Water Worx interview: Daniel Janda, Nicknack

Since 2011, the Nicknack brand has been involved in the production, maintenance, and rental of returnable cups for social events of all kinds. It has been 14 years since the first cup was produced, and the company has established a strong position not only on the domestic event scene. To which countries does it supply its cups? How many cups do event attendees take home as souvenirs? What happens to cups that are no longer usable? You’ll learn all this and much more in our interview.

Nicknack and Waterworx have one thing in common. We are both service providers operating in the festival and event sector. What makes the work of a service provider unique?

In my opinion, the key is for the client—or festival promoter—to receive our services while barely noticing we’re there during the event. Everything has to run smoothly. For us, the most important thing is to have a stock of cups and enough of our own staff. The work must be carried out from start to finish, ideally without any interference from the event’s production team. The promoter needs to know that we arrived and that we’ve left again. That’s all. What’s also important is that the event itself runs smoothly from a production standpoint and is well-prepared. We provide people with our returnable cups, and visitors have two options. Either they return their cup, or they like it so much that they take it home as a souvenir and continue using it. That’s exactly what Nicknack is all about. The word “nicknack” actually means a small trinket or keepsake. And that’s exactly how people view these cups—not just as a practical item at an event, but also as a little memento of the experience that they can use at home. Our goal is for people to think sustainably and help reduce waste not only at events but also in everyday life.

You mentioned having enough people—how many of you are actually at Nicknack?

We have about twenty full-time employees. We also collaborate with partner companies. These include, for example, companies that manage washing stations. We usually run events with a core team of three people, supplemented by part-time workers. Our biggest event is Rock for People, where we have a total of twenty people. Our job covers everything related to cup logistics on-site.

How do you go about hiring summer staff?

This is a problem that just about everyone struggles with. It’s getting harder and harder to find responsible, hardworking people. We use traditional platforms like Jobs.cz, job postings at universities, and the like. The ideal scenario is when a trusted employee brings in a friend who has an interest in events and knows what they’re getting into. Sometimes we get lucky and put together a great group that gets along and clicks. But it also happens that during an event, we realize a certain person isn’t up to the task, and the whole team suffers as a result. I don’t see a positive future in this—the younger generation doesn’t want to work hard. We need people who get the job done, are team players, and give it their all.

Are you a company that only has work during the festival season, or do you operate year-round?

We started the business in 2011, so we’ve been in the industry for 15 years. In 2022, we started providing full-service support for the Christmas markets in Brno, and that was the turning point when our working season expanded from four months to nine months a year. The work is demanding, but it’s funny that my colleagues and I all agree we couldn’t live without it. When we go a month without an event, we miss it. The people, the atmosphere, the music, and so on. Year after year, we have more and more events. This year, for example, we’re already handling four major cities and their Christmas markets.

Let’s imagine I’m an event promoter. I’m organizing a new festival and want to offer visitors an eco-friendly option that also serves as a souvenir—a branded cup. What does the process involve? What do I, as the promoter, need to do, and what can you offer me?

In the first phase, our sales team will take care of you. We have excellent customer service; we’ll come up with the ideal solution for you. You need to decide whether you want your own custom cups or not. We’ll also need to know how many people your event is for and what your budget is. If you’re just starting out with the festival, we definitely wouldn’t recommend going for full cup branding—that’s a pretty expensive option. Next, we’d discuss exactly what kind of cups you need. Today, we can meet many customer needs—from cups for beer, drinks, and hot beverages to eco-friendly food service solutions.

What steps need to be taken to provide the customer with the requested service?

First and foremost, we need to secure the necessary staff. Next, we need to agree on the terms of our partnership—whether it involves sales, rentals, or simply servicing the cups. If we were to handle both washing and rental, we would naturally deliver the agreed-upon number of cups to the event venue. After the event, we would load everything up and transport it to our two washing centers. We would then place the clean cups into airtight boxes and store them in our warehouse. We guarantee compliance with all hygiene standards. We strive to be eco-friendly; we use a reduced percentage of chemicals during washing and also try to conserve water.

How long does it take you to wash the cups?

For a large festival, we can easily spend two days washing. Smaller events are done in a matter of hours. Our dishwashers can wash up to six thousand cups per hour. When possible, we can even do it while you wait.

What percentage of people keep a cup as a souvenir and take it home from the event?

It depends on the cup. If we’re talking about rental cups featuring our design, the average is 10%. The design is pretty crucial. We have events where up to 90% of the cups disappear. But on average, we’re talking about 40–45%. These are cups—or rather, souvenirs—from concerts by Marek Ztracený, Mirai, or RFP, for example. These cups take on a life of their own and continue to be used. Which is great and reduces the carbon footprint, and most importantly, the production of additional single-use cups or packaging.

So the decisive factor is design and brand strength?

Exactly.

Can you say how many cups you produce in total each year?

It’s in the millions. Not tens of millions, but millions. These aren’t just cups for the Czech Republic. We supply to Poland, Romania, the Netherlands, and Belgium, for example. You’d be surprised, but we even have clients in Australia and Israel. For example, last year we managed to produce beautiful cups for two Coldplay concerts in Romania, and all of Bucharest was thrilled.

What should be done with cups that can no longer be used?

When a promoter realizes the cups can no longer be used—perhaps because they have old branding or a sponsor’s logo from a company that has left the event—we help recycle them. We work with a company in Brno that grinds the cups and then sells them as a secondary raw material to the automotive industry. We either return the purchase price to the cup owner or agree directly on the production of new cups and offset the cost.

You’re not the only ones on the Czech market. Why is Nicknack a “love brand,” and what sets it apart?

Nicknack’s advantage is its “clip,” which lets you clip our cups onto your belt. It’s practical. You’re at a concert or festival and just want to party. You clip our cup to your belt, hoodie, or pants, and the party continues. It won’t fall off, spill, or get lost. I also believe we provide good and reliable service. We want to be not just a supplier, but also a partner to the promoter. We always want to design solutions that make sense for the festival. Unfortunately, since COVID, prices have been rising everywhere, and costs for festivals have skyrocketed. A long-term relationship with festivals is important to us, so that they feel Nicknack is the right solution and the ideal supplier of cups for their events.