Reading time: 2 minutes
Maastricht was going to host King’s Day in 2020. But corona put a stop to that. To use King Willem-Alexander’s words ‘Something that is good and well preserved will not lose its value.’ In fact, it will only get better.
The wonderful images of the KIng’s Day celebrations in Maastricht with the 12,500 partying orange fans on the Vrijthof will remain in our minds for a long time. To start with in the minds of Jip Wagemans and Boels Rental project manager Dennis Dubbelman.
‘It was a nice experience to be part of,’ said Wagemans, kicking off the interview somewhat soberly. ‘Everyone could see what we all achieved here and that is great of course. Certainly when you know how many people worked on this. A good production under nice circumstances.’
“’Positivity dominated and with that in mind, we tackled it enthusiastically.” – Jip Wagemans
Wagemans and Aerts know one another from the Solar Festival in Roermond and are well-known in the events sector. For example, Wagemans worked on the Invictus Games, and he is at the starting blocks of producing the KLM Open once again. The two producers complemented each other. Whereas Roos was responsible for the programme, Jip was facility manager. In that capacity, he was the contact person for Dennis Dubbelman for the rental of machines, units and fencing, among other things.
Orange party
Dennis Dubbelman also looks back with pleasure at the event. ‘Yes, I saw the images on TV. Cool to see that mass of orange partying in Maastricht, in “our own back garden” as it were. I went along to watch at the dress rehearsal on Tuesday. Not only was the city coloured orange with banners and flags but also with our aerial platforms, telehandlers and forklift trucks. It was quite a sight to behold.’
Live on national television
When asked why this production selected Boels, Jip answered as follows. ‘I like working with Dennis and his team. They arrange everything for you. A partner you can rely on and that’s extremely important to me. Wagemans is also very pleased with the neatness of the equipment. ‘The units and toilets at Boels are always in good order, you don’t get old stuff. Seeing as you know that certain materials will be live on national television that gives you a reassuring feeling. That Boels Rental’s machines also “wore” the right colours for this orange party is a great bonus of course,’ is how Jip concluded our chat somewhat jokingly…
