Hosting elegant business events is one of the secrets of staying relevant in your industry and building a rapport with clients. The event could be a new product launch, a seminar, a year-end party, or anything else you can think of.
Then the million-dollar question arises: Do alcohol and business events mix? The answer is YES if you serve the alcohol responsibly. Serving alcohol at your business event goes a long way in cultivating ideas and forging long-lasting partnerships. Here are six tips on how you can incorporate alcohol at your business event responsibly and elegantly.
- Hire Professional Bartenders
Hiring professional bartenders at your event gives you peace of mind since you are assured that your guests are well taken care of. You will also have more time to focus on other things, such as interacting with guests. These experts will serve your visitors in a swift and orderly manner so that everyone will have a good time.
Besides, these professionals know the greatest cocktails, such as the famous Absolut Drinks Espresso Martini. Having bartenders at your event also ensures that your guests drink responsibly because you can tell them not to serve alcohol to anyone who appears intoxicated.
- Check if You Need a License
The last thing you want is to get in trouble with local authorities for not having a license. You will need a special license for your event if you are selling alcohol or collecting donations and supplying alcohol for free. If you have several unrelated events coming up, you will need to apply for a license for each event separately.
However, you don’t need a special license if you are supplying the drinks or the invitees are bringing their own drinks to your private event. If you plan to hire caterers for the event, ensure that the company is already licensed.
- Open Bars are a Bad Idea
As much as you want your guests to have the best time at your event, you have to limit how much they can drink. That means no open bar for them. You can also introduce a system to track how much each person has had to drink.
An easy way to do that is trading a drink for a stamp. Then limit the number of stamps one can have. It would also help to shorten the happy hour. You should also close the bar ahead of the end time. That will give your guests some time to sober up before leaving.
- Stick to the Objectives
Without a doubt, you would never organize a business event solely to serve alcohol. Therefore, remember to uphold the purpose of the event throughout. It could be rewarding employees, networking, or celebrating a business milestone.
To take the focus away from the alcohol, have other things, such as games, music, dancing, and other team-building activities. You should also serve food early and often throughout the event.
- Organize Transport for your Guests
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, about 32 people in the United States lose their lives to drunk-driving crashes every day. As the host, you must prevent your guests from getting behind the wheel after consuming alcohol.
Please encourage them to take sober rides, such as taking a cab home or having a sober designated driver. Another option would be partnering with a shuttle service company, especially if your event is large. That doesn’t mean babysitting your guests, but a gentle reminder about their safety on the road is important.
- Perfect Planning
The success of your business event depends on how well you plan. That starts by picking an ideal date. Since your event will have alcohol, it would be best to schedule it for the weekend. It would be best if you also allowed enough time to put things together and for your guests to plan. The next thing is picking a venue that can accommodate all your guests. The venue also needs to align with your brand.
Parting Shot
Alcohol is a good way to set the tone for your business event. Some guests even expect it to be served. So, your biggest task is not deciding whether or not to serve alcohol. Rather, it is planning on how to serve it responsibly.