Mobile Bar Hire

What is it, who needs it and what is it for?

For one reason or another, you’ve found out about the mobile bar industry and now it’s time to make sense of it all. Questions you may have found yourself asking could be;

– Do they come in a van?
– Is it a van?
– Where do they park or set up?
– When will I ever need one of these?
– How much should they cost?
– What about the glasses?
– Why is there so much talk about vans?

The mobile bar industry is an ever growing one, especially after Covid 19 when most of the country realised that they were all essentially venue owners. Thousands of home owning hostesses with the mostess flocked to the internet in search of the perfect companies that would cater for their garden party needs & alas the mobile bar company rose with the tide. There was a time that the mobile bar hire company had a very limited & exclusive target audience – Festival planners and Luxury events organisers would require large mobile bar companies to come and build fairly permanent structures with marquees & costly draught equipment in fields, but now the applications for mobile bar hire have broadened enormously.

   

What is it?
Simply put & unsurprisingly, mobile bar hire is the act of hiring a non permanent bar structure for a short or limited period of time. Under the umbrella of mobile bar hire, comes the hire of staff to work on the bars, the hire of glassware, various other equipment like draught machines, fridges and a whole host of other items that can be found in the storage units of modern bar hire companies. It is not uncommon for mobile bar companies to venture into the event planning market, as their kit gets used to fulfil events and it is within the bar staff and general organisations’ best interest to be part of a smooth and profitable day!

   

Who needs it?
Individuals who may need to utilise mobile bar hire could be literally anyone nowadays, a couple planning their dream DIY barn wedding, a tech CEO celebrating the launch of their new game on a private estate in Northumberland or even a mum of two looking to throw a party for their parents’ 60th in their back garden. In any situation where there will be a group of people gathering for a celebration in a non conventional venue without the luxury of a permanent drinks outlet, you could argue there would be a marketable need for the hire of a mobile bar.

   

What is it for?
Mobile bar hire exists to help elevate an event, allow creativity and to relieve drinks duties from a planner by widening the scope of possible venues, from the classic brick and mortar hotel, to derelict, remote and private locations. Some applications that could be suitable for mobile bar hire are as follows;

– An engagement party at home
– A DIY wedding in a remote location
– An onsite corporate event
– A Festival
– A milestone birthday party at home
– An indoor cocktail party at home
– An indoor office christmas party
– An on site provision for a movie set
– Literally any reason you can justify

   

There was a lot of talk about vans above, so I’ll clear that up. The most common means of delivering a mobile bar hire service still seems to be some kind of converted van or trailer system, that rolls up, parks up and drives away. HOWEVER, mobile bar companies can offer static mobile bar systems that are built onsite and will not roll away by themselves. It is possible to build a lovely elm clad mobile cocktail bar in your spacious spare room at home, or even build a self contained hexagonal mobile wedding bar with its own roof, outdoors. Mobile bar hire is, by its very nature, a versatile industry and that is reflected by the vast array of options available.

   

Because of this, the best route to booking one of these services is to;
Imagine your ideal drinks scenario, then find a reputable mobile bar company and have a conversation with them about that. It’s best to do this over the phone, because a proper specialist will be able to pick up on nuances from the conversation that could be lost in translation via email. They will suggest the most suitable kit and applicable events packages too, if they think it is necessary. Another benefit of this, is to get some accurate costing estimates as the price of mobile bar hire really is as long as a piece of string, provide as much info as you can!

*Typically, for an all inclusive “Open bar” event for 3hrs for 50 people you could pay between £2,000/£2,500 vs the price of the staff and equipment hire only coming in at between £750/£1,500*

In a lovely round about way, it could be excused if I were to list some of the equipment we here at The Swordmaker – Events & Cocktails, hire out to our clients in the North of England on a regular basis!;

   

– 360 degree hexagonal mobile bar
– 2m wide Elm clad mobile cocktail bar
– 1 man Roller cocktail bar bar unit
– Cocktail masterclass set ups
– Trestle tables
– Gazebos and temporary coverings
– Wedding breakfast, bar & cocktail glassware
– 2 x product draught systems
– Electric double door bottle cooling fridges
– Cocktail equipment
– Barware & Champagne buckets
– Custom signage
– L.E.D Lighting
– World class mixologists
– Bar Staff

   

If mobile bar hire is still a bit of a mystery to you, it would pay to make one of those calls mentioned above, to yours truly.