At the Neptune Bar Hire Co. we know all about frequently asked questions, in fact, we recently published a [blog post] with some FAQs that we get asked, well … frequently! We’ve recently been asked another question that we hadn’t thought of, which is where people can book their party, to be able to hire a mobile bar from Neptune.
At first, we weren’t quite sure what to say, after all, you can book a party wherever you like - we just provide the bar, the drinks, the staff and peace of mind that your event will go smoothly! However, it got us thinking that actually, if a client doesn’t want to have their party or wedding reception in a swanky hotel (they usually have very well-stocked bars of their own), then where are the best alternatives to book?
Keep it local
If you are having a wedding breakfast/party, or a birthday, or christening, or anniversary, or even if it’s just ‘any old excuse’ for a party, you can keep your event hyper-local. If you don’t have spare rooms for people to stay over, you probably have accommodation locally, even if it’s only a pub (and they probably have a function room, but more on that later). It’s worth checking out the following:·
Village halls - These halls are often quite busy with bookings, however if you live somewhere where there’s a strong sense of community, it’s a great idea to book the village hall. Most halls are fairly flexible in allowing you to put up decorations as you see fit (within reason) and often they’re a great alternative to a stuffier venue. The hire fees are obviously going back into the community, too!·
Parish and church halls - Often overlooked, church halls vary massively in size, capacity and facilities, however a hall can be a wonderful place to gather your nearest and dearest for a celebration and are usually not overpriced to hire.
Pub function rooms - You’re probably scratching your head at this one, but some pubs have completely standalone function rooms for hire, where they may be willing to allow a specialist mobile bar operator to run say, a gin bar, or a champagne or cocktail bar. It’s always worth checking!
Smaller hotels - Some boutique hotels (and in some cases, larger, more urban sites) do not have a very extensive bar, if they even have one at all. However they may have some sort of event space, so it is always worth asking about having a mobile bar.
Sports halls - Bit of a long shot this one, as you would probably be having a massive ‘do’ to want to hire a sports hall. Again, they may not have a bar on site, so that’s where we would come in!
Of course, with any venue, you will need to consider whether they allow alcohol and food, whether there are restrictions on entertainment and music and also whether they are happy to have a mobile bar in attendance (if this relates to a licence, don’t forget that Mat is a licence holder and will apply for a Temporary Events Notice (TENS) for the event).
Don’t be afraid to ask!
Basically, anywhere where there is a community of people, there will be some sort of space for hire, even if it’s a barn (and we have supplied mobile bars to some cracking events in local farmers’ barns and fields!). Even if the venue has their own bar, it may still be worth asking about a specialist mobile bar or, if they cannot supply at volume, there is usually the potential for a deal to be struck.
It’s probably fair to say that, going into winter and seeing potentially massive rises in the cost of living across the board, booking a party may be the last thing on your mind right now. However, we all need things to look forward to and exploring some of the options mentioned above could allow you to plan with confidence without breaking the bank. Neptune Bars also provide a competitively priced service, so that party could be closer than you think!
As always, get in touch with Mat if you want to have a chat or book a bar!
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