From colorful tents to ponchos and from bars to furniture: whatever you need for your event, you can rent or buy it from De Loods. Owner Teun Lelie: “Our end product is all about happy people.”
BY: ARNOLD LE FÈBRE
Rental company De Loods does many things. The organisation offers a wide range of products and services needed to make any event or festival a success; from screws, benches, tables and tents to prefabricated set pieces and components. Clients can also call on De Loods to store their stuff, get advice and purchase timber, fabric and hardware. Owner Teun Lelie: “We supply to every major event you can imagine. I have been with De Loods since July 2017. The company is part of The Support Group, formerly known as the Lifestyle Group.” “The advantage of being part of a major organisation is that we can cover all bases,” Lelie says. “For example, we collaborate closely with Brok Decor. We combine their knowledge of stage and set design with our expertise concerning prefabricated set pieces and renting out event materials. Together, we can build crazy and wonderful creations for festivals. We communicate extensively with all departments, so we always know what is happening in the market.”
Storage facilities
Not only does De Loods claim to offer everything you need for a great party, but it also has a solution for a common problem that nearly all organisations face: a lack of storage space. “Organisations have a lot of decorations or other event materials, yet they often lack a good place to store everything. We have a storage capacity of circa 8,000 m2 for our clients to (temporarily) store their event materials. With our range of services, the owner does not have to worry about a thing. Whenever they need (some of) their materials, we will deliver them to the right place. We can even pick them up again after the event. We do whatever we can to take matters out of our clients’ hands.” De Loods excels at logistics, Lelie says. “We have been handling the logistics of Sensation for years now. We arrange the transport of all materials by air and sea: we schedule everything, talk to the partners and provide the right customs documentation.” The company works for major national and international festivals, but its services are also available to smaller clients. “We can come up with or create something great for any budget, e.g. a few mirror balls or a wooden decoration for a bar. We take our clients’ wishes in our stride, contribute ideas and always manage to come up with a great solution.”
“When I go to an event and see all those happy faces, it makes me feel happy too”
More than just dance
For De Loods, the year 2018 is about retaining their existing clients and attracting new ones. Lelie: “We make a difference by offering consistent quality and reliability. Furthermore, we are always looking to expand our activities.” Although dance festivals continue to be big business for De Loods, the company is also exploring other opportunities. “I do not expect the festival sector to grow exponentially. For example, the municipality of Amsterdam has become a lot stricter when it comes to issuing permits. We therefore keep a close eye on other types of events, such as food festivals and Christmas fairs – the kind of event that the whole family can enjoy. In addition to dance festivals, we are active in the B2B sector. Business events require a different approach and the furniture and decorations are often just that bit fancier. We devoted a lot of energy to that segment and it is now beginning to pay off.” Lelie believes it is important to innovate, which is why De Loods critically evaluates its own product range. “We do our best to listen to what our clients want. It is helpful to walk around the events and talk to clients and visitors. The best things are often developed on location. You might come up with a great new design for a fence or a table, for example.” The look and feel of products is becoming increasingly important, as is sustainability. “Bright colours are quite popular, so we offer high peak tents with all kinds of colourful designs. We also offer products that are made entirely of recycled wood, such as our picnic tables.”
Satisfied visitors
What does Lelie like best about his work? “We have a tough job, but a great one. It is not a nine-to-five affair; the festival and events sector never sleeps. We have tailored our services accordingly. For example, we supply 700 picnic tables to Defqon:1. These have to be picked up on Monday afternoon and inspected and cleaned that same night, so they can be used at Awakenings on Tuesday morning. In the end, our end product is all about satisfied visitors. When I go to an event and see all those happy faces, it makes me feel happy too.” ◾