NFCtron has been deploying its services at Lážo Plážo Fest since 2019. Currently, it is a two-day event for up to 5 000 visitors, featuring predominantly Czech and Slovak bands.
Thanks to NFCtron, the visitor can enjoy Štěřkáč to the fullest
What does Jan Svoboda consider the main benefits of the system for visitors? "A person can enjoy the whole festival without a wallet, can go to Štěřkáč, swim, go straight to the stage, simply enjoy it." Another great benefit is that the chip is on the wristband, which the visitor has with them throughout the event. Jan Svoboda further elaborates on the idea and advantage of the system: "And they don't need a wallet, they don't need to search for change, and they can have a drink anytime, pay for it, and go on." According to Jan Svoboda, organizers, thanks to NFCtron, have full control over finances.
Only one type of ticket, the festival is meant to bring people together
Lážo Plážo Festival is characterized by the fact that visitors have only one type of ticket available. There is no VIP zone at the event, instead, the organizers strive to provide maximum service to all visitors.
"The original idea when we started organizing festivals was that we wanted to bring people together; we didn't want to divide them into different zones, VIP zones, sections, etc. But it's true that people are pushing for that now; they would like to see different sections like VIP and others. But still, we stick to our original idea to keep the festival uniting people and not dividing them, so that's the main thing."
Jan Svoboda, Jackie Pro
Foreign band as an experiment that succeeded
In 2023, the festival experienced a major premiere. For the first time ever, last year, organizers dared to invite a foreign band to the event. How does he retrospectively evaluate this experience? "Well, that was an interesting case study. We are an Otrokovice festival with a Czechoslovak lineup, and the situation was such that we wanted to bring in a nice band that would make the edition more interesting. We succeeded in doing that last year, thanks to cooperation with another promoter, we brought Royal Republic to the visitors."
Before the event itself, however, the reaction of the visitors was quite lukewarm, but all of that changed with the actual concert, as Jan Svoboda describes in the interview: "The effect at the beginning was that our fan base didn't know who Royal Republic were. A few fans were learning, we were providing some podcasts with them, we were putting live performances on YouTube, etc. Nevertheless, it was still a bet on the unknown." However, the experience that the band eventually brought to Lážo Plážo Fest was dramatically different from what the visitors were used to until then. Based on feedback, it turned out that despite the great risk, this choice was a perfect step for the festival.
Lážo Plážo Fest will take place this year on June 14 - June 15, and in Otrokovice, visitors can look forward to bands such as Divokej Bill, No Name, Wohnout, or Horkýže Slíže. Besides the great lineup, guests of the festival can expect further changes - as Jan Svoboda mentions in the interview, the whole area is supposed to light up this year!
