His son flies him twice around the neck on stage during the award ceremony. The first time because director Gino Spijkerman joined the election a little too late, because he has just returned from a company trip to Bonaire. The second time because he won the coveted title: Interstage is the Drenthe company of the year 2022.
Spijkerman thinks it’s ‘absolutely great’ that his company has won the prize. “Once you are in that process, you become more and more enthusiastic and eventually you really want to win”, he responds immediately after the award ceremony.
Insterstage builds stage constructions at events, such as festivals and major TV shows. From the Eurovision Song Contest to The Voice of Holland and Zwarte Cross. The other two nominated companies were Sportconfex and M&G Group from Assen. The election took place in the Atlas Theater in Emmen.
The jury indicated that for the first time in years they unanimously agreed who should take the prize. “I thought that was very special,” says Spijkerman. “If you look at what was next to me about corporate violence, I actually feel very humble.”
Although he had not yet read the jury report yesterday, he suspects that the way in which his company has gotten through the corona period has made the most impression. Although the entire event industry was in a slump, Interstage managed to keep its head above water and, for example, all employees could continue to work there.
What the award means for him and Interstage? “A lot of recognition and appreciation,” he says. “There are 40,000 companies in Drenthe. If you are the first, it can only mean a lot.”