets everything she needs on time. “The lines of communication with Gina are very short. We even send messages by app if something’s not urgent. Gina always gets back to me quickly and solves problems on Boels’ behalf. It’s good to have just one contact person for the whole Boels services side of things and there’s quite a bit of ‘orange stuff’ as well. Boels Rental supplies CHIO with modular units, machines, furniture, generators, sanitary facilities, fencing and smaller equipment, including ventilators and fire extinguishers. CHIO has been Gina Janssen’s first big job for Boels Events, after earning her stripes at organisations like Pinkpop. “Yes, it’s been quite exciting. The biggest challenge for the CHIO project was logistics. As Kyra has already said, everything had to be delivered at just the right time and in just the right order. Our communication in the run-up to and during set-up was perfect. We are both very positive people and clicked straight away. So, that just made us look forward to our work even more. A great feeling and a good event to be part of.”
Everything on schedule
Kyra is having to deal with a large number of suppliers and partners, so uses a daily schedule to help her do this successfully. “We agreed on the schedule in the preparation phase and it works really well. Especially with a company like Boels. And if there’s ever an issue, they communicate well and start looking for a solution straight away. It’s important to me and our team that we’re able to stay on schedule and make sure that everyone who comes along to the event has an unforgettable experience.” We say goodbye to each other in the straw village . “This is what makes me happy,” she says while pointing to the wooden decking on which the village stands. “I visualise the layout of the site in my head months before the actual event. And now I’m there, I feel really proud and happy with how it’s worked out. We all work very hard to make the event happen and if all the pieces of the puzzle then actually fit, that’s brilliant and gives us the energy we need to see the event through to a successful end. And that’s why we all do what we do.”
