Buko Infrasupport official event supplier Dutch Grand Prix

Sufficient drop-off fences, guide beacons, referral signs and guiding 75,000 people to their seats every day in a short period of time. For Buko Infrasupport, in addition to their regular duties, the past two years were dominated by the Formula 1 Heineken Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort. Operational manager Ben van Bakel: "It went great; the weather was cooperative, many people came by public transport and Max takes pole position on Saturday and wins the race on Sunday. It all fell into place."

BUKO Infrasupport is a service provider in temporary traffic measures. Van Bakel: "When work is being done on public roads, we ensure that the contractor can work safely and that traffic is guided safely along the work site. And during events we make sure the right information gets to the right place with detour and referral signs."

Working with a mobility team

During the Dutch Grand Prix (DGP) in Zandvoort, BUKO Infrasupport worked with a mobility team. Van Bakel: "This includes traffic experts, specialized in traffic flows and crowd management, and they help with issues such as; how do you manage such large flows of people? Everyone comes together at the same point, watches the game and leaves at the same time. It remains a challenge, because it's a party for the visitors and, above all, you want to keep them in that mood and certainly not frustrate them with unnecessary waiting times or other disruption."  

Laura Dijkmans, events manager at Buko Infrasupport, was closely involved in the preparations for the DGP. "I am responsible for big events like the Amsterdam and Rotterdam marathons and now the Dutch Grand Prix. The preparations started in January 2019, continuously realizing that you are under a global magnifying glass. We put our heads together and formulated a first answer to the question; what if F1 comes to the Netherlands? On a map we sketched the possibilities with a few markers. We quickly saw that two roads lead to the circuit. That makes it easy, but then again not. We considered everything; from laying ten kilometers of driving plates across the beach to arriving by boat. Unfortunately, due to Covid-19, the 2020 edition ultimately did not go ahead, but thanks to excellent preparation, the racing spectacle in Zandvoort could finally take place this year."

Investing in new materials

The secret to the success, according to Van Bakel, is that as a team they trust each other blindly. "As an organization, we invested in a lot of new materials including scare fences and traffic signs. All traffic signs, some 2,000 of them, still had to be mounted on the tubular poles for this, and this put a huge strain on the yard. As a result, drivers were even freed up to assist with the assembly, so that all the materials were ready to be placed on time."

Dijkmans: "It was a tough job where you are constantly shifting gears beforehand, but also during the event. It's fun and certainly challenging with all the last minute decisions. Employees from different branches helped out. A top performance. Now on to next year, but then with 100,000 visitors a day. I don't get to see anything of the sporting achievements, but I will watch them in the summary. I'm happy to do that."