The Festival Consultant Event Organizers and Operators Call
Most people plan an event and treat restrooms as an afterthought. Then they wonder why lines are wrapping around the block, and attendees are complaining. Getting restrooms right at any event is a discipline in itself, and it takes more experience than most suppliers will admit.
Kerkstra’s owner has spent years in the field at festivals and large-scale events across the country. He’s consulted on restroom strategy for events of all shapes and sizes, traveled with vacuum restroom systems to golf opens and music festivals, and built a reputation as someone the industry calls when an event needs someone who’s actually been there. Whether you’re an event organizer trying to get it right or a portable restroom company looking for a knowledgeable partner, this is the page for you.
From First-Time Organizers to Seasoned Operators
Consulting isn’t just for the biggest events on the calendar. It’s for anyone who wants to get restrooms right without learning the hard way.
If you’re planning a community fair, a multi-day music festival, or anything in between, a conversation can help you make better decisions before you’re standing in a field trying to figure it out. The same goes for portable restroom companies navigating a new event, a complex venue, or a situation where an outside perspective would help.
Kerkstra has provided restrooms and consulting support for some of the most well-known events in the Midwest and beyond, including Electric Forest, Bliss Fest, Wheatland Festival, Lost Lands, and more. That experience translates directly into practical, field-tested guidance for your event, whatever its size.
What to
Expect
No two events are the same, and consulting engagements work the same way. It’s not a one-size-fits-all checklist. Event planning starts with a discovery call to understand your needs, venue, crowd, and specific concerns. From there, the engagement takes the shape your event actually needs.
1.
discover call
Every engagement starts here. We’ll talk through your event size, venue layout, expected attendance, food and drink service, ADA requirements, and any logistical challenges specific to your site. This conversation alone usually surfaces questions that organizers and operators hadn’t thought to ask. It’s also the right place to determine whether deeper engagement makes sense.
2.
On-site consulting
For more complex events or situations where details matter most, on-site is where the most value gets created. Walking the grounds, mapping placement strategy, and working directly with your team during setup produces a different result than a phone call ever could. New venues and unfamiliar locations especially benefit from a set of experienced eyes on the ground before the first unit is placed.
3.
Ongoing partnership
The event and portable restroom industries are both surprisingly small. Events grow, venues change, and the decisions made one year shape what’s possible the next. Kerkstra works with clients as an ongoing resource, not just a one-time conversation. Whether you’re scaling up, rethinking your restroom footprint, or navigating something you haven’t dealt with before, we’re available to help you think it through.
Built in the Field Not Behind a Desk
Brian Knoper bought Kerkstra in 2020 and has built it into one of the most recognized portable restroom companies in the Midwest, featured in industry publications including PRO Monthly and American Liquid Waste Magazine. He didn’t come from the industry, which means he approached portable sanitation the way an operator would, focused on systems, efficiency, and getting the details right. Often, he’s the one out cleaning units and fixing parts on trucks himself.
Over the past six years, Kerkstra has grown to handle events with up to 1,500 portable toilets. The company runs dedicated festival service vehicles, a full fleet of vacuum restroom pods, and a team that travels out of state for the right events. That operational depth is what makes the consulting advice practical rather than theoretical. Brian isn’t just talking about restroom strategy. He’s executing it, repeatedly, at events across the country.
What makes us different:
- Field-tested experience: Kerkstra has provided restrooms and on-site support for large music festivals across the Midwest. Every event adds to a body of experience that's hard to replicate from behind a desk.
- Cutting-edge technology: Kerkstra is one of the few portable restroom providers in the country operating EcoFab vacuum restroom technology. Brian has traveled with the vacuum system to golf opens, music festivals, and large sporting events across the country. If vacuum restrooms are part of your event plan, or if they should be, he can help you figure out whether and how they fit.
- An honest assessment: If your plan has gaps, you'll hear about it. If your unit count is too low for your crowd, that conversation happens before the event, not after. That's the point.
Featured In
Kerkstra’s work and Brian’s approach to the industry have been recognized in leading publications. Read more about the company and the expertise behind it:
FAQs
for event consulting
It depends on the scope. A discovery call to talk through your event or situation is a good starting point and a way to figure out what level of involvement makes sense. Reach out, and we’ll have that conversation.
Not necessarily. Consulting engagements are evaluated individually. If you’re already working with another supplier and need strategic guidance on unit counts, placement, or servicing, that’s worth a conversation.
Any size. Whether you’re coordinating a small community event or a multi-day festival with thousands of attendees, a fresh set of experienced eyes can help. The engagement just looks different depending on the complexity of what you’re dealing with.
Yes. Brian works with other portable restroom operators who need a knowledgeable outside perspective on a complex event, a new venue, or a situation where additional expertise would make a difference. Every situation is evaluated individually.
Yes, for the right engagements. On-site consulting is available and is often where the most value is created, especially for new venues or events that have had restroom issues in the past.
The earlier the better. Restroom strategy decisions affect unit counts, placement, servicing schedules, and vendor relationships. Getting those details right takes time, and the best outcomes happen when there’s enough runway to plan properly.
No. Brian has consulted on events in Texas, Colorado, Ohio, and other states. For the right engagement, travel is on the table.
Let’s talk
Whether you’re planning your first festival or your fiftieth, getting restrooms right starts with the right conversation. Fill out the form below, and Brian will be in touch to schedule a discovery call.
