Events unite people and foster shared experiences.
Whether they be sports games, music festivals, wedding ceremonies, or birthday parties.
What is an event, and why is it taking place?
I’ve been an event manager and educator for 25 years.
I have delivered thousands of successful events across a range of events.
There is no such thing as a predictable event; they are all different, so finding a standard definition of an event can often be tricky.
In this article, we will explore what an event is as it impacts our everyday lives more frequently than we think; something is always happening!
We will define an event, highlight the different types of events, discuss their importance, and offer some tips on planning and executing an event.
What is an Event?
An event can be defined as a planned or organized occurrence that takes place at a specified time and place. It can be a one-time occurrence or a recurring event that happens at regular intervals.
Events can be social, cultural, religious, educational, or commercial in nature. They can be small and intimate, like a dinner party, or large and elaborate, like a global summit.
The critical thing is that these events are not considered as having an unexpected occurrence pattern, and we define them by purposeful planning and execution.
What is the definition of an event?
The concept of an event is an essential part of various academic disciplines, including sociology, psychology, tourism, and computer science. In general, academics define an event as a happening, incident or occurrence that is significant, noteworthy, or distinctive in some way and that has an impact on individuals or society as a whole.
One of the most cited academic authors is Donald Getz; he provides this event definition:
“An event is an organized social occasion or gathering, held in a specific location, for a particular purpose, with specific activities and entertainment.” (Getz, 2005)
Sheffield Half Marathon Start Line
What is an event: different types
Events can be classified into various types based on their nature, purpose, and audience. Some of the common types of events are:
Social Events: A social event is one that brings people together for socializing, sports, networking, and entertainment, mainly when there is something important happening. Some examples include things like birthday parties, weddings, reunions, and music concerts.
Cultural Events: These are events that celebrate a specific culture, tradition, or heritage. Examples include festivals, parades, and cultural shows.
Religious Events: These are events that are organized for religious purposes and can be a crucial point in one’s life, such as worship, pilgrimage, or festivals. Examples include Eid, Christmas, Diwali, and Hajj.
Educational Events: These are events that aim to educate and inform people about a specific topic or subject. Examples include workshops, seminars, and conferences.
Commercial Events: These are events that are organized for business or marketing purposes. Examples include product launches, trade shows, and corporate events.
Political Events: Politics affect everyday life, and there are many events associated with it. Examples include inaugurations, the opening of parliament, state visits and many more.
Corporate Events: These are typically business-led events. Often they are fully funded by a business for something like an annual general meeting. They can also be ticketed events such as a Gala Dinner.
Fundraising or Charity Events: Many charities rely on events to help raise the money they need to continue providing their respective service. These events often include
Historical Events: These types of events often celebrate how life was in the past. They can include activities like reenactments or guided tours.
If you would like to know more about the different types of events, I’ve written a complete post on this here.
Importance of Events:
Events play a crucial role in our lives and society. They bring people together, foster social connections, and create shared experiences. Here are some of the reasons why events are significant:
Community Building: Events help to develop a sense of community by bringing people together for a common purpose. They provide a platform for people to connect, network, and socialize.
Cultural Preservation: Events celebrate our cultural heritage and traditions, helping to preserve them for future generations.
Personal Milestones: Events like weddings, birthdays, and graduations mark significant milestones in our personal lives and provide an opportunity for celebration and reflection.
Economic Impact: Events can have a significant economic impact by attracting tourists, generating revenue for businesses, and creating job opportunities.
What is an event: planning?
Events planning is the process that you go through in order to deliver whatever event that you are planning; sadly, they do not just happen!
Events are treated like projects and include detailed processes that people go through.
Define Your Event Objectives
Set an Event Budget
Choose a Venue
Create an Event Timeline
Promote Your Event
What is an event: Planning vs Management?
A keen eye on the construction of an exhibition stand in 2022
Many people have different definitions of event management.
Event management can be applied to small gatherings right through to major events like the Olympic games.
It is often confused with the term events planning as mentioned above. Now depending on who you ask, you may get different responses.
In my experience of being in events for over 25 years, I define event planning as the process of designing the event and event management, the process of delivering that creative process to a final outcome.
What is a Major Event?
Major events are typically those that are considered to have large attendances and enormous economic appeal through tourism. Some good examples of major events include the Olympic games, FIFA world cups and major sports or related events.
Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022
These events often only happen every few years, hence making their occurrence regarded as major.
Major events can mean big business for large cities and countries that often bid for them in order to boost visitor numbers. In this case, the focus is on economic income, and social impacts are a usually minor importance (sadly!)
Conclusion:
Finally, events are an important part of our lives and society. They bring people together, build social bonds, and provide opportunities for shared experiences.
Knowing events and their significance can help us appreciate the role they play in people’s lives.
You can organise and execute a great event that makes a lasting impact on guests if you follow the advice in this article.
So, next time you attend an event or design one, remember the importance of creating a memorable experience for everyone involved. If you’re interested in reading about how to design events, click on my post here.
Are you looking to start your own event venue business that promises big profit but is also full of fun and excitement? If so, an event venue business could be the perfect venture for you!
I’ve been working in the events industry for over 25 years. During that time, I’ve seen event venue businesses come and go. Still, the one thing that has always remained consistent is the passion of those involved in this sector. It is a great place to have your own business.
I’ve been responsible for venues with a million+ turnover catering to everything from small group meetings to 2,000+ capacity concerts.
From small family gatherings to major corporate events, I have had the pleasure of helping people create memorable experiences at every turn. Whether it is finding the right venue or developing unique event plans tailored to each client’s needs, I understand what it takes to ensure an event venue business runs smoothly and successfully.
This post will help you understand the key considerations for becoming a venue owner, including what to put in an event venue business plan.
What makes a great event venue?
I always think that putting yourself into the position of potential customers before starting an event venue is an excellent foundation for your business. In my experience, potential clients are likely to be looking for the following:
A great event venue has three key components: space availability, event planning services and a great overall atmosphere.
First and foremost, they will consider what kind of event venue is ideal for their event; remember, this is where you want to consider the type of event venue you want to run.
Do you want an indoor area or an outdoor one? Depending on your location, this could be a critical factor to decide on. Some places benefit from great weather all year round, so outdoor space is at a premium.
Research in 2012 showed the following as being the top ten attributes of a wedding venue that people looked for:
Weigh the pros and cons of starting an event venue.
With proper planning and preparation, event venue owners can quickly establish a successful business in their local area. If you want to start an event venue, It is essential to weigh the pros and cons before taking action. Let’s have a look at those:
Pros of starting an event venue
Generate high profits from event hosting
Create unique and memorable experiences for event attendees
Flexibility to grow the business in size, location, and services offered.
Expand to multiple venues in your local or regional
Opportunity to collaborate with vendors in the events industry, such as caterers, florists, event planners etc.
The ability to network with potential new customers through events you host
Cons of starting an event venue
Capital intensive to start an event venue
Finding the right event venue or space which fits your needs and budget can be time-consuming.
You may face competition from other event venues in the area
There is potential for large amounts of liability
Event catering, entertainment, décor etc., can often require a significant amount of investment.
An event venue business requires a lot of hard work and dedication to be successful in the long run.
Starting an event venue business can be a highly rewarding venture, both financially and emotionally. The events industry can be tough, and I can only speak from personal experience, but when it’s all working well and you stand back, it’s a pretty incredible feeling!
How to start an event venue business
Starting a new event venue business is becoming increasingly popular; there’s never been a better time to break into this growing industry.
But before we learn how to start an event venue business, we must consider why you want to do this.
Running event venues can be challenging but also a rewarding experience. It requires a special skill set to anticipate customer needs, manage event logistics and create memorable experiences.
Successful event venue businesses require long hours and dedication, successfully accommodating various tasks and roles at any time.
As a manager of an event venue, I’ve cleaned toilets, emptied tables and even had to mop up sick. I still loved every minute!
Before diving into the event venue business, you should first consider the type of space you want to run. Do you want an indoor area or an outdoor one?
From weddings to corporate events, event venues offer an opportunity to host unique experiences while making a profit. With the correct planning and preparation, event venue owners can quickly establish a successful business in their local area, so if you’re ready for an exciting journey into entrepreneurship.
In my experience of running event venues, it is all about the little details that make a single event for a client, but you can’t ignore the bigger picture of running an event venue business.
Identify the need for an event venue in your area.
Identifying the need to start an event venue in your area is essential to make it a successful business. By understanding what potential customers are looking for in terms of event services, amenities and locations, you can ensure enough demand to support your venture.
Knowing the local market will also help you determine which target events would be most profitable based on current trends and needs within your region.
Additionally, assessing the competition from existing businesses will allow you to carve out a unique niche or set yourself apart from other competitors by offering specialized services. With this knowledge, you can create a plan for success!
Conduct extensive market research.
Network with potential clients
Speak to event managers or event management companies in your local area and get feedback on their event venue needs. Ask what types of spaces they often use, what audience capacity they’re looking for, and if they have any challenges they face when looking for event venues. This can give you a good understanding of the needs in your local event venue industry, as well as any potential competition.
Make a list of potential competitors.
Find out what event spaces already exist in your local area and how they compare to what event planners are looking for. Knowing the local businesses can help you identify gaps in the market, allowing you to determine where your event venue business could fit in best.
Think about the types of events you could host
Consider the events you would like to support. Think about the event venue you could offer, such as outdoor, private spaces, and other unique event venue ideas. This will help you determine which event types are most suitable for your event venue business.
Use SWOT to analyze what you find.
My top tip here would be to use a tool like SWOT to analyze each of your competitors. Try to understand their weaknesses in terms of their audience, venue or location and consider how to make this an advantage for your event venue.
Identify the target market for your new event space.
In my experience, it is challenging for a single event venue to target all potential event clients. That’s why successful event businesses focus on a specific target audience that best suits their event venue capabilities. This is an essential part of starting an event venue business, but it is often overlooked in the planning stages.
NOTE: this might be one of your competitors’ weaknesses identified in the SWOT; you choose to serve an audience not currently catered for in the local area.
The target audience for event venues will vary based on the event location and event types offered. Generally, event venues should focus on specific target markets that best fit their space, such as corporate events, birthday celebrations, wedding receptions, or other special occasions.
A while back, I wrote about the different types of events, but if you are short on time, here are some quick ideas for the types of events you might want to target:
Wedding Receptions
Corporate Events
Private Events / Birthdays
Graduations
Business Meeting Space
Networking Events
Music Concerts
Trade Shows & Exhibitions
Sporting Events
Fundraisers
Some of the most profitable events involve large groups of people and multiple event elements. Events such as weddings, corporate events, trade shows & exhibitions, and music concerts can generate more revenue than other event types because they often require more time and venue space.
The audience of any potential event can also make a big difference to profit, especially considering secondary spending.
Secondary spending refers to the additional money attendees spend on food, drinks, event merchandise, and entertainment. It is often overlooked or neglected when event organizers are planning their event budget, but it can make a significant difference to event profits.
Once you’ve identified the event types you are most suitable for, you can search for the right space to start an event venue.
Identify A Location For Your Event Venue
The best location for an event venue is easily accessible and offers event organizers plenty of options. For events such as weddings, corporate events, or large-scale gatherings, event venues should be near public transportation to make it easier for attendees to access the venue.
This was one of the key challenges I had with my very first venue. There was a minimal number of parking spaces adjacent to the venue, often putting off would-be hirers and attendees.
For any event venue intended for smaller gatherings, event organizers should look for spaces that provide an intimate and unique atmosphere.
