For career tools I attended a guest workshop by Gerwin Versluis who is an event producer and founder of Bureau Beun. This workshop took place at BUas and focused on event layout design by using real-life examples from his work including major projects like Tomorrowland, Adele in Munich and his own food truck festival: Bumperkluiven.

The assignment given in the workshop was to design a layout for Bumperkluiven, taking into consideration all the practical and safety requirements involved in producing a live event. We were expected to think about the placement of key elements such as food trucks, stages, bars, storage, power supplies, entrances, emergency exits and walking routes.

Gerwin gave a presentation focussed on sharing his career journey, event stories, and advice. His message about just starting and networking really resonated with me and motivated me to start taking initiative. During the workshop I worked with a few classmates to plan the layout by simply using pen and paper. We had to carefully consider logistics ensuring exits remained clear, walking routes were not blocked, and practical elements like storage and electricity were accounted for behind the bars etc. We spent a lot of time discussing before drawing this allowed us to approach the design thoughtfully.

We quickly sketched our layout after our long discussion phase. Initially, Gerwin joked that we had “nothing” because we hadn’t drawn anything yet but once we laid out our ideas on paper he was very positive. He especially appreciated our creative thinking. We had an idea of a lifted platform above the food trucks it however wasn't realistically feasible due to costs. We received great feedback and I felt proud of our thoughtful and well-structured design.

This workshop gave me a better understanding of how much detail and planning goes into an event. It showed that every decision small or big can have drastic impact and shape the experience and safety of the event. While I don’t see myself doing event production daily I did really enjoy understanding the process and have an appreciation for how layout choices affect the overall flow and feel of an event. Gerwin’s energy and stories were incredibly inspiring I left the workshop motivated to “just start” and take more action without overthinking too much.