Jaarbeurs Utrecht welcomes visitors from the Netherlands and beyond for trade fairs, congresses and events. How do you staff days when hundreds of people are needed at once, across restaurants, security, logistics and catering? That is the question Staffyou WFM was built for.
How does Jaarbeurs organise staffing for trade fairs and events?
Jaarbeurs schedules staffing for restaurants, security, kitchens, warehouse and logistics in Staffyou WFM. Every department plans in the same workspace, with the Working Hours Act, CLA rules and certificates automatically taken into account. Shifts that cannot be filled internally go straight from the roster to the own flex pool and, if needed, to the marketplace for external flex workers. Hours are registered directly and settled per event through self-billing.Events & Trade FairsThe client: Jaarbeurs Utrecht
Jaarbeurs is one of the best-known event venues in the Netherlands, right in the centre of Utrecht. Trade fairs, congresses, the Beatrix Theater and restaurants such as Pleyn and Speys run on days with peaks you know in advance and days with pressure you cannot predict. The work also changes per event: guest reception one day, warehouse, bar or kitchen support the next.
For execution, Jaarbeurs works with a mix of permanent employees and flex workers. Team members and flex workers pick their own shifts in the Staffyou app, per department: Restaurant Pleyn, Restaurant Speys, Steyl, Kitchen, Security, Warehouse, Mobility and Logistics, CMC and EEC.
At a glance
- Sectors: events, hospitality, logistics and security
- Location: Utrecht, central in the Netherlands
- Teams: 9 departments, from restaurants to warehouse
- Staff mix: permanent employees and flex workers
- Solution: Staffyou WFM
The challenge: peak days, shifting departments and filling until the last day
An event venue plans differently from an office or a shop. Staffing follows the event calendar: around a trade fair or congress, hundreds of hours are suddenly needed, after which demand drops. Every department also needs its own type of staff. A restaurant requires serving and kitchen staff, security requires certificates, warehouse and logistics require physical flexibility.
The biggest challenge is filling shifts. Permanent staff cover the baseline, but on peak days the rest must come from flex workers. Anyone offering shifts manually through group chats and separate agencies tracks how full each shift is across dozens of channels at once. And when someone drops out on the event day itself, the search starts again, while the doors open at a quarter to nine.
The solution: one workspace for scheduling, flex pool and external hiring
Jaarbeurs plans all departments in Staffyou WFM. Every department has its own roster in the same workspace, so team leads can see who works where and central planning can monitor the overall picture per event day. Flex workers only see the shifts relevant to them and apply with a like in the app.
Compliance rules are weighed automatically when building the roster: the Working Hours Act, CLA agreements, required certificates and age rules for young flex workers. The same checks run again at check-in and hour processing, so hours that were actually worked can be settled responsibly.
A shift that cannot be filled internally never has to leave the system. From the same roster, that shift goes to the own flex pool and, if needed, to the marketplace, where flex workers with a valid verified profile can respond. The planner sees how full each shift is and can ask the AI agent to fill a shift faster when needed.
After an event, administration is no longer a separate project. Hours are checked and settled per event through self-billing, with one clear invoice per hiring location.
What it delivers
- All departments in one workspace, from restaurants to warehouse and security.
- Peaks around trade fairs and events filled from the own flex pool and the marketplace, without separate channels.
- Compliance on the Working Hours Act, CLA and certificates checked at scheduling, check-in and hour processing.
- In case of last-minute absence, flex workers usually respond within an hour to a posted shift.
- Hours and invoicing per event settled through self-billing, in one overview.
Hear it from Jaarbeurs itself
The video is part of the Staffyou success stories. Also watch the other stories, from Diergaarde Blijdorp to Intratuin.
View all success stories →Frequently asked questions
Jaarbeurs Utrecht schedules staffing for trade fairs, congresses and events in Staffyou WFM. Every department, from restaurants to security and logistics, plans in the same workspace. Shifts that cannot be filled internally go straight from the roster to the own flex pool and, if needed, to the marketplace for external flex workers. Hours are registered directly and invoiced per event through self-billing.
Yes. Staffyou WFM is built for exactly this: you manage permanent employees and your own flex pool in the same roster, with availability, experience and ratings per flex worker. During peaks around trade fairs and events, you bring in external flex workers through the marketplace without switching systems.
Shifts can be pushed to the flex pool and the marketplace 24/7. In practice, the first flex worker responses usually arrive within an hour, so even last-minute absence on an event day can be covered.
Staffyou WFM costs €0.15 per scheduled hour and the first 500 scheduled hours per month are free. There is no subscription and you never pay per user. You only pay for the hours you actually schedule.
Yes. When building the roster, the system checks the Working Hours Act, CLA rules, required certificates and age rules for young flex workers. The same checks run again at check-in and hour processing, so hours that were actually worked can be settled responsibly.
Learn more about workforce management
- How does the Staffyou WFM software work?
- Which WFM software suits companies with many flex workers?
- How do you choose staff scheduling software?
- WFM software FAQ
- What exactly does WFM software cost?
- How does Staffyou handle event staffing in Utrecht?
- How do you avoid hiring liability risk?
- How fast can you hire staff?
Improve your own event staffing planning?
We schedule a shift from your event calendar live in Staffyou WFM, including flex pool and marketplace.
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