Intimate event venues often offer more flexibility in terms of event layout and event design.
When looking for a venue, consider factors such as size, location, accessibility, and amenities.
Here are some ideas for searching for potential locations in your local area:
Online real estate listing websites, such as LoopNet (US Link, UK Link), allows you to search for commercial spaces by location, size, and price range.
Contacting a commercial real estate agent or broker who can help you find spaces that meet your specific needs and negotiate lease terms on your behalf.
Using social media to network and connect with landlords, property managers, and other industry professionals who may know of upcoming vacancies.
Checking local classifieds and newspapers for listings of commercial spaces for rent.
Attend local business networking events.
Searching for commercial spaces on online marketplaces such as Craigslist and Gumtree.
Walk around and look for empty premises that could be potential event venues!
In the United States, you need to be aware of zoning, which defines the types of businesses that can operate in a particular area. Check with your local city planning office.
In the UK, you need to know that different premises have different use classes. There is an excellent guide to planning classes by the Planning Geek.
Create Your Event Venue Business Plan
A venue owner must have a business plan that outlines the goals, strategies, and resources of an event venue business. It serves as a roadmap to guide event organizers in making sound decisions and helps them stay focused on their event objectives.
A detailed event venue business plan is critical for success when starting a venue business. A business plan should not only include the venue’s mission, goals and objectives but also outline the target markets, event fees, marketing plans, event logistics and event budgets.
When creating a business plan for an event venue, event organizers should consider factors such as market research and industry trends to help them identify the event types and event services that will generate the most revenue.
In addition to this, event organizers should also consider event pricing and event fees, budgeting for event staff & event supplies, and developing marketing plans to reach event attendees.
By creating a comprehensive business plan, owners can make sure their event venue is well-prepared for event bookings and event attendees.
If you want to learn how to create an effective venue business plan, then Skillshare has just what you need! Their online courses provide event organizers with the knowledge they need to craft event plans that will help them reach their goals and maximize their potential. With our easy-to-follow lessons, event organizers will have all the resources they need to create detailed plans that include market research, industry trends, event pricing & fees, budgeting for staff & supplies, marketing plans and more!
Sign up today and get started on your journey towards success as an event planner! The link below gives you one month of free access to all of their courses.
But let’s look at some of the specific areas you should include in your venue business plan.
Develop Your Event Venue Business Model
The event venue business model is a vital strategy event organizers should consider when starting an event venue business. Developing a sound business model can help owners better anticipate potential costs and profits, as well as identify the event types and event services that can generate the most revenue.
Event Venue Business Pricing
When venue owners are creating their business model, they should consider factors such as event fees, event staff/supplies, event space layout/design, marketing strategies and customer service practices.
The top three pricing strategies for event venues are hourly, package, and event-based:
Hourly event venue pricing is a popular approach for event organizers due to its flexibility and simplicity. An event venue typically charges an hourly rate for the use of their space, which event organizers must pay regardless of the event type or the number of guests.
Package event venue pricing strategy is ideal for event organizers who are looking to book their event space for multiple uses throughout a period of time. An event venue charges a flat fee for the use of the event space for an extended period, which provides event organizers with a discounted rate and more predictable costs.
Event-based event venue pricing is a great option for event organizers who need to book event space for specific event types. An event venue typically charges an event-based rate for the use of their event space, which takes into account the amount of time needed, the number of guests and other event services that may be required.
Event Venue Business Catering
It would help if you considered where to offer catering services for the venue; there are several factors to consider. It is essential to determine if your event venue has the necessary kitchen facilities and equipment to prepare and serve food.
If not, you may have to invest in the right supplies and tools needed for a successful event catering service.
Business plans are essential for an event venue business that need to raise finance. An entire business plan is a must-have when seeking investments, as investors will want to know all the details of your event venue and services.
Event Venue Business Promotion
Marketing event venues can be a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. Sadly it is not just about setting up social media accounts; it takes a bit more than that.
With the right strategies in place and some creativity, event organizers can create an event venue that is both inviting and functional for their guests.
With the right plan of action in place, event organizers can ensure their event venue stands out from the competition and attracts potential customers.
In my experience, there is no silver bullet to doing this, as a wide range of factors such as location, target audience, and marketing costs impact what you can do.
MY KEY TIP: Understand who your target audience is and which marketing channels work best to reach out to them!
Here are some ideas to consider
Create a website with photos, videos, and information about the event space to showcase its features and capabilities.
Utilize social media platforms to reach a broad audience and promote the event space. You may want to consider advertising on things like Facebook to get the best traction.
Partner with local event planners and vendors to promote the event space to their clients.
Reach out to local media outlets to generate press coverage for the event space.
Offer special deals or promotions for first-time bookers.
Host open houses or tours of the event space to give potential clients a firsthand look.
Create a referral program to incentivize current clients to refer friends and family.
Use targeted online advertising to reach potential clients in your area.
Network with other event venues to cross-promote each other’s spaces.
Make sure the event space is easily searchable on Google and other search engines by optimizing the website and listing it on online directories.
How to register your Event Venue Company
I must stress that you have a responsibility to check the requirements for this in your local jurisdiction. If in doubt, consult local legal or financial professionals who would be able to advise you best.
As a venue owner, you will be responsible for all of the small business administration, including business expenses, operating expenses, startup costs and cash flow.
That said, a broad overview of business options in the United States and the United Kingdom looks like this.
United States
When registering a company in the United States, event organizers should be aware of several key steps involved. To register a business in the US, owners must decide what type of business entity they want to form and then follow the necessary procedures for registration.
The different types of business entities in the United States include sole proprietorship, partnership, limited liability company (LLC), corporation, and non-profit organization. Each type of business entity has unique advantages and disadvantages that event organizers should consider before deciding which one is best for their business.
In the United Kingdom, event organizers have several business entity options to choose from when registering a company. These include sole traders, partnerships, limited companies, charities, and Community Interest Companies (CICs).
Sole traders are legal entities that are owned and managed by one individual. This type of business entity is attractive to event organizers because it requires little paperwork and is relatively easy to set up. There is personal liability associated with this route which means you are personally responsible for any debts of the business.
Partnerships involve two or more people who share ownership of a business. At the same time, limited companies are owned by shareholders. They have limited liability, meaning that any losses incurred by the business cannot be attributed to the shareholders’ personal assets.
A Limited Liability Company (LLC) is an attractive option for event organizers in the UK as it offers several benefits. Firstly, an LLC offers limited liability, meaning that the event organizer’s personal assets are protected from any losses incurred by the business.
In all cases, you must register your event venue business with the appropriate tax authority to pay the required taxes on any profits you make. This is the IRS in the United States and HMRC in the United Kingdom.
Get the Required Business Licenses and Permits
As with the previous section, you should consult with local legal professionals to fully understand the proper licenses and permits you will need to operate your business.
In most countries, you will need a license or permits to operate an event venue, including serving alcohol (liquor license) and live musical performances.
Designing and setting up the space
Event venues should be multifunctional because they offer organizers who book events a unique opportunity to create an atmosphere and experience that attendees will never forget.
What hirers will look for
With the right design and layout, hirers of your venue can customize the space to accommodate any event- corporate meetings, team building activities, private social events, trade shows, conferences, and many more.
When designing an event space, you should consider the likely event goals, event attendees, event technology requirements, and event budget of potential hirers.
Clients will want to make sure that the event space layout allows for adequate walking space, seating capacity for all guests, access to power outlets for event AV equipment such as projectors or microphones, and event lighting that is appropriate for the event.
Finally, event planners will also consider the event furniture they want to include in their event space, such as tables, chairs, and couches.
Event furniture can be rented or purchased to fit any event style. It will depend on your initial startup budget as to whether you buy these outright or hire them in the initial period of operation.
Optimize the layout for your business model
Optimizing the event venue layout is key to creating a successful business model. Being flexible allows incoming event planners to use the space as their see fit.
In my experience, when you are doing client visits to the space, affording them the maximum flexibility to create their event means you are much more likely to win the event.
A word of caution here, no event venue can be all things to all clients or customers. It is worth designing the space to suit a handful of event types, hopefully, the ones you identified in your market research.
Consider the flow of people in the event space.
A key consideration should be maximizing guest flow and comfort, as this will have a significant impact on event success.
Unless the type of event calls for it, don’t just pack an event space with tables. You need to think about how much space people have to move around.
An exception here would be any kind of music event venue, like a concert, where you actually want a decent amount of people to create a great atmosphere.
To ensure smooth movement, you should consider factors such as allowing room for guests to mingle and providing adequate seating arrangements.
It’s also important to consider the venue and how best to use it. Event organizers will pay special attention to lighting, furniture, and decorations.
Consider the technical equipment needed.
The technical equipment requirements for your potential venue space will vary wildly, and so will the costs!
You might only need a few socket outlets for a yoga class, right through to significant power requirements for large concerts.
You will need to decide whether or not you should rent additional equipment, such as audio-visual equipment (e.g. projectors), sound systems, dance floors and stage lighting.
In some cases, hirers may also consider hiring event production professionals who can support planning and organization.
Finally, any venue rental business needs to plan for event security, which might include hiring event security personnel or event organizers need to ensure that the event venue has proper safety measures in place. This may also include security systems like CCTV.
Ultimately, event organizers will want to create an event venue space that is both inviting and functional.
Managing And Running An Event Venue Business
Hire great staff.
Hiring great staff for event venue businesses is essential for successful event planning, organization, and execution. To ensure you hire the best possible event staff, event venue businesses should take a thoughtful and comprehensive approach to recruitment.
The first step to hiring great event staff for event venue businesses is creating a detailed job description outlining the qualifications and responsibilities necessary for the position.
The job description should include skills such as planning, organization, communication, and customer service experience. It should also list specific requirements such as knowledge of event technology, availability outside of normal office hours when needed, or special certifications or licenses.
Get Business Insurance for Your Event Venue Business
Insuring an event venue business is an essential part of running a successful event. Event organizers should consider getting event insurance to protect themselves and their guests from potential losses.
Insurance policies for event venues are designed to protect event organizers and event attendees from potential losses. Event venue insurance offers liability and event cancellation coverage, providing event organizers with the peace of mind that their event will be protected. Liability coverage protects event planners in case event attendees suffer bodily injury or property damage while at the event and event cancellation.
Developing policies and procedures for booking and hosting events
It would be best if you had robust policies in place to deal with things when they go wrong. This could include policies on cancellation, entry, food hygiene or the admittance of children.
Event Venue Business FAQs
Do I need a business loan?
If the event venue is already established and equipped, then a business loan may not be necessary.
What is a venue checklist?
A venue checklist is an important tool for event planners, as it helps to ensure that all necessary steps have been taken and all details have been accounted for when opening a venu
Do I need a business bank account?
It is essential to open a dedicated business bank account when starting an event space business. This will help you keep track of your income and expenses and manage your finances more effectively.
I’ve had the privilege of working in the events industry for over 25 years, so I’m very familiar with the different event types.
In this post, I’m going to try and explain how the industry is broken down into different sectors so if you’re new to the industry or looking to start a career here you can understand what are the different types of events you need to know about.
There are fundamentally two types of events, business, and leisure. Underneath these, there is a wide range of sub-sectors covering a vast array of different event types.
First of all, let’s start with the basics of what is an event, event management, and then the different types of events.
By the way, here is one of my favourite venues, Silverstone in the UK:
What Is An Event?
Events are temporary, occur once, and involve the assembly of people for a particular purpose
Although events are often held on an annual basis, they are still considered temporary.
