What drinks should I buy for a company event?

A client reception, internal workshop, summer party, and evening celebration need different menus. Record arrival and departure times, formal programme, food service, location, weather exposure, transport, and whether guests return to work. Separate employees, external guests, staff, and suppliers when their service windows differ.

Confirm the host's alcohol policy and who can approve the final list. Some events allow beer and wine only; others use a timed bar or no alcohol. The policy belongs in the brief before quantities are calculated, along with responsible-service expectations and the plan for clearly identified alcohol-free drinks.

Every attendee uses water, and business events often include drivers, speakers, guests avoiding alcohol, and people who want a professional alcohol-free option. Place still and sparkling water at meeting rooms, tables, and service points. Offer more than cola and juice: alcohol-free beer, aperitifs, spritzes, or sparkling alternatives can suit the occasion.

Choose the alcoholic range only after the alcohol-free base is secure. One beer, a compact wine selection, perhaps reception sparkling wine, and a small long-drink menu are often easier to approve and serve than a full bar. Coffee and tea may matter, but they require a separate catering quantity and equipment plan.

Use confirmed attendance where possible and retain a documented guest range when invitations remain open. Estimate the complete beverage demand, divide it into the chosen categories, and convert servings into bottles, cases, litres, and clean serving-ice kilograms. Apply pack rounding before adding category-specific reserve.

List supplier, pack size, collection or delivery, return rules, deposit, chilling need, and budget owner for each line. A rough retail beverage-and-serving-ice range can support internal approval, but labour, equipment, travel, venue charges, coffee service, and supplier quotes remain separate decisions.

Give attendees water and alcohol-free options without requiring them to queue at the alcoholic bar. Brief the service team on policy, alcohol-free identification, event timings, reserve location, and the person authorised to change the menu. Keep unopened reserve controlled rather than distributed across informal stations.

At close-down, count unopened and opened beverage stock, separate returnable cases, record substitutions, and clear confidential or branded materials from the bar area. Compare the actual attendance and leftovers with the original assumptions. That record makes the next company event easier to defend and less dependent on guesswork.