Once a year the city centre of Breda is filled with rubber boats, inflatable pools and oversized rubber ducks. We are talking about Breda Drijft, the extremely popular event in which the Port of Breda is taken over by 2500 partying bathers in their inflatable boats.
For the sixth year in a row Breda converts into a grand event site on July 7. Bram Bul: "Six years ago was the very first edition of Breda Drijft. It actually started as a joke that got out of hand. The owner of Bootje Varen came across a similar event in Sweden. "We have to do this in Breda", he said. Two weeks later, the first edition of Breda Drijft with 250 visitors was a fact. The following year there were 1,100 guests, and we've reached 2,500 participants for a few years now. This is also the maximum with which we can organise it in Breda safely and in a fun way."
In addition to Breda Drijft, there is also a Utrecht variant. You guessed it: Utrecht Drifts. "In the meantime we have had two editions in Utrecht. We saw that many cities tried to set up a similar event, but nowhere did they really get a foothold. Of course, it's something different. You don't just walk to the bar, but you have to sail to the bar between all the boats." That of course requires a slightly different approach. And safety also plays a greater role. "The combination of drinking and water is already causing many municipalities to get a bit nervous because you have to consider accessibility for emergency services, sufficient road access, water quality, and so on."
The fact that Breda Drijft and Utrecht Drijft succeeds, is partly due to the experience of the organisation. For years they have been offering several water activities, and have also had many beautiful parties to their name, such as a Sail in Cinema and a wakeboard show. But also the combination of several stages on the water, music and decoration are decisive for the success. "It's more than just a bit of floating, which you often see at these kinds of events. We really went for the unique festival experience."
The full experience goes beyond the event itself. From the moment tickets go on sale, they want visitors to get excited. Moreover, the process must be easy. Bram has been using CM.com's ticketing software for 5 years (then: TicketFlow, ed.). "The guys from TicketFlow were in the same building as us, so they were actually our neighbours. This way, the connection was quickly made. We have continued to grow together over the past few years."
TicketFlow has been part of the CM.com platform for a number of years now. Thanks to the possibilities of the CM.com platform - but also due to the acquisition of Events IT - this product has grown further. Bram: "For us it has only become easier. Where in the beginning, for example, you had to make a colour adjustment to the ticketshop, now we can easily do this ourselves in the WebApp. I set up the ticketshop myself. We can also create tickets; we can do everything ourselves. Purely because it is so easy with the WebApp. Even with our diversity in tickets (pre-sale, with or without after party, with or without coins, separate coins, etc.) it's all very easy to set up."
The CM.com tools will also be used on the day itself, i.e. for access control. And that's just a little bit different at Breda Drijft than at a regular festival. To ensure that the access control runs safely and smoothly, Breda Drijft chooses to allow participants and their boats to enter at different time slots, and at different check-in points. "This way we prevent all participants from arriving at one place at the same time. And that includes baths and boats. Checking in is really done in the city centre, in various pubs. We usually have 5 to 6 check-in points, with 2 people per point."
When asked whether multiple access points are a challenge, Bram was very sure: "It's actually very easy. With ticketing from CM.com, we have the free scan app. This allows us to scan tickets anywhere with our own mobile phone. So we are not limited by hardware, fixed entrance gates or locations. We can work anywhere and assign wristbands. Just perfect! ”
With the continued success of Breda Drijft, it should come as no surprise that the plans for next year are already being made. On Sunday, July 12, 2020, Breda will be transformed for the 7th time into a major port festival. Ticket sales will start in the spring, as always with the ticketing software from CM.com. In 2020, the addition of Messaging Channels from CM.com will also be taken in account.
Bram: "For example, Email and SMS and maybe WhatsApp for pre-information of the program. For other events we have already made use of this, by sending an SMS from the CM.com platform containing a mobile landing page with the ticketshop. This makes it possible to sell tickets even faster. Moreover, by creating a complete picture with the available data from the messaging and ticketing solutions, we can further roll out the puzzle. If we can link everything together, the experience will be even more beautiful."
Don't you want to miss this event next year? Keep an eye on the Facebook page of Breda Drijft. And while you're in Breda, be sure to visit CM.com for more information about our solutions to make your event a great success!
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