The events industry in the US was valued at ¢1,135.4 billion in 2019 according to Allied Research. It is expected to reach $1,552.9 billion by 2028 so the opportunities around event management will continue to expand.
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Events management is considered the practice of the organization, implementation, or coordination of activities related to achieving the event objectives.
Ultimately all events need people to organize and coordinate them, but it comes with pressure. Because events occur only once and have a deadline, there can be tremendous pressure on organizers who must be skilled in event management.
According to Careercast being an event planner is the 5th most stressful job in America (After being in the military, firefighter, and pilots!).
Event planners often use specialized event management software to successfully coordinate all of the moving parts involved in delivering a major event.
Why Do People Attend Events?
For any event, It is really important to understand who the target audience is. By doing this you can better design the event experience for them.
According to research some of the motivations to attend events include:
To relax and have fun
Socialize with friends
Participate in activities
Experience new things
Do something different
To celebrate something
Further to this, make sure that you do research on your audience both before and after your event so that you can improve their experience in the future.
What Are The Different Types of Events?
There are many different ways in which events are defined.
For the most part, we can categorize events either by size or type. There are other methods, but these two are the most common to use.
What Are The Different Types Of Events By Size?
There are typically 4 ways of categorizing events by size:
Local Events
These are the smallest events and can include things like a local community festival or a local business networking lunch. On their own, they are unlikely to draw a huge audience or generate much interest from a tourism perspective.
The impacts of events like these are likely to be limited on the local economy and require few resources to plan and implement them.
Major Events
The next step up is major events, and the major difference with these events is that they attract people from outside the location as visitors.
These events are typically hosted by large venues or towns and cities to generate economic income from visitors.
Examples might be a city food festival or a large trade show where people will travel solely for the event.
Hallmark Events
Hallmark events are those that become very associated with the place in which they are held. These events have a huge appeal to visitors and generate large numbers of economic income.
There is usually national or international media coverage of the event. A good example of a Hallmark event is the Glastonbury music festival. This event is synonymous with the small town bearing the same name (although the festival is actually held a few miles away, closer to a village called Pilton).
Mega-Events
Mega events are the largest of all both in terms of their impact and the number of people who attend. example of a mega-event is the Olympic games or the FIFA World Cup.
Both of these events take place every 4 years and move around the world in a competitive bidding process.
For the host city or country, there is the opportunity for extensive media coverage from around the world which can lead to substantial economic income and regeneration.
In 2022, I was lucky enough to attend one such Mega-Event, The Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, UK. I had a pretty good view as you can see:
What Are The Different Types Of Events By Type?
There are two different types of events, business, and leisure. All events will fit into one of these two categories.
Now within each of these two sectors, there are multiple sub-sectors of events. It is even possible for leisure and business events to crossover.
Different Types of Events – Business
As the name suggests this relates to all business events that take place in the course of the workplace or doing business. These are often referred to as corporate events.
During the pandemic, many businesses turned to virtual events to keep the flow of business going. A virtual event involves people attending only via the internet on software such as Zoom.
Corporate Events
Every type of business will be involved in some kind of event from freelancers to large international corporations. At each of these levels, the objectives to host or attend a corporate event will be different depending on what outcomes they are seeking, for example, lead generation.
The most comment type of corporate event that most business organizations will engage with are meetings, seminars, tradeshows or exhibitions.
Corporate event planners are one of the most common roles in the events industry.
For example at a trade show, there may also be seminars, workshops, or networking events alongside the main activity of the exhibition stands.
Seminars
Seminars are small events that have a specific focus and a particular target audience in mind. They generally take place in a business environment and serve to deliver highly useful information on the subject matter. This is often educational content.
Seminars often include speakers who will lead and contribute to the subject matter and stimulate discussion around the room.
Networking Events
Networking is one of the main reasons why people attend a corporate event. Networking opportunities can help grow businesses, and promote collaborations and partnerships. Forbes gives three reasons why business people should consider attending networking events.
As with some of the larger events, networking opportunities can often be part of things like conferences and trade shows. event organizers will make time and space for people to network and connect, both face-to-face and using technology.
Conferences
Conferences are large versions of seminars and have multiple tracks or themes running through the entire event.
Conferences are often organized by trade associations or membership organizations to invite their members (mostly annually) to come together for information sharing and networking.
These events can often have a social element or trade show attached to them. A conference is also very good at reaching a wide range of audiences interested in a particular subject.
Tradeshows
Trade shows focus on personal selling either to other businesses or to consumers.
Trade shows and exhibitions have booths that businesses book to meet and network with potential customers.
Alongside the exhibition or trade show, there are likely to be other activities such as seminars and workshops.
Trade shows are often used by businesses for lead generation for their business comma to network with existing customers or to Showcase new products or services.
Workshops
These slightly different versions of business events where the owners may be on collaborate between parties to offer some kind of training sessions.
Workshops can often be used to bring ideas together from a group of people such as employees or members of an organization. They can also be used to solve a problem or develop a strategy and are particularly good in this respect for inclusion and collaboration.
Team Building Events
Team building events are fun activities that help groups of people work together better. They can be games, challenges or projects that require everyone to cooperate and communicate.
A good team building event can help people get to know each other better and build trust, which can make working together easier and more enjoyable!
Product Launches
A product launch event is a way for a business to formally announce a new product line or service. They are often invite-only including key members of the press and industry in the hope they will attract positive media coverage.
It is usual for a senior executive from the business to give a keynote speech and for a product demonstration to take place. It is also common for product launch events to be live-streamed on the internet.
Here is Steve Jobs launching the first ever iPhone at an event in 2007:
Product Demonstrations
As we mentioned above, product demonstrations are often part of a product launch event, but they can also be individual events in their own right. They are often used to attract media coverage for a new product or service, particularly in a business-to-business environment.
They also take place in business-to-customer environments such as supermarkets or shopping malls.
This activity is often called experiential marketing as businesses pay to allow customers to try their product or service for free in the hope that they will buy it.
Keynotes / Lectures
Keynote speeches are often a common way to open a large event like a conference or trade show by inviting an established or renowned speaker from a particular industry to come and give the keynote speech.
This type of event can also be found as an event on its own, more often known as a lecture. these can be academic or industry based. They are often by invitation only, but some do sell tickets.
Awards Night
Awards nights are often part of a larger event, but they can also exist as standalone occurrences. there is usually a gala dinner attached to an awards night where are guests present awards to winners throughout the evening.
The dress code for awards night is typically formal and often by invite only, although some do sell tickets.
Different Types of Events – Leisure
Leisure events cover a broad range of different events that can range from a very small gathering of people right up to hundreds of thousands attending.
One of the key differences between business and leisure events is that people are looking for experiences from leisure events. This is therefore a key criterion when planning this type of event.
Another difference with leisure events is that the attendees are general members of the public and not businesses.
Leisure events can be broadly split into four areas, social, sport, cultural, and community.
Different Types of Events – Social
Private Parties
Private parties range in size and in value. these cover everything from birthday parties, christenings, baby showers graduation parties.
Most of these types of events will be organized privately by members of the public, but there are event planners who are businesses supporting people planning just this type of event.
One of the key opportunities around private parties is the opportunity for themed events. Think Halloween, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, etc. Check out this page from Eventologists for some 75 party theme ideas to inspire you.
Weddings
In 2019, 2.02 million people in the US got married (Statista). Weddings are very personal events and vary greatly across different cultures and religions around the world.
Couples will often employ an event planner to support their big day given how much they can cost. According to The Knot, in 2021 the average cost of a wedding was $28,000!
Reunions
Reunions are the coming together of former friends and colleagues from High School, College or workplaces for a short-term celebration and to catch up.
The organizing of reunions has been made much easier since the advent of social media and our ability to connect with old friends and colleagues in a much easier way.
Nightclub events
Nightclub events have been in existence through most of the 20th century. essentially they are held during the nights in music venues across the country where the predominant activity is to go for a drink, socialize, and dance.
There are variations of this concept comma particularly live music venues which operate slightly differently word primary driver of footfall is the music rather than the socializing or consumption of alcohol. If you are interested in how venues make money, see my other post on this topic.
In the UK night clubs have seen a decline in popularity since the covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and the cost-of-living crisis in 2022 where it was estimated that night clubs are closing at a rate of one every two days.
Different Types of Events – Sport
Sports events cover both participation and spectator. Statista reports that the sports event market was worth $12.44bn in 2022 and is expected to continue to grow.
There is a clear cross-over between these two types of events as people often go to spectator other people participating in events.
Participation Sports Events
These events involve individuals or teams entering into and participating in competitive sports. The motivations and abilities will vary amongst different audiences but include events like running marathons, local soccer tournaments, athletics, or even dragon boat racing like this event in Hong Kong:
Spectator Sports Events
There are spectator sports events of all different sizes ranging from local community sport teams right through to mega-events like the Olympics and FIFA World Cups. As mentioned previously, these events move from country to country through a competitive bidding process.
Some of these sports events have built big brands like the NFL, The NBA, Formula 1 or Premier League soccer, which have revenues in the millions of dollars.
Different Types of Events – Cultural
Music Concerts and Festivals
Music concerts and festivals involve performances of musicians to mass audiences. There are concert venues ranging from less than 100 people right up to the largest festivals in the world like Donauinselfest in Austria which attacts over 2 million attendees (BBC)
Music concerts and festivals are big business, in 2022 revenue in this sector is expected to reach $8.49 billion and then continue to grow at an annual rate of 9.49% (Statista)
Venues are an important part of this industry, see how they make money in this other post I wrote.
Food Festivals
Another important cultural event for many cities. Food festivals often showcase local food and drink from regional producers. They can often be combined with other types of events, such as music festivals. The Big Feastival is a great example of this, I took my family to this a couple of years ago!
These events have the ability to be high-value tourism events and elevate themselves into hallmark events where they become synonymous with the place they are held.
Such is the depth and variety of community events that is almost impossible to list them all individually in a post of this size.
One of the most common attributes though of community events is it they are planned by the community for the community. There is little or no tourism or economic gain from community events.
Charity events are special occasions where people come together to help others in need. They can be a fundraising event, like a walk or auction, where money is collected to support a good cause. People might also volunteer their time to help others directly, like serving food at a homeless shelter. Charity events are a great way to make a difference and show kindness to others!
So there you have it, a quick introduction to the types of event across the industry. We hope you liked it!
Event venues come in all shapes and sizes, but often there are common income sources across each. Understanding what these are and how to maximize them is key to turning a profit with your events.
Venues make money through the sale of event tickets, food, drink, merchandise and venue hire. Additional sources of income include sponsorship or VIP experiences
I was a venue manager for over ten years, there is plenty to be said for the profession, it can be extremely rewarding, but you have to have your wits about you to make sure that your venue can make money and a profit. It is true that sometimes venues can be free (see my other post on this), but there are many other ways that event venues can make money.
Venues can host many different types of events such as music concerts, weddings, conferences, art exhibitions and many more. Broadly a venue will fall into one of these groups:
Music / Arts Venues – The kind that host live music, arts, or cultural shoes
Business Venues – Those specifically tailored to conferences or exhibitions
Personal Event Venues – Those tailored to personal events, mainly things like weddings.
Multifunctional Venues – Those with the capacity to host a mix of the above using highly configurable setups.
Generally, the income and profit are likely to be lowest for music and arts venues. There is little margin in the business model of short events (like music shows) where there may only be a few hours to sell some drinks.
