Bartenders: booking mobile bar hire for private events

Let hosts book a short planning call online, then book the event yourself as one slot on its date once the guest count, the drinks list and the venue are agreed. Make that slot cover set-up, service and pack-down, give it one place so the date can't be booked twice, and say in your descriptions what's included: bar, glassware, ice, ingredients or service only. Hosts get a clear path from enquiry to booked date, and you never promise the same Saturday to two parties.

A garden party for thirty and a corporate reception for two hundred don't need the same bar, staff or stock. A planning call lets the host explain the event and lets you check the date, the venue and what they expect. On Book, each service has a name, a price and an optional description shown on your public page, and each slot belongs to one service, sits within one day and has its own capacity.

Durations and prices are examples: set your own, and say in each description what the price covers and whether drinks stock is included.

The booking form takes first name, last name, email and phone, plus an optional note that reaches you in the new booking email and appears in the host's calendar file. Ask in the call description for:

Once you've agreed the details, create a slot on that date covering your arrival, set-up, service and pack-down, and book the host into it yourself from your calendar. First and last name are required, email and phone optional; enter the host's email so they receive a confirmation with a calendar file. With one place, the slot is full and no longer shown on your page. Put the agreed menu and guest count in the booking note so they're in the host's calendar file too.

The number of guests decides how many bartenders you bring and how much stock you prepare. Say in the description how many guests one bartender serves, and by when the final number must be confirmed. If the event needs a second bartender, plan who it is before you confirm, since your booking page has no staff field: one service per person, or a note in the booking, keeps it clear.

For a wedding or a large party, a host may want to taste the signature cocktails first. Offer a tasting as its own short service, booked after the planning call, and say whether its price is deducted from the event. Keep tastings on weekday evenings, away from your event weekends.

A mobile bar takes time to load, unload, build and chill. Make the event slot start when you arrive, not when guests do. If you take two events on the same day, check the gap and the drive between them: Book doesn't stop slots of different services from overlapping, so look at the day in your calendar before you confirm. Weekends in wedding season are the dates to plan first; open quieter weekdays for corporate events.

Who can sell or serve alcohol, and where, depends on local rules. Say in the description what your service includes, and check with the host and the venue what's required for their event before you confirm.

Hosts can't move or cancel online: they contact you, and you move the event from your bookings list, then confirm it yourself, since Book doesn't email clients about changes. Say your cancellation rule in the event description, especially for stock already bought. Book doesn't take payments or deposits, so say how and when the host pays. Book costs €5/month, everything included: unlimited services and bookings, no commission, no contract.