Wow… Just wow… That’s the best description of the Leaseweb Texel Airshow 2012. Leaseweb was the proud head sponsor of this unique event, which took place on the 28th of July on the island of Texel, the Netherlands. We had been working like mad men (and women) in the weeks leading up to day of the show, designing t-shirts, ordering fifteen thousand miniature versions of the Leaseweb Extra 330LT, and doing quite a bit of PR-activity to attract attention to the event. We also invited many customers and partners to enjoy the spectacle with us. And, of course, all our employees were welcome too, whether they worked in our Dutch, German or American offices.
A dedicated Leaseweb Texel Airshow team left for Texel the day before the event (myself included), hanging hundreds of Leaseweb banners at the site, setting up a big Leaseweb hospitality tent and ensuring our VIP guest area was ready for action. Then the weather forecast came in: “Big risk of rain in the afternoon,” the weather man announced in an ominous voice. Seeing as how this was an open-air event featuring big, flying machines, we understandably became a bit nervous…
But when about 22,000 people showed up the next day, we knew we were in for a treat. We had actually counted on about ten to fifteen thousand people to attend, but thankfully the organizers had all the facilities in place to accommodate a (much) larger crowd. In the afternoon we even received the happy news that a new attendance record for the event was set! Not only that, but the sun shone very, very brightly (there were quite a few sunburned people walking around as red as a cooked lobster), so any doubts we might have had left was quickly converted into a proud reassurance.
More than 300 airplanes flew in during the day, and the shows they gave elicited many ooh’s and ah’s from the audience. It’s a very strange sensation when you see an airplane rushing towards the ground at top speed, then suddenly pull upwards again, twisting and turning all the while. Words fail to describe the sheer awesomeness of the event. It’s truly one of those things you have to see for yourself:
Of course, the cherry on top of that day was the official knighting of the organizer of the Leaseweb Texel Airshow! Sir Ed de Bruijn received the royal honor from the hands of the mayor of Texel, the CEO of the Dutch Royal Airlines, the CEO of Martinair and Commodore Paul Mulder of the Royal Netherlands Air Force. Knights and airplanes; if that’s not a winning combination, we don’t know what is.
At the end of the day we were very tired, but also very, very satisfied. We got to speak with many of our customers and partners, once again showing them that we truly care for their business, no matter how big or small it might be (you could find customers with 1 or 2 domains as well as customers with huge custom infrastructures). It was such a big success that we’re already looking forward to the next edition. Until that time, we’ll be taking people up in the air during the Leaseweb Cloud 330 Experience.