On the other side, high-standard business or personal event venues can command significant venue rentals and these events benefit from a much longer dwell time. Dwell time is the time you have to sell attendees additional products like food, drink or merchandise.
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Each of those different venue groups above will have various sources of income, some of which will be more lucrative than others. Here are the most common forms of income for event venues:
Venue income from event tickets
Many venues that promote their own events or shows will sell tickets for them. This can be a small or very large fee depending on the show or entertainment. In the case of live music, the price is defined by the popularity of the headline artist. See our post on how to price event tickets here for more information.
Venue income from food
Food is a great source of income for many event venues, particularly those that host dinners, weddings, or parties. Food can also be a good source of income for business events which often span several days and so must provide food to their delegates. The price of the food will depend on the quality of the food and of the venue. It is likely many venues will offer food menus in a variety of different price ranges to suit different clients.
Venue income from drinks
As with food, selling drinks can be highly lucrative. For business events, this will mainly be refreshment but can involve some alcohol sales. For those music/arts venues or wedding venues, selling drinks is an essential part of the experience for attendees. As with food, the price will largely depend on the quality of the drink and the service style (bar or table service for example). Some venues often bring in mobile bars if they don’t have an in-house service.
Venue income from merchandise
Merchandise can be another great source of income for certain venues. These is typically music/arts venues and form part of things like live music concerts where people wish to take home a memento of the event. It’s unlikely (but not impossible) that business or wedding venues might sell some merchandise.
Venue income from VIP experiences
Those event venues that operate their own events, particularly music events, can upsell VIP packages such as booths or drinks in order to raise additional income. Typically these have a very high margin and can be very lucrative.
Venue income from venue hire
For many venues, this will be the biggest source of income and the basis of their business model. In essence, venues will charge people to use the space. Venues often offer different packages for different event styles and budgets in order to appeal to the widest possible audience. There are commonly two types of venue hire:
Event Venue Dry Hire
The venue is hired as an empty shell and the hirer must provide all content and decorations themselves.
Event Venue Wet Hire
The venue provides additional services such as food, drink and decorations.
How much does it cost to run a music venue?
There are numerous costs associated with running a venue, and while there are some nuisances with different styles of venue, there are often common overheads.
Venues are expensive to run, with operating costs ranging from anything from $100,000 to multiple millions of dollars. The size, type, and location of the venue play a large role in how high these costs will be.
Let’s look at some of the major overheads you would face running a music venue right now.
Event Venue Costs
Rent, mortgage, or loan repayment
This is often one of the biggest costs and depends on the circumstances of the venue. Often venues are leased and so regular rent is due and this is set by the landlord at the start of any agreement. This should stay reasonably constant whether the venue is trading well or badly.
Staffing
This is another major cost and venues often rely on a high number of temporary or part-time staff due to the nature of the business. Some weeks can be very busy and others not, some using part-time or flexible staff is key to keeping on top of costs.
Entertainment
This will depend largely on the kind of venue in question. Some venues do not take the risk of promoting their own events and so leave this to any hirer or promoter. A small music venue may choose to do this and so will incur the costs of booking things like bands and the associated costs (sound and lighting) needed to put on the show. On the other hand, business events can be largely dry hire, where the venue is hired as an empty canvas.
How can I make money with a small venue?
There are three main ways to make money with a small venue: dry hire, wet hire or promoting events. Each carries a different level of requirement and risk for a venue owner.
As mentioned above, dry hire means hiring the venue as a blank canvas to someone, wet hire is the same, but you are able to sell add-ons such as food and drink. Promoting events means taking all of the risks of getting attendees to the venue yourself and then selling them add-ons like food and drink.
Conclusion
So there you have it, a full list of everything that goes into the average event venue’s budget. Of course, every venue is different and will have unique costs depending on its size, location, and amenities. But this should give you a good idea of what to expect when planning your next event. If you are interested in starting your own event venue or space, then check out this post I wrote on the subject.
The concept of event design is often confused with just being about the event decoration, but it goes much beyond that.
With over 20 years of experience in events, I understand how important this is in event planning from start to finish to give attendees the best experience.
Successful event design uses a deep understanding of attendees to design event experiences that engage with the senses, creating memorable and emotional responses that satisfy or exceed expectations.It is a key component of modern-day event planning.
While decorations may form part of delivering this experience, it is only one part of it. There is increased demand from all stakeholders associated with events. There are also growing pressures from corporate social responsibility and technology, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic events must now factor in.
What is meant by event design?
Event design is how we consider the entire experience of an event attendee. In academic literature, these are also referred to as touchpoints. Event design considers all of these touchpoints in the attendee journey, from first discovering the event through its delivery and final evaluations.
Why is event design important?
“If we don’t design, we leave the experience to chance; if we do design, we increase the predictability of the event outcome.”
The working environment for event managers is ever-changing, so there is a need to understand event design and the new challenges they face. Crowther (2014) suggests that there are four key areas in a shifting landscape that make event design important:
1. Heightened Attendee Expections
These reflect the changing world we live in. Younger generations are driven more by deeper immersive and individualized experiences. This trend is spurred on by the increasing pace of technology where we don’t have to be in a physical space to experience the event! Capturing this trend is a crucial part of setting realistic objectives through event design.
2. A Competitive Event Marketing Plan
has flourished off the back of our increasing desire for these more immersive experiences. The industry continues to thrive, and attendees show a strong appetite for engaging in real and virtual worlds. Because of this, events need to find new ways to stand out and be different; thus, the design of events becomes critical.
3. Instrumental in getting event investment
Investment in events is vital, and pressure from event funders is ever-increasing, so the need to demonstrate a return on investment is paramount to ensuring the viability of events in the future. With this in mind, the event’s design needs to reflect how the backers of an event perceive its success.
4. Responsibility for wider impact.
Responsibility for wider impact. There are increasing layers of impacts beyond where the event simply takes place. Events can no longer just consider economic sustainability. They also need to consider their environmental and social impact as attendees are increasingly aware of these impacts. Therefore, the event design needs to consider the different facets of potential effects that surround each event.
I highly recommend the book these ideas come from if you’re interested in reading more, I use it all the time to teach our event management degree course. You can buy it here at Amazon.
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What are the elements of event design?
There are two main aspects of event design, strategic design and operation design.
Strategic Design
Strategic event design is a process for creating events that are aligned with an organization’s goals and objectives. It involves a systematic approach to planning and executing events that are intended to achieve specific outcomes.
This can include events such as conferences, meetings, trade shows, product launches, and other types of corporate or social events. In strategic event design, the focus is on creating an event that is not only enjoyable and engaging for attendees, but also serves a larger purpose in advancing the organization’s mission and goals.
In my personal experience of event planning, this aspect considers the objectives, outcomes, purpose, or theme of the event. Setting realistic objectives at the start of any project allows the client to say yes and the successful delivery of the event through the operational design.
Operational Design
The operational design considers how the physical elements of the event are delivered. This would include things like the decor, food and entertainment. This ultimately provides the experience to event attendees.
How do I create an event design?
There are a couple of initial steps to follow in creating a successful event design:
Set clear objectives and outcomes
The first step is to establish why you are running the event and how you plan to measure it’s a success. Without setting good objectives, you can never know this. The objectives you select need to be SMART, Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound.
Answer the 5Ws – Why, what, when, who, where
The 5W’s help you to understand the critical strategic elements of an event and so design an event more strategically. To get started, ask yourself the following questions:
Why are you holding the event? Why can mean asking fundamental questions about the purpose of the event? This includes things such as what is its overall goals or why attendees chose your event over another.
What do attendees want to get out of the event? Think about what the attendees are looking for as a key takeaway from the event. Some things can be planned very far in advance, while some need to be arranged closer to the event date. This question also considers the event’s main programme and how to offer actual value to the attendees.
When will the event take place? Lots of factors play into this, such as venue availability, attendee readiness. You should also consider how often the event will occur, perhaps every year, two years etc.
Who are the attendees? Here you need to think about buying personas. If you haven’t already done so, you should be segmenting your customer base and deciding who the target audience is. This alone can make or break the success of your event.
Where is the event being held? Consider the venue, the host city, how this impacts travel decisions for your attendees. Is there sufficient hotels of the required standard near to the event?
Best event design courses
Many university undergraduate degree courses in event management will likely cover event design. I know because the university I work at delivers this.
However, for someone already working in the industry, you probably have two options. The first is seeking out a University Master’s course such as this one at Sheffield Hallam University or taking an online training course.
With most university degrees, you will likely find that event design is only one part of the course. Undertaking a Masters degree can also be expensive and takes numerous years when studying part-time.
For some, this length of course may be a great option, but for others they may find online training courses offer a more flexible way to learn the skills around event design.
One such example of an online training course comes from Event Design Collective. Their online training course is based around the event design canvas, a freely available adaption of traditional business models but for event design. what are they deliver training in person, you can also choose to study online you can find out more at their website
References
Here are the sources used in this article; if you are interested in reading more about this topic, I suggest the Strategic Event Creation book as a good starting point.
I spent ten years promoting events in music venues, so I have written quite a few marketing plans in my time. There are variations to these depending on the sector of events. This article just focuses on the key elements that will apply to most sectors.
An event marketing plan shows all of the steps needed to achieve the marketing objectives you set at the start of the event, for example, ticket sales, social engagement or brand awareness. That plan will outline the tools, techniques and channel you will use to achieve those objectives.
Right now, you’ll probably be reading this thinking how to start writing an event marketing plan. It can seem daunting because there is always pressure on to meet event objectives like selling tickets or generating sponsorship.
Just to be clear, in my view, at this point, an event marketing plan is not the same thing as a marketing event. A marketing event is a type of event ( often for brand awareness) that in itself may have its event marketing plan to attract people to attend.
The key elements of an event marketing plan
Event goals or objectives
Target audience for the event
Marketing channels
Communication and promotional tactics
Marketing timeline
Evaluation
Let look at each of these key elements in detail.
What are my event goals or objectives?
Before you can even begin to write a marketing plan, you need to understand what your event objectives are, also called goals. The terms are interchangeable and can mean slightly different things, but for this article, we will focus on setting your event goals.
These will of course vary from event to event, but you must write these first.
The goals you set must be SMART, be you can find help on setting smart objectives for events here. By making your event objectives SMART, they should have specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely element. The first two are the most important as it will allow you to under some evaluation of your event marketing plan at the end.
Example of specific event goals
Number of tickets to sell
To break even financially
Engagement on social media (e.g. likes on Facebook)
Clicks on a link on a promotional email
QR code scans from a flyer campaign.
Sponsors satisfaction.
Your event marketing plan will then illustrate how you intend to achieve those goals.
Who is the target audience for the event?
A good event marketing plan will clearly illustrate and identify the target audience for your event. The marketing plan will identify this early on clearly describing how the marketing and promotional elements will reach this target audience to satisfy your event objectives.
The target audience for an event can be large or small, and sometimes you may find that you have more than one audience.
Having multiple target audiences doesn’t mean you need numerous event marketing plans, but you may need to use different marketing channels such as social media for each. Writing this down in a marketing plan enables you to clear ear about how you will do that.
Which marketing channels will you use?
Your event marketing plan will outline which marketing channels best fit your target audience and therefore offer the best chance of meeting your event goals. You may think that you simply want to use as many marketing channels as possible, but this is untargeted marketing and not advisable.
Untargeted marketing will be expensive as you may be spending money or resources on marketing channels that are not reaching your intended target audience. The alternative to this is to use targeted marketing.
Targeted marketing means you only use those marketing channels where your defined target audience also exist for use.
