And how may of you are thinking ahead to 2012 with the Olympic Games coming to London? The Bars by Design team has been busy thinking of ways to make your event bar that little bit more spectacular. Unusual dispense ideas include a golden sports mannequin and a Union Jack themed bar for those who seriously want to fly the flag! We also intend to make a splash with an Olympic themed drinks menu…from cocktails to cask ales. Entertain us here in the office by emailing your thoughts to events@barsbydesign.co.uk. From our Cocktail Masterclass experiences you guys are amazing at being cocktail-creative… but if you do need some inspiration see here for some top tips on cocktail making and shaking www.in-the-spirit.co.uk/cocktails

For corporate bar hire, we know that as a preferred supplier, you require us to support your sustainability policies… we can produce a full BS8901 Sustainability output report so you can evidence the performance of your corporate event bar. See here for more details on London Olympics 2012 and Sustainability www.london2012.com/sustainability

A: A vending machine!

This is only slightly tongue in cheek. The best bar in the world cannot compensate for poor service.
So when we talk about the full bar experience, we are talking about quality of service, the right bartender to guest ratio, the theming of the drink dispense, the presentation of the drink, and most importantly the ability of the bartender to add value to your event.

See this image for what we mean when we talk ‘blue sky thinking’. This was a bar for New Look Corporate Party where we dispelled with the traditional bar counter and built a Wild West Bar. The bartenders were in theme and literally became a living part of the event.

The bar is the first place that guests will head for (well, that and the bathrooms!) Make it fun, keep it live, and don’t limit the event experience by choosing a traditional bar because that’s what has always been done. It’s time to get creative.

Email events@barsbydesign and speak to events consultant Dan Wilson to discuss your next corporate event bar service.
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This bar was created for the Marlowe Theatre Arena in Canterbury for the 2009/10 Pantomime season. The 12 metres of Prolyte bar counter was clad in wood effect work surface and oak effect laminate flooring. The mast and rigging where created using aluminum truss and scaffold, hessian sails and coir rope. We used kitchen units to create a rustic but usable back bar counter. Unit had 24 draught taps, served upto 1250 attendees per session and was on site for 3 months (75 sessions)

Working closley with Sketch Production company we produced a number of bar for Swatch and Art party. The event took place in the arches under London Bridge Station and was attended by over a 1000 guests. The above bar was for the reception drinks and gave the impression of the quality of the event that the guests were entering. Bar is a 2 metre long LED Smart Bar with graphic front and white back light.

A Themed bar produced for the New Look Xmas Party in 2009. Using 10 metres of Prolyte bar counter as a base we overlaid reclaimed wood and straw bails to create a disused gold mine effect. Bar had 4 draught products and catered for upto 1200 guests.

Bespoke 6 metre wooden bar designed for the Club House at St Andrews Golf Course for the Open in 2007. Constructed from Prolyte bar counter with varnished birch top and branded frames. This bar came complete with 4 metre back bar with undercounter fridges. Unit was installed for 2 weeks.

Heston was focused on developing his ‘adult’ river of chocolate and got stuck into the bespoke ‘choctails’ such as ‘Chocolate Nutter’ and ‘Berry Chocolate Martini’ mixed by Sam Wilson of Bars by Design and Cocktail in a Box. There were also ‘choc shots’ delivered via a certain anatomical part of a metallic gold male torso, which he eventually succumbed to, alongside the ‘Goddesses’ who took full advantage of this one-of-a-kind chocolate cocktail dispenser.

The chocolate making ingredients supplied by raw chocolate specialist CHOC Chick were put to further use to make edible sweet treats such as truffles and chilli chocolate and were even used for beauty treatments.

Sam Wilson said:

“The combination of chocolate, women and the magic ingredient – alcohol – makes for a fantastic, fun evening, as Heston discovered! Cocktails are a major part of our business and this event format allows us to showcase our services in a really creative way.”

850 people from all over the country came to enjoy the Moonshine (Gold Lager) which was dispensed from a bubbling distillery into tin mugs. The bars were made from recycled and reclaimed materials giving it a good old fashioned shack look and the menus were written on pieces of wood to keep with the look and feel of the event.

After the evening’s fun and games Scott Mills from Radio One dodged the flying bullets and poker chips to take control of the turn tables.

This was another successful party for the New Look team and we look forward to next year’s event.