5 Evaluate Van Hopen’s idea of increasing the flexibility with which the different parts of the company work with each other. ‘Our growth over the last two or three years has just been amazing. We have clients all over Europe and although many of the jobs we are now doing are more challenging they are far more interesting. We are also now making a good operating profit, even if almost all of it is being swallowed up to fund our growth. Our biggest problem is now adapting ourselves in a way that is appropriate for a larger company. We aren’t just a group of friends having a good time anymore; we need to become a professional business.’ The speaker was Marco Van Hopen, one of the three directors of AAF, a theatrical services company, based just outside Rotterdam in The Netherlands. He had founded the company with two friends in 1999 when they decided to make a business out of their interest in theatrical and stage design. ‘It’s the combination of skill and adrenalin that I like’, said Marco. ‘Because most events are live there is no chance for a second take; all the equipment must work first time, on time, and every time. Also, there has recently been a dramatic increase in the sophistication of the technology we use, such as programmable automated lighting units.’