For example if you wanted to target and mainly teenage audience, you may consider music social media platforms such as Snapchat or Tiktok. This demographic is known to use those marketing channels heavily full stop; this might not be a good strategy if your target audience is made me retired people.
OK, that is a bit of an extreme example. Still, I hope that illustrates why giving due consideration to the marketing channels you intend to use is so essential, especially if you are on on the tight budget and have limited resources.
This method target marketing allows you to gain the maximum return turn for the minimum amount of import. Your event marketing plan should therefore include a list of marketing channels most suited to reaching your target audience.
Communication and promotional tactics
Your event marketing plan should be clear ear around the types of communication and the language you plan to use to promote your event full stop this may start with your brand and the values that you wish to be known.
You should consider the type of language that you want to use in all of the communications you plan to put out. Does your event suit a more formal tone, or would you prefer to speak with more casual language?
For events, photos and videos are now a crucial element of any marketing campaign, and so you need to consider how and when to use them to best effect.
Videos can be handy for delivering large amounts of information such as ticket prices and release dates without having to post a long page of text and can often be more attractive to view for your audience.
Promotional tactics vary depending on where you are in the timeline of your event marketing plan. It may also depend on how new or popular your event is,
For example, a brand new event may need to employ promotional activities such as ticket discounting during the early part of the marketing campaign, which often helps to get sales moving and maintain adequate cash flow within the event.
Other promotional tactics could include ticket deals for groups, discounted tickets for previous attendees or using partners such as sponsors to help sell the events as they may have a larger audience than you do.
One final point to consider here is how your potential attendees can interact with you. Many events now rely on the co-creation of value, which means allowing attendees to have a voice and contribute towards the event experience. Consider how you will manage and facilitate this voice to ensure that people feel their views of valued and therefore building a stronger relationship with them.
Marketing timeline
Your timeline is another crucial element of your event marketing plan. When approaching this experience of past events and evaluation of those event marketing plans should allow you to improve this timeline each year.
Typically these timelines are designed in software such as a spreadsheet (e.g. Excel), but there are custom event management software available. See our resources pages for ideas.
Another tip to give you here is to consider using social media bookers to pre-plan or schedule social media posts. Again depending on the social media that you plan to use it’s worth investigating even what time of the day is the best time to post your content. We have some of our favourites on our resources pages.
Evaluation
Evaluation is always the last thing in your event marketing plan, but it can be the most crucial element if you run an event that happens regularly. One of the reasons that you set yourself SMART objective at the start was so that you can then measure if you achieve those goals within the context of this marketing plan.
You should look back at various checkpoints during the marketing plan, and your goals for that point, did you achieve these?
Depending on the original goals, there are a variety of tactics that you can use with your evaluation. Sometimes short surveys of customers can best, other times, perhaps you need to engage in some feedback with contractors or suppliers.
So they have a short overview of what an event marketing plan is. There are variations to this depending on the type of event that you have. But all should have these core elements included.
There are a range of Bluetooth card machines available on the market today, way more than there were a couple of years ago. Sidestepping away from the chunky and unsightly chip and pin fixed to a counter, small businesses (typically with transactions less than £20k a month) can now have smaller, sleek, and more functional card readers that work equally as well.
The iZettle is currently the best all-round contactless card machines to use at events. It offers the widest choice of card accepted as well as all the major contactless card services such as Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay.
Card machines are a great, cost-effective, and easy to use tool for any event business. Over the past few years, there has been a steep increase in people using cashless payment whether it’s through their debit/credit card, apple pay (via phone or watch) or Google pay. In today’s society, it’s seen as an inconvenience if someone doesn’t have a cashless payment option. Additionally, in light of current times (whilst we are in a global pandemic) cashless payment is even more desirable and valuable for a business.
When it comes to choosing a card machine for an events business, there are a few things you will want to consider in order to get the most out of it. Firstly, I should point out that different machines work better or worse in different locations so just be mindful of this. For example, your location could be:
Outside at a festival
In a warehouse/remote venue
In an exhibition centre
In a shop/pop up
The biggest barriers with card machines and locations usually are down to signal for the card machine to make the transaction and also power (to charge the unit and or your smartphone). Another key factor is how often you will be using the card machine for your event or business. Daily, monthly once a year? Depending on different readers available this can affect your value for money and overall cost of your card reader.
How do contactless card readers work?
Contactless payment is taken via an app connected to a Bluetooth card reader. The app is provided by a merchant who will process the payment for a transaction fee. The money taken will usually be available within 1-3 days in the nominated bank account.
As a general rule, you get a small card machine which then connects via Bluetooth to a mobile or tablet. On that device, you will need to download an app which then operates the card machine. You are then ready to use it simply by getting someone to tap contactless or enter their pin, just like your normal card machine.
Most then don’t have a monthly fee or require a contract (although you can often add in some subscription options with your chosen provider). You just need to purchase the card machine at a one-off cost and pay a transaction fee on a Pay as you go basis.
One thing to point out is that you will need either a Wi-Fi connection or 3G/4G connection for the transaction to be processed.
Below I have listed 5 of the most popular card machines for event businesses, listing out some highlights, things to consider as well as costs to help you make more of an informed decision as to what suits your event business the best.
1. Square Terminal
Highlights
Accepts Mastercard, American Express and Visa, both contactless and chip and PIN
Can save cards on file for repeat payments
Can be used to sell online, collect payments via invoices and by phone
Fixed rate of 1.75% per transaction
Remote payment (via a link to a customer @ 2.5% transaction fee)
No minimum transaction fees
Cost
£19 + VAT one off cost for the card reader
No contract or inactivity fees
There are a series of add-ons that Square offer. To list a few:
Can print receipts from the terminal
Inventory management via the App
Can sync other apps to it to help with business paperwork e.g. accounting, analytics etc.
Can track employee performance using the App
Square reader is a cost-effective and user-friendly reader for any business with the advantages of having integration between payments and accounting across your business.
2. Zettle
Highlights:
Accepts the widest range of cards out of all 5 in this post (including apple pay)
You can choose the colour of your card machine (black or white)
No set up or delivery cost
Fixed rate of 1.75% per transaction
Remote payment (via a link to a customer @ 2.5% transaction fee)
Refunds are free to process (and you get the transaction cost back too)
Charges via a USB or via a dock (takes 1-2 hours for full charge) and lasts 8hrs or 100 transactions
Can also be used to sell your items online via iZettle’s ecommerce site
Things to note:
Minimum transaction fee of £1
Cost:
Initial card reader £29 + VAT one off payment
Overall, this is a great and low-cost card reader for any small business looking to take card payments. Not being locked into a contract is a great plus point, meaning you won’t have any ongoing costs after your initial investment in the card reader apart from your transaction fees.
3. SumUp
Highlights:
Accepts all major brands of cards
Fixed rate of 1.69% per transaction
Comes with a white card machine
No setup or delivery cost
Accepts contactless, chip and PIN and signature cards
Remote payment (via a link to a customer @ 2.5% transaction fee)
App automatically connects via Bluetooth with card machine when you pick card as payment method
Not locked into a contract
Things to note:
You don’t get the transaction fee back on any refunds
Initial cost:
Card reader costs £29 + VAT and is a one off cost
They also offer a 3G card reader (so you don’t need a smartphone) for £69 + VAT
This reader is a good contender with low transaction and initial set up fees. There are just less add-ons and gadgets that work with this reader. However, it comes with a great advantage of not needing a smartphone if you go for the slightly pricier card reader.
4. Worldpay ZINC Reader
Highlights:
24/7 phone support
Accept major credit cards
Available in black
Contactless, chip and PIN and apple watch compatible
Remote payment (via a link to a customer based on a transaction fee – quoted by WorldPay)
Comes with 12-month warranty for the reader
Receipt can be issued by email or SMS instantly
Things to note:
A steeper 2.75% transaction fee unless you pay £5.99 a month which then lowers it to 1.95%
Fees depend on turnover and a few other variables
Sign up for a quote on their website for fees
Require PCI (payment card industry) compliance
Costs:
Card reader £39.99 including VAT but has been as much as £79.99
No set up fees beyond buying the card reader (if you are happy with the higher transaction fees)
Contract monthly £5.99 if you want lower transaction fees
Although still a highly rated app, the transaction fees are a little steep compared to other competitors in the market. Without any significant plus points over competitors it could be worth looking at others especially if you are on a tight budget.
5.Smart Trade APP
Highlights:
Does not require a card reader (just scan card with your smartphone)
Option to pass on the card fees to your customer
Can be used to pay face to face, over the phone and through paylinks on emails
Can create customised invoices to send out
Accepts all major cards as well as foreign cards
Can send paperless quotes to customers and have a one click button for them to accept
Allows easy integration for some accounting e.g. Xero, quickbooks etc.
Things to note:
More aimed at tradespeople
You are in a contract but can cancel at any time
Cost:
No card reader needed just the app which is free to download
They also have a 30-day trial
After the trail you will need to sign up to 1 of 3 plans:
Business: (up to 15 users) 1.85% plus 20p flat rate per transaction plus £26.99 a month
Enterprise: (Up to 50 users) 1.75% plus 20p flat rate per transaction plus £89.99 a month
Sole Trader: (one user) 2.15% plus 20p flat rate per transaction plus £9.99 a month
A great choice for those who don’t want to bother with a card machine and for those who want to pass the transaction fee onto their customers. The higher cost transaction fees and monthly payments would mean it is not so cost-effective for business, but a good option for those with relatively limited but high-value transactions.
As you can see from above there are advantages and disadvantages to all of the top 5 card machines. To help you choose the best one for your event/business type I have set out some influencing factors and recommendations on what card machine might work best for your event or business.
Large scale event e.g. outdoor festival, trade show
Things to consider:
Number of hours trading
If it’s a long time you will need a power supply
Size of event
If It’s a large-scale event with lots of other people and vendors, you could be fighting for signal for payments
Expected number of transactions
Some have minimum spend caps on or have higher charges if you do only a few transactions
Expected use
Is this a one off or will you use the card regularly? – If it’s a once in a blue moon you use it consider the fact some charge dormant fees.
Good card reader option: iZettle is a great reader when it comes to the following:
Battery life and power (charges super quickly and lasts 8 hrs)
No fees for inactivity/not regularly used
Flat rate for fees no matter how many, although minimum spent of £1 which most of the time is not an issue
When it comes to signal being an issue there is not a huge breakthrough card machine that can overcome this. Some ways to help with this machine are:
Send remote payment links (your customer can pay later through a link on their phone if the transaction would not go through).
Think about getting yourself a remote dongle so you have your own personal Wi-Fi connection. This will boost your chances of being able to take payment quickly and easily.
Charity Event
Fees/cost
You want to be paying as little as possible
You can even pass on the fees to your customer to keep costs down as much as possible
Similarly, you don’t really want to be locked into a contract unless there are some serious benefits for you.
Number of transactions
Like above, if you rarely plan to use it be careful as some companies charge dormant fees for inactivity.
Based on that, a good card reader option: Although the Smart Trade APP is the best in regards to passing on fees this comes with a monthly minimum cost of £9.99 for a contract. Other competitors for examples square reader don’t have any monthly fees or contract so means you will only be paying a transaction fee, which if you are savvy enough you could include in your selling price to help keep costs to a complete minimum.
Shop or stall
Look
Your aesthetic and look may be more important here, so the option of colour is nice.
