This year we visited The Event Production Show EPS, Confex and The PA Show from the other side of the bar so with a slightly different perspective! Having previously exhibited and attended as a stand partner with The Delegate Wranglers and PA Life showcasing our mobile cocktail bar and drink experiences, 2026 was a new experience for us. So what did we learn walking the floor as an event supplier?
It gave us a great opportunity to step back, think about how we show up at trade shows when showcasing our mobile bar services, have conversations with event planners, venues, corporate event agencies and fellow event suppliers and really get a feel of where we sit within those corporate events and how the land lies for others within the industry too.
Confex use the tagline “where the events industry meets” and you really do get that. Across the show floors we met and saw so many faces that we have seen over the years both online and in person from event planners and agencies, venues and other suppliers. Some contacts we met over 5 years ago, some more recently but there was still reference to them thinking about our cocktails and how we can fit in to their world. There were people we met who had followed us online and vice versa that we’ve never had chance to have a conversation with and those that are based just minutes away but we catch up at industry shows like this. Events like this are a reminder that the events industry is incredibly relationship driven. Connections built at exhibitions often lead to future collaborations, event partnerships and corporate event bookings.
We only had a few hours to explore the shows so we chose to spend our time on the exhibition floor rather than attending the presentations. That said, the options across the events were impressively extensive and overwhelming all at once! There were talks covering event production, experiential marketing, sustainability in events, corporate event planning, venue innovation and technology in the events industry.
Since the shows finished we have seen some very positive feedback online about many of the sessions. At the same time there have been a few conversations circulating about comments made that sparked debate within the industry. This kind of discussion shows how the event industry is evolving and how many different perspectives there are.
One of the most common conversations we had with exhibitors, venues and event agencies was about how busy the events calendar is looking for 2026.
Across the industry there is a clear sense that demand for corporate events, brand activations and company celebrations is increasing.
Many event professionals agreed that booking timelines are becoming shorter. Last minute bookings and shorter lead times are becoming more common across both corporate events and private events.
Another theme that came up repeatedly was the demand for immersive and engaging experiences within events. Companies and event planners are looking for ways to create moments that feel memorable, interactive and social. This includes experiential elements such as themed environments, interactive food and drink experiences and unique entertainment. For a mobile bar service like Sip ‘n’ Swig this is particularly exciting as drinks experiences are increasingly becoming part of the overall event experience rather than simply a bar service.
Another consistent topic across conversations was the rise of corporate summer parties. Several event agencies agreed that the traditional corporate Christmas party is no longer the default company celebration. Instead many organisations are choosing to host summer events, outdoor company parties and team celebrations during the warmer months. We have already seen this reflected in our own enquiries. There has been a noticeable increase in enquiries for mobile bar hire for corporate summer parties, company festivals and outdoor corporate events.
Summer events naturally lend themselves to cocktail bars, outdoor bar setups, themed drinks menus and interactive drinks service experiences. For companies looking to create relaxed but memorable events, a cocktail bar experience or bespoke drinks menu can add a social element that encourages guests to interact and enjoy the atmosphere, with or without the alcohol.
Walking the exhibition floor also gave us the opportunity to see other drinks suppliers and bar services operating within the events industry. Seeing other mobile bars and drinks services in the market is always useful as it helps us reflect on what we offer. It left us feeling really confident about what we offer from the quality of the products we serve, the presentation of our mobile bars and our team and the overall ethos behind our drinks service for events.
However it also highlighted that there are aspects of our service that we do not always talk about enough. During conversations with venues and agencies we realised that some of the things we naturally do within our business are actually very valuable to event planners. Sustainability was a good example of this. There are several practices within our drinks service and event bar operations that focus on sustainability, waste reduction and responsible sourcing. These are things we do as standard but do not always actively promote.
Walking around the exhibition halls also provided a useful reminder about the importance of clear branding. Some stands had beautiful setups but it was not always immediately obvious who the company was or what service they provided. When visitors are walking through hundreds of exhibitors in a large exhibition hall, clarity becomes incredibly important.
It also made us reflect on our own exhibition presence. When you are immersed in your own brand every day it is easy to assume people instantly recognise it. Going forward we will be making sure that when we exhibit at industry shows it is very clear who Sip ‘n’ Swig are and that we provide mobile bar hire, cocktail bars for events and drinks services for corporate events and weddings.
Alongside the conversations we also discovered some interesting suppliers and developments within the events industry.
We spent time chatting with Visual Architects, winners of the Visitors Choice Award, about potential collaborations involving themed event styling and custom bar frontages.
Combining immersive event styling with a themed mobile bar could create some exciting experiences for corporate events and brand activations.
We also learned about Showplace’s new beMatrix POP Out system which looks like an impressive modular structure solution for exhibitions and event environments.
Another interesting development was hearing that The British Motor Museum is planning to have a hotel built on site by June 2027. This could open up new possibilities for corporate events and venue experiences in the future.
Even though we only spent a few hours visiting the shows, it was incredibly valuable to see the event industry from the perspective of a visitor rather than an exhibitor.
The conversations reinforced how important relationships are within the events industry and how much innovation is happening across corporate events, experiential events and event production.
For Sip ‘n’ Swig it also confirmed that there is strong demand for creative drinks experiences, mobile bar hire and high quality drinks service for corporate events.
So….until next year but should be back behind the bar next time???