Online selling options
Possibility to use the card reader’s eCommerce site to sell your items on to widen your selling opportunities
Recurring payment
Might want to set up recurring payments if it’s an item someone wants to buy regularly
Good card reader option: iZettle again, is a great option for a shop or stall. With the option to choose white or black carder readers, and the option to sell on iZettle’s eCommerce it’s certainly a good purchase. Although you can’t set up recurring payments you can send regular payment links out manually to customers to get payment.
To summarise, why are card readers a great investment for your events business?
Shorter queues due to quicker transaction times
Payment in just a tap as opposed to routing through for change
More customers served = more cash and quicker waiting time = happier customers
Safety
None/less cash on site
Money straight into your account (can’t lose it)
Easy to track
Connect your account to a financal programme, it helps track finance, and pulls out key figures etc. to help you report your business profits and loss.
Also helps with business credit rating, which in turn can help if you want to borrow money.
Add validity to business.
Make your customers feel you are more legitimate.
Recurring payments can be set up.
Increased spend
Your consumer is not limited to just what cash they have on them – they are more likely to splurge a little more!
Conclusion
I can safely say a card reader at your event or for your events business would not be a poor purchase. Although there are many more than the 5 card readers above, these are the ones that have been tried and tested more and therefore have greater reviews. If I had to choose one for my events, as a failsafe and cost-effective way of taking payments however, Zettle would be my option if just the card reader was needed. If more established, and on the lookout for a more middle of the road reader with a few extra add-ons Square reader would a next best great option, with the ability to print receipts from the terminal without the restriction of a minimum transaction fee.
Street food festivals are a great way to bring a host of people together with one common shared passion, food and drink. Street food festivals have become even more popular over the recent years with people’s ever-growing love of new, tasty, good food served in alternative urban environments.
To organise a street food festival, first plan all of your logistics (particularly road closures), set your budget, find your traders, plan the marketing and ensure you have all of the relevant paperwork in place.
So, what is the difference between a food festival and a street food festival? Although in principle they are exactly the same, it comes down to location and style of food. Street food suggests being served on a street (but not always) and the style of food tends to be takeaway style and more artisan.
Due to the nature of the event often being outdoors in public space e.g. roads, pedestrian walkways etc., there are a host of differences when it comes to planning, managing, and organising a street food festival to ensure it can go ahead safely.
You will find another article here that I have written on how to organise a food festival. This will be more generic for when you are looking to host a food festival at a more conventional venue.
Although I have touched on marketing, budgets, and general organisational tips this other article will give you a greater depth of information. This blog post will focus more so on the key logistics in getting a street food festival up and running on roads which are typically used daily by vehicles and pedestrians.
Step 1: Planning and logistics for a Street Food Festival
Typically, street food festivals are held in public venues/spaces and in some cases roads. Although they are unique and often have high footfall passing the location, the organisation becomes a little more complex.
When starting to plan, have a think about the following key things to help you:
Will you need to close roads and or divert traffic to activate your event?
Traffic management plan
How will you protect participants from live traffic and other dangers for the whole of your event?
Will your event interrupt any public transport e.g. buses, trams, trains etc.?
If so, you will need to contact these services
Do you need the Police to provide traffic management e.g. stopping traffic?
If so, do you have funding to cover this?
Contact emergency services for support on the event day(s)
Have you spoken to residents/businesses to gauge their opinion/how they could benefit?
Find your location
I have seen some amazing street food festivals set off quieter streets (that typically have little traffic) or even in pedestrian areas in city centres.
These are great locations in terms of footfall and add a little quirky edge to your location – not your run of the mill place!
There are some things that prevent you from obtaining permission to use roads/public space that needs to be closed these include:
If it’s a main commuter route
If it’s already being used as a diversion route due to other events and/or work
If it would prevent emergency services from gaining access to stations, depots, other key roads or to local businesses.
Make contact with the local authorities
Once you have decided on a location, it would be advantageous to start contacting local bodies (council, emergency services etc.) to even see if you can get permission for your event to go ahead.
You will need to give details similar to the information included below in your traffic regulation order. Once you have done this you may get further questions, or just an acknowledgement, to show they have received and agree to your event taking place.
Top tip: You will need to leave plenty of time to contact the council and emergency services with your plans (at least 3 months) as not only does it take time to put plans in place, but details will need to be published in newspapers and transport links will need to plan if they are going to be affected.
To obtain permission you will also need to submit a temporary traffic regulation order to the local councils traffic management team if you plan to close the road for any period of time. This should include the following:
Organiser name and contact details
Event details, programme of the event, the expected number of attendees, size of site needed
Proposed location/venue (helpful to attach a map to prevent any confusion)
Event date(s)
Road(s) that will be affected and for how long
Plan for road closure signing and implementing
A description of alternative routes
Insurance details (public liability)
Risk and method statements that covers the below (plus anything else you feel relevant to your specific event)
Crowd control
Application and removal of traffic management controls
Top tip: You will need to provide all the necessary signs, cones and barriers in order to close the road to traffic and/or pedestrians. The traffic team will be able to help advise on what you need and there are numerous specialist contractors that will be able to help you with this.
Will I need emergency services on site?
As mentioned above you need to give the emergency services a heads up. They will attend your event if there is an emergency however, if you would like police officers on-site to help manage traffic, this will come at a cost.
If you don’t have a trained and confident first aider, it is worth paying to have an external first-aid organisation like St. John’s Ambulance representative at your event to step in if there are any medical emergencies. You can work out how much first you will need using our first-aid calculator.
Step 2: Budget; so what will I need to pay for?
You will need to allocate money for the following:
Each council’s costs will differ when it comes to using space e.g. roads. Previous experience has put site space anywhere between £500 and £2,500 depending on scale, number of road closures needed and popularity of location.
This then will obviously go up depending on how many days you plan for your street food festival to take place.
What facilities will I need?
Toilets
Due to the nature of the venue being on a road or public space, this often lends itself to needing toilets installed. The number of these can be relative to the number expected to attend and/or the distance to any public toilets.
Although the number of toilets vs people isn’t a requirement, there is nothing worse than long queues for a toilet at an event so the more you can accommodate the better.
As a rule of thumb, I have added the below table to give you a rough guide when planning:
Events less than 6 hrs
Events more than 6 hrs
Females
1 toilet per 120
1 toilet per 100
Males
1 toilet per 600 + 1 urinal
1 toilet per 500 + 1 urinal
Disabilities
1 disabled toilet
2 disabled toilets
Power
You will have one of two options when it comes to supplying power for the site. Your local council will be able to guide you through/work with you on this one. Your first option is to use a power source from the surrounding area and run extension cables to your site.
This is on the basis the council have a power source close to your site and isn’t so far away that you have to have lots of unsightly and potentially dangerous cables. Your second option is to use generators. These then can be positioned within your site in a chosen safe place.
You will need permission from the local council to use them and will need to be safely cornered off as well as monitored regularly throughout the event.
Water
When serving certain food and drinks hand washing facilities or cleaning facilities will need to be made available. Again, you will have two options which the council should be able to advise you on.
You will either be able to hook up to a mains water source (depending on the location of your chosen site) or get water tanks with fresh water in to connect to street food traders.
Sometimes your traders will come equipped with water tanks for their specific needs, so definitely make this a topic of conversation when booking in your street food traders
One thing to note is both water and power will come at a cost. Don’t be afraid to pass on some of that cost to your street food traders (write this into a contract) as they will typically be the ones who are consuming these resources the most.
Security
Being an open event (in public space) it makes it a lot harder to secure off your event site especially when you are loading in and out the various stallholders, toilets, any seating etc.
Not only does this add an extra layer of risk to any passers-by but also is a security risk if anyone were to pass and either damage or steal anything from you and/or your vendors. This is mind, from experience, it’s advisable that you have some simple tape and/or post and rope in order to corner off areas.
Accompanying this it’s good to have some security guards. Not only can they protect the site but also direct people away from danger. Security is something you then may want to keep on, instead of using police etc. to ensure the site is safe. They are also typically cheaper than the police too!
Step 3: Find your traders
Finding traders isn’t actually as hard as you think. Most of the good traders will have a good web presence and on social media, allowing you to easily contact them. If you run repeat events you will usually find that they approach you.
The key is finding the right balance of traders for the event you want to hold. You should give some serious thought to the type of people who will attend your street food festival, what traders can you put in that will offer a wow factor.
Start your search at http://www.streetfood.org.uk/
Remember, people love unique experiences.
Step 4: Plan your Marketing
The marketing tools you use predominantly will need to be tailored to your target audience and how they best consume advertising and find out information. Below I have highlighted a few key ways to help market your event.
Social media is such a valuable and cost-effective resource when marketing an event. The power of Facebook and other social channels can help reach volume both by consumer shares and paid for adverts.
Partnerships are a great way to get marketing out there. For example, partnering with a well-established company will help give you further marketing reach and further event credibility helping to entice more people in.
PR – have an event stand out element. This could be as simple as trying to set a small world record and inviting the local newspapers down to getting a minor celebrity on board to be a special guest.
Budget
Starting your planning with a budget is paramount. Setting out your outgoings, income and projected profit will give you a clear oversight from the start as to what you can and can’t afford. This also will help to highlight where you could most use sponsorships, partnerships, or donations.
When budgeting don’t forget there are a few ways to generate income. These include some of the following:
Stallholder fee
Ticket/entry fee
Partnerships & Sponsors
% cut of stallholder’s profit
You then have the option to either charge an entry fee or let people come and go for free. Although a paid-for ticket definitely has its place boosting income and helping to predict attendee numbers, from experience, due to the nature of street food festivals often being in open roads/public spaces, it makes it very difficult to fence off/police a ticketed system.
Risk assessments and safety are a major consideration especially when you are opening up to the public. Correctly identifying, assessing, and mitigating or reducing any potential risks is key both when setting up the event but also during and after.
Safety and risk assessments can seem a daunting thing. However, there is plenty of guidance and ways to educate yourself on this to equip you. A great starting place or even a refresher is here. *please note this is for UK event safety and not necessarily correct worldwide.
Public Liability (PLI) is an essential cover that you will need. Think of it as an insurance policy for your event if damage or injury were to take place on-site. Your stallholders will have cover of their own (it’s good practice to ask for a copy of this).
In regards to cover for the event as a whole, this will either need to come from you (the event organiser) or the venue where the event is taking place, depending on who owns it.
Food Safety is an essential check. All stallholders by law have to hold health and safety, food hygiene and licensing documentation from the Food Standards Agency. It is good practice to obtain a copy of this when confirming their place at your event. Every food business in the UK should have a star rating from 0 to 5.
There are also a series of food safety rules and regulations that your stallholders need to abide by. They should know these already as they are regularly selling food, however, it’s good to know these to ensure that they are following these rules.
Finally, always do some form of evaluation. Seek 360 feedback from your attendees, your traders, and suppliers. In some cases, it can feel like ripping off the plaster when you gain any bad or constructive criticism after working for months on your event, but it will continue to help you progress and grow as an event and professional.
Feed this feedback into future events!
Summary
To sum up, although planning a street food festival has many similarities to a general food festival, there are some key differences when it comes to securing a location/venue due to the nature of street food typically being held on active roads/pedestrian areas.
Leaving plenty of time to plan will really work in your favour, especially as there are quite a few more stakeholders that will need to be part of the event in order to get it off the ground. Councils, emergency services and traffic management will all be a pivotal part in your event and will need to be included in the planning of your street food festival from the off.
Another significant document you will need to include is your temporary traffic regulation order to ensure you can get access to roads and/or pedestrian areas for your event. Remember, when filling out that document, the more information you can add the more chance you have of getting the site you desire.
A lot of the other planning involved in organising a street food festival is very similar to any other events when it comes to marketing, staffing, budgets etc. so is very transferable.
From my experience at both indoor and outdoor events many lend themselves perfectly to having mobile bars serving at them. The expectation now, when going to an event, often is that there will be a range of food and drinks on hand to buy.
Mobile bars are perfect for ad-hoc events or venues where there are limited existing facilities to serve drinks. Mobile bars are often useful at things like beer or gin festivals, I wrote this other post on how to organize one of those
There are a number of things you will need to start a mobile bar business. These include:
A solid business plan
A truck/stall/mobile bar
Glassware
Cold storage
Licensing arrangements
Stock
Licencing is the key legality you need to adhere to when starting and managing your own mobile bar business. It can often feel confusing. Therefore, in this post, I will go into what licences you need and any key things to note.
*Just to flag, this post is aimed at the UK market and based on British legislation and licencing only. If you are based outside of the UK, please consult local guidance in your region.
What do I include in my mobile bar business plan?
Any business owner, irrelevant of the business type, will advise you the best place to begin when starting a mobile bar business is with your business plan.
This will help you to really think about what your business means, does and how it will operate logistically and financially before you dive in and waste precious time and money.
A business plan also will be requested by any investors or banks who you are trying to get to input money. They want to be able to see that it is a viable business before they invest in it.
So where do you start with the business plan? There are plenty of templates out there online that you can use as a structure for ideas. To help you out, I have listed out a few headers and sub-headings for you to think about when writing your business plan.
Do not feel you have to structure it all in the same order. Do what works for you!
Mobile Bar Business Plan Checklist
Business overview
Executive summary
What you are/sector/purpose
Aim of starting the business e.g. to make profit, follow passion/skills etc.
What are the products or services I plan to offer
Vision/mission statement
Business structure
Roles and responsibilities
SWOT analysis
My Strengths
My Weaknesses
External Opportunities
External Threats
Market analysis
Market trends (backed up by research)
Suggested target Market
Competitive advantages to stand out in the current market. What makes your mobile bar different?
Financial Plan
Sources of income
Sales forecast
Sales strategy
Pricing strategy
Payment options
Start-up costs
Business forecast
Where do you see the business in 6, 12 months, 2, 4 years etc.
Expansion/reinvestment plans
How do I set up a mobile bar business?
Once you have your business plan mapped out, you are in a great position to start setting up your mobile bar business.
So, where do you start? There isn’t really a right or wrong place to start as it depends on the individual and what skills/resources you have available. I have, however, broken down the set-up process in some bullet points to help keep you on track:
Mobile Bar Business Registration
There are a few key things to register and apply for when starting up your business:
Register with HMRC (Either as a limited company or a self-employed basis)
Public Liability Event Insurance (cover for any claims against the business)
Insurance (to cover your assets/set up if it were stolen or damaged)
Small Business Banking
It’s advisable to keep both your personal and business finances separate. The best way to ensure this is to set up separate accounts for business and personal.
This protects your own assets in the event of issues with the business.
It makes tax filing and accounting easier
A business credit card will help you spread expenses rather than having to pay everything all at once (especially if you have to do all your spending pre-event and may only get 50% payment until event completion).
Having a credit card builds your business’s credit rating, which works favourably when getting loans or investments.
Keep notes/receipts of all expenses as some of these can be deducted when filing tax. It also helps when cost tracking.
For my event business, I’ve been using a Monzo business bank account for the last four years. I found it super easy to set up, and there were minimal credit checks, unlikely the major high street banks. I’ve no complaints and would highly recommend them. You can sign up here; this isn’t an affiliate link. I find the service super easy to use!
Insurance for a mobile bar
In the UK, there are generally THREE types you would want to consider for a mobile bar
Employers Liability, this covers any staff or volunteers who work for you and is a legal requirement in the UK.
Public Liability covers accidents or damages caused in the public domain (non-staff). This protects your business from claims made by members of the public.
Equipment Insurance. Worth looking at to protect against any loss through accident or theft that could impact your business.
Check out this full article we wrote on event insurance, but that can be mainly for organisers of events.
This is an affiliate link, so if you do go ahead with purchasing the insurance with them, Eventunity receives a small referral fee that helps keep the lights on around here! It won’t mean you pay a higher amount.
What license do you need for a mobile bar business?
Your first starting point is getting yourself a Personal License. These can be obtained in the UK and require you to pass an exam by an accredited board to receive your licence. The exam is in place to ensure licence holders are aware of both the licencing law as well as the social responsibilities that go hand in hand with selling alcohol to people.
BIIAB or CIEH level 2 Award (needed to gain a personal licence – only needs to be obtained once) £150 – £200.
Where do I take the test?
The GOV.UK website shows a list of accredited training providers where you can sign up for one to suit you.
How do I obtain my Personal licence once I pass?
Once you pass, you will need to send a copy of your certificate as well as an up-to-date basic disclosure check (around £25) to confirm you have no criminal record.
You then need to send these to your local authority (where you live) along with a passport-style photo and £37
You will then get your licence card which you should have on you when selling/serving alcohol.
How do I apply for a temporary event notice (TEN)?
Once you have your licence, you can fill in an online form on the GOV.UK website to obtain your TEN (temporary event notice).
You will then need to send your £21 fee and a copy of the TEN to the local licencing authority.
As well you need to send a copy to:
The local police
A local environmental health officer
You can find their details on your local authority’s website.
Top things to know about the TEN:
As a personal licence holder, you can apply for up to 50 TENs a year (at £21 per TEN)
There must be at least 24hrs between TENs at the same location
Each event notice can last up to 168hrs (7 days)
Each location can have 12 TENs a year
Any one event can have up to 500 at all times on site (including staff)
What mobile bar equipment do I need?
Aside from your main bar asset/set-up (whether that be a horsebox, airstream, gazebo and table or truck) it’s easy to forget the minor details. Below is a checklist of things that come in useful.
Bottle openers & corkscrews (easy to put one down or misplace so have a few)
Chopping boards and knives
Cocktail shakers
Stirring spoons
Glassware (a range of shapes and sizes)
Napkins
Cloths for cleaning spillages
Lights (if it’s an evening or dark a day)
Extension cables for power
Waste and recycling bins (make sure these are hidden as they are unsightly)
You can buy most of the equipment you need from a professional catering company like Nisbets
There are also a few extra things to consider when designing your bar set-up:
A place to store clean glasses
Area to put dirty glasses
Glasswasher(s)
General bar decoration, e.g. lights, prints etc.
*Payment Machine
You will almost certainly need the ability to take payment by contactless or card. Most people (especially since the Coronavirus pandemic) will expect this. Luckily, this has become much easier in recent years and you can invest in a system for less than £30. Systems such as Zettle and Sumup in the UK use a small Bluetooth contactless device that connects to an app on your phone or tablet, see my other post on this here. You will have to pay a small commission on money taken, but it’s likely customers will expect this service.
Marketing and promoting your mobile bar business
If you are looking to set up a serious business rather than just a hobby, having a website and presence on social media channels will really help take your business to the next level. Having an online presence gives your business legitimacy, helps people to find you and acts as a good segway to direct potential customers too.
To make a start, it would be advantageous to have the following:
Website for your events
For website hosting, I use Siteground, which has been amazing for this website but Bluehost is also recommended for ease of use.
With a content plan (images of work, contact details, upcoming events etc.)
Instagram
Facebook
Get yourself on preferred events suppliers, e.g. event/wedding planners (networking will help with this).
A top tip is to make sure you regularly update and post content. There is nothing worse than when, as a consumer, you go on an Instagram or Facebook page giving minimal information on and where nothing has been posted in months.
One other top tip is to get some professional photos (or take some good quality ones on your phone) with your bar dressed and with a nice background. When we have nothing else to judge but an image aesthetic is everything!
So how do you promote your mobile bar?
As mentioned above, online presence is key! More and more use just search engines and social media to find people/businesses.
Networking! It’s a free and easy marketing tool. Get to know party planners and venues. It may even lead to a partnership!
Local print/flyers in an area to promote your business
Word of mouth. Doing a great job can get you far. Although it can take time this can cause a great snowball effect when word gets around.
Look online for Facebook groups that allow traders and organisers to connect.
Who is the target market
As a start-up business having a well-defined target market is key in order to help compete with larger and more established businesses. This is where having a niche (whether that’s brand, name, drinks etc.) will be the thing that helps you stand out here.
So where do you start?
Check out for competition
Who are their customers?
What do they do well and what are they missing?
Do an overview of your service/product
What are the benefits of your business to them?
Next identify the people who have a need for these benefits
Break it down to target audience specifics:
Age
Gender
Location
Income
Occupation
Marital/family status
Ethnic background/culture
You can then delve deeper on the target audience psychographics e.g.
Values & attitudes
Lifestyle
Interests/hobbies
Once you have collated this information on your target it’s key to then ask yourself the following questions in order to help make sure you are targeting the right people:
Can they afford what I am offering?
Will they benefit from what I am offering?
Are they easily accessible/reachable?
Do I know what drives my target audience?
Are there enough people who fit my criteria?
Top tip:
Remember you can have more than one target market, but make sure you don’t try and target all!
An online search, face to face research and other print/media are great ways to help you research your target audience.
Staffing your mobile bar
When you start off it is likely that you will be a jack of all trades and likely responsible for the setup, running and take down of the bar. You need to be prepared to roll up your sleeves and get hands on with everything. If you are new to bartending, it’s well worth going on a course to help increase your skills and therefore product.
Once your business is more established you will need to consider building a team. As a general rule of thumb, it would be advantageous to work to the following:
1 bartender for every 75 guests (when only serving beer and wine)
1 bartender for every 50 guests (for a full bar)
It’s worth considering an extra member of staff if you have a complex menu e.g. cocktails.
How much do mobile bars make?
Firstly, mobile businesses selling drinks, as opposed to food, are often on to a higher profit margin, with less waste (due to a less perishable product), little preparation time involved and your immunity to seasonality (you can sell alcohol all year around, summer, Christmas is also a bumper time). On top of that, typically if you are savvy, you are looking at 50-70% profit margin per unit.
As with most events there is no one specific answer on how much a mobile bar makes as the cost will depend on the type of setup you have and the audience you serve, more on this below.
However, on average, with good planning and some tips and tricks, you will be looking at a profit typically in the higher hundreds or low thousands. In the below I have set out some examples to help you cost up and calculate how much you could make at a festival with a mobile bar for example.
A few quick sums will help you to have a clearer picture of how much money will be going out, how much resource you might need, how much money you could make and how much you will need to break even.
It can feel like plucking figures from air at times when you are starting off, as often experience is what guides you here. Below I have broken down a simple way for working out skeleton profitability.
*please note this is an example using experience and will vary depending on the event you go to and your bar set up.
Out costs
Price (£)
Site Fee
5,000
Organisers % cut (say 20%) earnings
9,000
Staff cost (4 staff on 10hr shifts for 4 days)
1,500
Stock costs
2000
Amenities
500
Fuel & travel
500
TOTAL
18,500
Equally as important is working out your projected sales:
A great starting point is by compiling these details:
How many hours you want to serve each day?
How much are you charging per item?
How many staff do you plan to take?
So, what other factors affect profit? What other things should I consider?
When it comes down to how much mobile bars actually make it’s totally dependent on a series of factors. Depending what you are serving (the more unique the better off), along with a few other key factors, will ultimately determine your success. Below there are some things to consider to help increase your chances of profit.
Site location:
Being in a busy area is always desirable, but more expensive, as you will have a high footfall passing the stand.
Make sure you aren’t in a dead end or by the toilets – often people won’t walk past in volume or tend to dwell in these areas for long.
Target Audience:
Are you providing a product that the festival goers will want?
Research your audience and cater to their budget, tastes and needs.
Weather: Be reactive to this uncontrollable factor.
Offer something useful e.g. if it’s raining buy drinks from us and get a free branded poncho (easy to buy and store if the weather breaks!).
Staff uniform is a key part of the design. Make these comfortable, clean looking but with a fun element, again to match the bar theme. You will be surprised how much we make decisions based just on looks.
Develop your truck’s brand/reputation:
Smile! It is true when they say people buy people! Some small talk, happy faces and upbeat energy can go a long way bringing people back and leaving lasting positive memories – after all you never know who you are serving (someone might ask you to another event or festival).
Utilise your marketing opportunity. Stamp or print your logo and social media accounts on your cups etc. If you want to go one step further perhaps offer a competition or incentive if they follow your social channels. E.g. follow us and get 10% off.
A few tips to help you stand out at events where there is competition:
Don’t hide your prices away! Make them really easy and clear to read. If hidden, an instant assumption is you’re too expensive and puts people off.
Take lots of change! If you sell anything e.g. £5.50 take lots of 50p’s! There is nothing worse than scrabbling for change during a big influx of orders.
Take card payments. So many people hate carrying cash. They are cost effective, easy and a safe way to charge people. Less cash on site also makes it safer for you! Check out this article we wrote on Bluetooth card machines.
Samples. Everyone loves a freebie! This is a great marketing technique, encouraging people to come back or try something off the menu next time they fancy a drink.
Mobile Bar Drinks Pricing
So how much can I charge?
It goes without saying, you need to price each drink/drinks package so you at least break even.
There are a couple of ways to approach costing:
Charge per drink like a standard bar
Make sure you do your research for what your competition does (you don’t want to overprice yourself nor undercut yourself too much)
Charge as a drinks package e.g. £30 per head for 4 drinks etc.
Mobile bar ideas
One of the advantages of having a mobile bar means that you can move to where the events are and are not fixed in one area. Another great thing is that you need less equipment to run and have everything compactly at your fingertips!
There are a range of different approaches you can take when setting up, styling and serving from your bar. Trends change quickly so one advantage of a mobile bar is that you can usually quite easily, and cost effectively, change your bar to meet demand, keep up with trends and stay ahead of the curve.
To give you some inspiration on ways to serve from your bar I have listed a few things that prove popular:
Beer bar (independent brewers)
Cocktail & Mocktails
Gin bar
Pimms bar
Prosecco/bubbly bar
Wine bar
Cider bar
On top of deciding what you choose to stock and sell, there are also a range of different and innovative ways you can create and repurpose everyday items into your bar. Below are some good examples of different types of mobile bars, although the world is your oyster when it comes to set up, style and bar unit.
Bar on a bike
The Cargo Bike Company created the below cocktail bar. A simple, head turning spin on a classic.
Easy to move around (can quite literally pedal to the people)
Small and compact to store
Eye catching
Small site space (so cost effective if you go to an event)
Some downfalls
Limited storage for ingredients
Can get lost in the background at some events
Limited area to chill drinks
Horsebox
Source: https://www.blinkersmobilebar.co.uk/
Blinkers Horsebox Bar (in picture) shows a unit that has everything at your fingertips. Easy to move to events on the back of a car as well as a quirky yet attractive addition to the aesthetics of an event.
Some advantages of this bar
Easy to move around
Compact, which cuts down set up time
Some downfalls
Require vehicle to tow it to events
Can be restrictive in space
Bus
The Bus Bar Company’s fun, unique and quintessentially British bar that has the advantage of both indoor and outdoor serving space to suit all weathers!
Some advantages of this bar
Easy to move around/drive
Compact, which cuts down set up time
Striking and a good decorative for the event
Some downfalls
Size can make it hard to park/get into some event sites
Site space is expensive for something this size if you go to paid for events
These can be set up and designed to suit what drinks you are serving and who you are serving. Colour, decoration and set up can easily be changed as demands dictate.
Free standing bar
Some advantages of this bar
Can fit around space you have available
Can be easily transported
Small and compact to store
Some downfalls
Limited storage for ingredients
Can get lost in the background at some events
Limited area to chill drinks
Having lots of things next to the bar, e.g. bins, spare stock etc., can look messy
As you can see there are a range of ways you can design and set up a mobile bar. There is no right or wrong way as long as it’s safe and functional for your needs.
I hope that this post has helped you in the initial steps of setting up a mobile bar and wish you the best of luck with your project and business!
Being a concert promoter isn’t necessarily for the faint-hearted. You have to have a passion for the music you want to promote and a good work ethic to succeed in this highly competitive industry.
I was a successful concert promoter for over ten years, promoting a variety of live music and club night events, and I’m going to share with you some of the skills I picked up along the way.
A concert promoter is responsible for “putting on the show”, that is to say they perform the following functions:
Booking venues
Negotiating with agents
Booking the bands,
Arranging ticket sales
Advertising the show
Arranging all of the technical requirements
Setting sound check and performance times
Most concert promoters aren’t tied to a venue, but sometimes they can be.
Concert promoters book or hire venues where they want to promote shows. If they already work at a venue, the roles are still very similar.
I was a venue manager for over 10 years (I didn’t own the venue), and promoted countless live shows, club nights and other performances. No two shows are the same, and concert promoter jobs can be hard work.
It’s often sold as a glamorous role, but the reality is a concert promoter will spend hours sitting at a computer or on the phone arranging a multitude of different things such as venue operations or press releases.
BUT….it’s worth it all when the show has sold out, you’ve made your money, and you can see people having a good time. That’s the passion that drives a concert promoter.
So let’s delve into that role a little deep to see exactly what a concert promoter actually does.
What does a concert promoter do?
A concert promoter may be an employee of a venue, own the venue, work for a concert promotion company or be a freelancer who uses different venues. Some concert promoters start just by hiring small venues and promoting local bands before moving up to buy their own venues.
Concert promoters work with venues of all sizes, from small events doing open mic nights to 10,000+ capacity arena shows or major outdoor festivals for companies like Live Nation.
There are plenty of similarities across these different levels, so let’s dive into this in more detail to understand what some of the concert promoter jobs are.
Working with agents
The one thing you need to realise about booking agents is that they work for the band, not the concert promoter. They usually get a % commission from the booking fee you pay.
When bands are looking to build a fan base, their agent will try to ‘route’ a series of gigs in succession. This might form the basis of a larger tour.
A concert promoter needs to understand where any particular band is in their journey. Are they playing 100, 300, 1,000 or 10,000 capacity shows? Correctly identifying this will save you from wasting the agent’s time.
Negotiating with agents is a tricky business. Be careful of just asking what the price is, the answer you get will be determined by a number of factors: how well the agent knows you if you have booked previous shows, the potential to ‘route’ a band tour your way and the popularity of the band. There may still be some wiggle room in that price if you have some good haggling skills.
Negotiation doesn’t just end with the price. A concert promoter must also sign off on the band’s rider requirements.
After all of this has been agreed, a contract is signed. Once you pass this point, there is a legal commitment to delivering everything agreed, so make sure you are happy and can deliver it or there will be trouble ahead. The agent may have a representative on-site at the gig to ensure everything goes off as agreed.
Working with bands to get them to play.
If you’re aiming to just host local bands with a small capacity venue then you may find that you need to deal with the band directly or (if they have one) a local manager. It’s not uncommon for that manager to be a parent or a close family friend, in my experience!
In this situation, negotiation can be much more informal. However, everything should still be agreed upon in advance and a simple contract or agreement signed to avoid any unnecessary confusion or issues on the day.
Arranging the tickets
Once the venue and bands are confirmed, then, the tickets need to be put on sale. Concert promotion is all about selling tickets, well for the most part. Ensuring the number of tickets sold covers the cost of putting the event on is crucial.
If the concert promoter knows there will be demand for the tickets, they may want to spend some time building up the sale date, using it to their advantage to build things like their email list in exchange for priority access.
If tickets are likely to be in demand, then a robust and trusted online ticketing platform needs to be used. When deciding on which ticketing system to use for a live show, consider the following factors:
The price of the tickets
% service charge by the ticketing platform
% charge by payment fees
The delivery method of the ticketing platform
Ideally, a system that has the lowest charges, is robust and automates ticket delivery is going to be the best option. Do some research to find out those that best suit your needs, you can find some of the best ticketing platforms on our resources page.
Advertise the show
Advertising a show is probably the most important job that a promoter does. A lot will depend on the size of the show, the location and the resources available.
One key thing to know about advertising it’s that if you’ve thought you’ve done enough, you probably haven’t! Many people underestimate the amount of work and time needed to promote a show correctly.
Another word on agents here is that they will often want to sign off on the artwork to ensure correct logos and agreed positioning (headliner/support act, etc.).
For large shows (10,000+), the lead time for promotion and advertising could be up to or over 12 months.
Clearly, in today’s world, marketing events online is the key place. However, there is a big difference between being a prolific USER of social media and being a COMPETENT promoter on it.
Concert promoters must be very good at understanding how to use social media for business. Here is another post on how early you should start to promote an event on social media.
It’s really important first to understand who your target audience is, then serve them relevant and timely advertising and promotion in places they will see it. That goes for both online and offline advertising.
If there were three general areas to focus on, they would be:
Listing on the venue website and included in the venue email drop
Building your own email list (if not the venue owner)
Build hype on your social media channels.
Arranging the riders
There are two types of riders that most concert promoters will be concerned with, the technical rider and the entertainment rider. Both should have been agreed upon in advance with a band’s agent or other representative.
Mostly the technical rider should be fine; a concert promoter should have a good sound engineer to hand. Many of the technical staff in the industry work as freelancers, so it pays to maintain a good relationship with a handful of the crew, so they always have people to call on.
Most of the fun comes from agreeing to the entertainment rider requirements that will include food and drink for the band and their crew, alcohol requirements, number of dressing rooms and much more. A good concert promoter should not be afraid to push back on the agent if they think anything is unreasonable.
Again, with both of these, failure to provide the detail agreed upon will result in major headaches for the concert promoter on the day. The key is being organised in advance to ensure everything is taken care of.
Set soundcheck and performance times
The concert promoter will need to specify the set time in accordance with the venue’s curfew times. This varies depending on their license and, in particular, if the venue is outdoors (likely to be earlier).
Concert promoters will also set things like the band ‘get in’ time, sound check times, opening times and running order. There may be a requirement on finishing times due to licensing or noise restrictions.
What skills do you need to be a concert promoter
Being a concert promoter is a tough job, but potentially hugely rewarding. . But those opportunities are often few and far between, so what other skills are important?
A concert promoter needs the following skills: negotiation, organisation, excellent personal communication, financial management and marketing.
How to become a concert promoter
You can search for concert promoter jobs online, (set up a job alert on major job websites), but in my experience you should seek work experience with a local venue or concert promoter, offer to help, have a flexible schedule and be open to learning new skills.
You do not need a bachelor’s degree to be a concert promoter, most of the skills you need you can learn through experience.
As you gain more experience you may want to try promoting your own events. Start small and then grow from there.
Do promoters make a lot of money?
Discovering the next big thing and booking them just as their profile is taking off can help to really earn a concert promoter good money.
